70 years after Brown v. Board, how does Baltimore figure into ruling’s history?

With Thurgood Marshall’s prominence in the case and city schools’ swift (though stymied) integration, Baltimore figures into the history of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, which the U.S. Supreme Court issued 70 years ago today.

The Supreme Court’s landmark unanimous decision on May 17, 1954, ruled that segregated schools violated the 14th Amendment. A year later, the court led by Chief Justice Earl Warren instructed schools to integrate with “All deliberate speed.”

Baltimore native Thurgood Marshall argued the plaintiffs’ case and was the main architect of the strategy that led to the overturning of “separate but equal,” seizing education as a weak spot for the doctrine and amassing victories in lower courts. Marshall would become the first African American on the Supreme Court in 1967, serving until 1991.

In a 45-second vote, the Baltimore School Board became the first to vote to desegregate a public school system south of the Mason-Dixon line. The State Board of Education wanted the city to move slowly but the Baltimore School Board led by President Walter Sondheim Jr. held firm. On Sept. 7, 1954, Baltimore public schools integrated. The first day passed with few complaints or clashes. However, because students were sent to schools near where they lived, Baltimore schools remained mostly segregated. Busing was tried and Baltimore middle and high school students can now apply for the school of their choice, but effective segregation remains today, in the city and elsewhere in Maryland and around the country.

Some Maryland counties didn’t even begin to try to integrate until years after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. Howard County didn’t integrate until 1965 and apologized for this in 2012. In 2020, Howard County instituted a redistricting plan to promote diversity and integration.