Online Tour of National Park - 3

Education and Justice (north side)

The Education and Justice gallery was formerly several classrooms (including the 8th grade classroom).  The exhibits on the north wall in this gallery discuss the development of segregation in the United States, particularly in the public schools.  Topics covered on the north wall are:

  • Public Education in the New Nation
  • The Impact of Immigration
  • Discrimination Against People of Color
  • Frederick Douglass
  • Pre-Civil War African American Schools
  • Educational Opportunities for African Americans
  • Higher Aims
  • The Backlash
  • Segregration in Education

The center of the gallery contains the Hall of Courage, a multi-media presentation showing scenes and sounds from some of the critical confrontations of the Civil Rights Movement, including the experiences of African American children and teenagers desegregating white schools and colleges.  Note: the Hall can be an intense experience for some because of the strong language and images.  Adults accompanying children may want to go through the Hall to determine if it is appropriate for the children in their group.

Plaque at entrance of Education and Justice gallery
Education--The Path to Freedom is the theme of the display on the north wall of the gallery. This display focuses on the establishment of education for African Americans.

Pullout drawers reveal artifacts and additional avenues for discovery
They Gave Us Good Dreams describes how 'education was everything' and was utilized by African Americans to 'get around discrimination' and ...

... discusses ACT-SO, a mentoring program designed to recruit, stimulate, improve and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African American high school students
Learn more 
A timeline of civil rights related events from 1600-1957 is displayed throughout this gallery

This panel is at each end of the Hall of Courage and shows Elizabeth Eckford, aged 15, trying to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, on the first day of classes, September 4, 1957.  She was met by a verbally abusive, angry mob.
The Hall of Courage

 

Education and Justice (south side)

The Five Lawsuits exhibit consists of video presentations and a map showing pre-Brown segregation. The exhibits on the south wall in this gallery further discuss the events and strategy leading to the decision in Brown v. Board.  Topics covered on the south wall are:

  • Early Challenges to Segregation
  • Charles Hamilton Houston
  • NAACP Legal Defense Fund
  • The 1954 Supreme Court Decision
  • Targeting Segregation
  • Community Activitism
  • Decision Day
  • The Front Line
  • Implementing the Supreme Court Decision

The Five Lawsuits consists of videos discussing each of the five Brown cases and a map showing pre-Brown segregation
The Five Lawsuits videos provide background about the cases from Delaware, Virginia, South Carolina, Kansas, and the District of Columbia and ...

... discuss the NAACP's strategy to overturn legalized segregation in the United States
A map of the United States shows the status of school segregation before Brown.  Different colors indicate the states where segregation was required, permitted, prohibited or which had no specific legislation.

Demanding Equality Under the Law is the theme of the display on the south wall of the gallery 
Included here are the interactive exhibit Road to Justice and ...

...fact or fiction questions that reveal some of the myths surrounding Brown v. Board.
The next stop on the tour is The Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education at the south end of the hallway.

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