Brown vs. Board of Education Bronze Medal
Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine sparked one of the most significant events in the Civil Rights Movement when he petitioned for school bus transportation for his Black students. When his petitions were denied, Harry Briggs, Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson subsequently filed lawsuits challenging the “separate but equal” fallacy that segregated America, eventually reaching the Supreme Court as the landmark case Brown vs. Board of Education. On May 17, 1954, the court found the fallacy of “separate but equal” to be unconstitutional, leading to the desegregation of American public schools. This decision in the Nation’s highest court added momentum to the Civil Rights Movement and stands as one of the most important court cases in American history, and a testament to the change Americans can make when they stand together against injustice.
Honor the invaluable work of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson with this bronze replica of their Congressional Gold Medal, expertly crafted by the United States Mint.
The Brown v. Board of Education Bronze Medal, this medal is a bronze duplicate of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded on behalf of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson in recognition of their contributions to the nation as pioneers in the effort to desegregate public schools.
The obverse features inscriptions “BRIGGS V. ELLIOTT” and “Our Trust Is In God” centered above the portraits of Reverend DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs and Levi Pearson. Two cabbage palmettos, the state tree of South Carolina, flank the portraits under which “BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION” is inscribed.
The reverse features a rendition of the goddess Justice. To the right of Justice, “HONORING THE PIONEERS AND PETITIONERS FROM CLARENDON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA” is inscribed. “They proved that segregation in education can never produce equality and that it is evil that must be eradicated,” a partial quote from Judge J. Waties Waring’s dissenting opinion, and “ACT OF CONGRESS 2003” are also inscribed on the medal.
Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine sparked one of the most significant events in the Civil Rights Movement when he petitioned for school bus transportation for his Black students. When his petitions were denied, Harry Briggs, Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson subsequently filed lawsuits challenging the “separate but equal” fallacy that segregated America, eventually reaching the Supreme Court as the landmark case Brown vs. Board of Education. On May 17, 1954, the court found the fallacy of “separate but equal” to be unconstitutional, leading to the desegregation of American public schools. This decision in the Nation’s highest court added momentum to the Civil Rights Movement and stands as one of the most important court cases in American history, and a testament to the change Americans can make when they stand together against injustice.
Honor the invaluable work of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson with this bronze replica of their Congressional Gold Medal, expertly crafted by the United States Mint.