Much of what you think you know about Linda Brown – a central figure in Brown v. Board of Education – is wrong
- Written by Charise Cheney, Associate Professsor of Ethnic Studies, University of Oregon
Linda Brown Smith, right, and her two children in their Topeka, KS home 1974.AP
As the nation commemorates the life of Linda Brown Thompson – the public face of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case – Brown is being celebrated as a heroic young girl from Topeka who “brought a case that ended segregation in public schools in...

