ICYMI: Davids, Cleaver, LaTurner Call on National Parks Service to Incorporate History of Webb v. School District 90 into Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Park
The Webb v. School District 90 decision in 1949 helped pave the way to the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision ending school segregation in the United States just five years later
To commemorate a letter sent to the National Parks Service and the Brown v. Board of Education Historic Park on October 8, Representatives Sharice Davids and Emanuel Cleaver II spoke with members of the Webb family at the former Walker School on their family’s role in Civil Rights history.
WATCH: Lawmakers push for Merriam history to be included in Brown v. Board National Historical Park
In the Oct. 8 letter, the representatives called attention to the 1949 decision in the Webb v. School District No. 90 (Webb) case, which took place in what is currently known as Merriam, Kansas.
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“The Webb Case that went to the Kansas Supreme Court really was a foundational piece of making sure that when the Supreme Court took up Brown v. Board, that there was precedent and a legal framework,” Davids said.
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But with so much of the physical landscape changed, the Webb family is relying on storytelling to preserve their history.
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“They need to know it because they take it for granted,” Mary Webb said. “They think, ‘Oh, we can always just go to school. We can always just go to stores.’”
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