By Joseph Edelen

DOVER — On Thursday’s eve of the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown vs. Board of Education, a monument commemorating Delaware’s role in the case was unveiled in front of Legislative Hall.

The First State’s part in the 1954 federal ruling stemmed from Delaware Court of Chancery’s 1952 decision on a consolidated case deeming segregation as unconstitutional, which was combined with four other cases across the country en route to the Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka verdict.

Made possible with the help of the General Assembly and the Department of State, the 6-foot commemorative statue was produced by the Milford-based William V. Sipple & Son Monument Company, as well as their subcontractor the Rock of Ages Monument Company, from Vermont.

Its design was created by the Delaware Heritage Commission and includes photos of prominent figures from the case, which came courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives and the Bettman Archive.

The monument bears a quote from the mother of Ethel Louise Belton, who filed suit against the state because her daughter was denied entry into Claymont High School despite it being closer to the family’s home and providing better facilities.

“We are all Americans, and when the state sets up separate schools for certain people of a separate color, then I and others are made to feel ashamed and embarrassed,” it reads.

The Bulah family faced a similar predicament, which also led them to seek legal assistance. In their suits against the state, the families were represented by Louis L. Redding, Delaware’s first Black attorney.

When the case reached the Court of Chancery in 1952, Chancellor Collins J. Seitz Sr. ruled in their favor; a decision that was affirmed in Delaware Supreme Court later that year, and again by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954.

Chancellor Seitz’s ruling marked the first decisions in the United States that struck down school segregation, though they only applied to the schools mentioned in the lawsuits. This, however, led to the admission of several Black students into Claymont High School, dubbed the “Claymont Twelve.”

“Learning those lessons from the past helps us move forward together and confront the challenges that we face today,” said Gov. John Carney Thursday.

Despite the state courts’ ruling and the U.S. Supreme Court decision, not all Black students in Delaware experienced desegregation without incident like the Claymont Twelve.

In 1954, 11 Black students who were admitted into Milford High School following these court decisions quickly became the target of extensive protests on school grounds.

As protests increased and White students began refusing to attend classes with their Black classmates, tensions in Milford rose. This eventually led to their disenrollment after a 1954 Delaware Supreme Court ruling determined the Milford school board had not followed state education regulations when admitting the students, who were dubbed the “Milford 11.”

The challenges faced by Black students in Delaware throughout the 1930s and into the 1950s was emphasized Thursday by Dr. Reba Hollingsworth, vice chair of the Delaware Heritage Commission.

After detailing her own struggles during times of segregation and its fallout, Dr. Hollingsworth remarked that these lessons have taught future generations to not let obstacles — like racism and “labels of inferiority” — get in the way of achieving their goals.

“I’ve let these experiences really teach me a valuable lesson,” she said. “My thing is, whenever people put stumbling blocks in your way, you use those as stepping stones for something better.”

Thursday’s ceremony was attended by dozens of lawmakers, authors and historians, as well as Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr., son of the late Chancellor Seitz.

The Brown vs. Board of Education monument is on the east side of Legislative Hall along Legislative Avenue.