Family's reluctance grows into passion

TOPEKA, Kan. - Film of jeering crowds and menacing dogs will surround visitors at an exhibit designed to reproduce the experience of black youngsters who integrated American schools.

The exhibit is one of the most emotional at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, located at the former school of the daughter of the lead plaintiff in the landmark case. The $11.3-million site opens today.

"We already acknowledge that a lot of people who visit here, when they leave, some people won't be happy," said LaTonya Miller, education director for the site. "But they will on the other hand be glad that the story is being told."

The site at the former Monroe School also will tell the stories of school desegregation cases from Virginia, South Carolina and Delaware that were also appealed to the Supreme Court and decided collectively as Brown. Additional space at the center has been devoted to teaching visitors about the civil rights movement before and after the ruling.

"This story is not just about Linda Brown," Miller said. "For too long, the myth has been perpetuated that it's been about her."

The visit starts in the school's former auditorium, which is filled with large photos of civil rights leaders.

Large screens running along either side of the room, and one on the stage, will play an introductory video that includes footage of the civil rights movement.

On the opposite side of the hall are two galleries. Along the wall runs a timeline of key civil rights events. It is in the first gallery where visitors walk through the "Tunnel of Courage," with its period footage of jeering crowds.

In a minitheater nearby, visitors can view a film about the importance of education in the black community. Also in the room is an interactive terminal where visitors can learn more about the five cases that overturned the doctrine of "separate but equal" accommodations for minorities.

Cheryl Brown Henderson, sister of Linda Brown Thompson, started the Brown Foundation to educate the public about the ruling and spearheaded efforts to build the museum.

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