Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in Black history that was decided in 1954. The case centered on the issue of segregation in public schools and the decision ultimately declared the segregation of public schools based on race as unconstitutional.

The lead plaintiff in the case was Oliver Brown, an African American man from Topeka, Kansas, whose daughter was denied entry into a white school due to her race. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, led by Thurgood Marshall, argued that segregated schools were inherently unequal and denied Black children equal protection under the law.

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, ruled that segregation in public schools was a violation of the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. The decision marked a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and paved the way for desegregation efforts in schools and other public institutions across the country.

While the ruling did not lead to an immediate end to segregation in schools, it set an important legal precedent and inspired further activism and legal challenges to dismantle segregation and advance civil rights for Black Americans. Brown v. Board of Education remains one of the most significant and impactful decisions in U.S. legal history and is celebrated as a key moment in the fight for racial equality.