This week, our nation celebrates 66 years since the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling established that segregated schooling was unconstitutional. As a Civil Rights Movement historian, I have had the honor of visiting several sites of the freedom struggle and traveling with Minnijean Brown Trickey, one of the Little Rock Nine. The Little Rock Nine was the title given to the nine brave African American students who integrated Little Rock Arkansas’ Central High School. Most Americans alive in 1957, the year Central High was desegregated, remember seeing images on television of a screaming mob and Arkansas’ National Guard troops blocking the entrance to Central High School so that the Little Rock Nine could not enter.
Others may remember Dwight Eisenhower’s resolve in sending in the 101st Airborne to protect the nine students. But, what these images did not show was the daily harassment, physical torment, and isolation the Little Rock Nine suffered once inside the walls of Central High. Having had the opportunity to talk to Ms. Brown Trickey in-depth about her experience, as well as walk the halls of Central High School and tour the city of Little Rock, I have often thought about the catalyst of the crisis at Central High School. How could a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, a supposed victory for civil rights, cause so much strife? Who were the plaintiffs of the Brown case and was the outcome of the ruling what they expected? What is the legacy of Brown? Most importantly, how do we engage our students in learning about this vital history?
In this webinar, I detail the historic foundations of the Brown case, explore contemporary issues of equity, and share the rich resources present in our Savvas History Social Science programs for teaching about this important moment. We look forward to learning about how you are teaching the Brown v. Board of Education case and its long-term impacts. Connect with us on Social Media @SavvasLearning and let us know your thoughts!
Request a digital sample from our award-winning K-12 social studies programs today.
About the author: Meg Honey is a Humanities Curriculum Specialist with Savvas Learning Company. She taught middle school and high school Social Studies for sixteen years and currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at Saint Mary’s College of California and at University of the Pacific. Meg earned a Master’s Degree in United States History at San Jose State University, is a certified educational trainer with the Southern Poverty Law Center, and was Mount Diablo Unified School District’s Teacher of the Year in 2017.
