The Madam C.J. Walker School in Merriam, Kansas, has been designated as a historic place by the National Register of Historic Places. This recognition is a result of the school’s significant role in the desegregation of schools in the United States. In 1948, families of 44 Black students at the school filed a lawsuit, Webb v. School District No. 90, to allow their children to attend the newly rebuilt South Park Grade School, which was previously only for white students.

Background

The Webb v. School District No. 90 lawsuit was a precursor to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, which desegregated schools nationally in 1954. The Kansas Supreme Court’s decision in 1949 to uphold a state law that prohibited small communities from segregating schools allowed Black children to attend South Park Grade School, five years before the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Tony Adams, a lifelong Merriam resident and program manager at Philadelphia Missionary Baptist Church, which is located in the former Walker School, led the effort to get the school recognized as a historic place. Adams said that the designation is a step closer to recognizing the importance of the Webb v. School District No. 90 lawsuit in American education history.

Restoration Plans

The recognition also opens up funding opportunities for the restoration of the school building. A $4 million restoration plan, created by MultiStudio, aims to restore the site to its original 1905 school house design, featuring a mini-museum. Fundraising efforts are set to begin soon, with details to be announced on the church’s website.

The restoration plan includes renderings of the proposed design, which can be viewed on the church’s website. The plan aims to capture the history of the school and its significance in the desegregation of schools in the United States.

Original reporting: Johnson County Post (Overland Park) — read the source article.