Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has announced the designation of five schools in Delaware, Virginia, and the District of Columbia as affiliated areas of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park. This move aims to enhance the storytelling around the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended segregation in public schools.
"The impacts of Brown v. Board of Education were felt throughout our nation," stated Secretary Haaland. "With these new affiliated sites, we are truly telling the full story of this chapter in American history."
National Park Service Director Chuck Sams added, "These affiliated areas are historically significant to our nation and mark physical connections to our not-so-distant past."
The newly designated sites include Robert Russa Moton Museum in Farmville, Virginia; Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington, Delaware; Claymont Community Center in Claymont, Delaware; Hockessin Colored School #107 in Hockessin, Delaware; and The John Philip Sousa Middle School in Washington, D.C.
This action finalizes steps under the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park Expansion and Redesignation Act of 2022. The five new additions will remain under existing ownership but will be managed by local and private partners through formal agreements with the National Park Service.
Interpretative programming is being developed for these sites, with visitors encouraged to check for operating information from each management entity.
About each site:
- Robert Russa Moton Museum will be managed by its Board of Trustees. It was an all-Black school where student-led walkouts began in 1951.
- Howard High School of Technology will be managed by New Castle County Vocational Technical School District. It was once the only secondary school available to African American youth in Delaware.
- Claymont Community Center will be managed by Brandywine Community Resource Council. In 1952, it became one of the first integrated schools following a legal decision.
- Hockessin Colored School #107 will be managed by The Friends of Hockessin Colored School #107.
- The John Philip Sousa Middle School will be managed by the District of Columbia Public Schools' Board of Education.
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