Brown V. Board of Education National Historic Site

I always thought Brown V Board sounded like the most boring place to visit.  It is not.  In fact, it is a terrific, modern museum that tells the story of the court cases that ended segregation in schools.  From there, it expands into the larger Civil Rights movement for which Brown V. Board was a significant landmark.  It also deals with the degrees to which the full scope of school desegregation has yet to be fully realized.

More than a museum, the Brown V. Board site is housed in the Monroe School in downtown Topeka, KS, one of four schools once segregated and used only for black children.  I get a little choked up when I think about the history of blacks in America, so this museum was very moving for me.

There are impressive multimedia displays throughout the museum.  In the above photo, the theater features seven screens that coordinate to show multiple angles of a story being told.  It's kind of weird but kind of cool.  Our baby was mesmerized by all the action before she went off like an atom bomb and ruined my conversation with the park staff.

Brown V Board is free to visit and totally worth the stop if you're passing through Topeka.  For more information, visit www.nps.gov/brvb