ABSTRACT

This article provides a brief overview of segregated education in Kansas and then explores 3 legal cases: (a) Reynolds v. The Board of Education of the City of Topeka (1903), (b) Wright v. Board of Education of Topeka (1930), and (c) Graham v. Board of Education of Topeka. (1941), the precursors to Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954). These lawsuits, brought by Black citizens in Topeka, Kansas, provide insights into the legal challenges to segregated education in Topeka prior to Brown and provide an analysis of the legal role Topeka played in terms of shaping and influencing the terrain of segregated education in not only Kansas but the United States.