Civil rights leader, part of Brown v. Board family, to speak at Drury University

Cheryl Brown Henderson, whose family was a pivotal figure in the Brown v. Board of Education case, will speak at Drury University's Stone Chapel.

The lecture at 11 a.m. Friday, April 5, is open to the public.

Henderson, founding president of the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, which was started in Kansas, has made other trips to Springfield to visit Drury and Central High School.

She is the daughter of the Rev. Oliver Brown and the sister of Linda Brown, a family at the heart of a landmark civil rights battle to end the segregation of public schools.

Henderson will deliver a lecture about the significance and the legacy of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The case challenged the “separate but equal” doctrine and advocated for students of all backgrounds to have an equal opportunity to learn.

The family has ties to Springfield. In the late 1950s, the Brown family relocated from Topeka to Springfield when the Rev. Brown became pastor of the Benton Avenue A.M.E. church.

Stone Chapel sits close to the Benton Avenue A.M.E. Church and Central High.

More: Civil rights icon Linda Brown, a 1961 Central graduate, dies in Topeka

Linda Brown enrolled in Central in 1959 and graduated in 1961. In 2000, Central dedicated a plaque in her memory. The bench has the following words etched: "May her courage be an inspiration to all."

Henderson, who has degrees from degrees from Baker University and Emporia State University, has expertise in education, business and civic leadership.

Her convocation is part of the Diversity and Reconciliation Undergraduate Conference, which starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. in F.W. Olin Library.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Cheryl Brown Henderson to speak at Drury on Brown v. Board legacy