In 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously strikes down segregation in public schools, sparking the Civil Rights movement.

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On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. A commentary on the ruling explores the differing theories on integration at the time.

On May 17, 1954, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling against the "separate but equal" mandate and demanded desegregation of schools. Outside the courtroom, the attorneys who argued the Brown v. Board of Education case, James Nabrit Jr., Thurgood Marshall and George Hayes, give a press conference.

This Day in History - May 17, 1954, Brown vs. Board of Education trial came to an end with courts deciding racial segregation of public schools was unequal. This was the first time blacks and whites could sit together in one classroom. To find out more about this day, check out this video clip.

Historian Yohuru Williams talks about the Plessy v. Ferguson case and its effects on the Civil Rights Movement.

H. Rap Brown, the 1960s leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), speaks about the state of the African-American community as a whole.

Mario Savio, leader of the Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley, was a frequent speaker in the spate of student demonstrations held on campus in fall 1964. In one public statement, Savio protests the university's ban of political activity on school grounds.