A new Brown v. Board of Education Monument now stands on the grounds of Legislative Mall in Dover.
The monument is near the corner of Legislative Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
It commemorates Delaware’s role in Brown v Board of Education. Friday is the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1954 desegregation decision which included two Delaware cases.
The monument dedicated Thursday morning features pictures from that time that had a hand in fighting school segregation.
House Speaker Valerie Longhurst says though the milestone is being celebrated the journey to equality is far from over.
"70 years later we are still taking steps every day to combat discrimination, inequality in our communities,” said Longhurst. “Going forward this monument will serve as a very powerful reminder for all those who visit whether visitors, staff or legislators that we must use all available tools to make Brown's promise real."
Other speakers included Gov. John Carney talking about what the Belton v. Gebhart case meant for Claymont.
"It's a part of the education that needs to be not only given to the children but to everyone, because a lot of adults who are just as ignorant, more ignorant then they think they are," said Reba Ross Hollingsworth, Vice Chair with the Delaware Heritage Commission.
Hollingsworth also spoke at the dedication about what it was like for Black children seeking an education in the 1930s and 1940s prior to desegregation.
Delaware Supreme Court Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr. spoke about his father who ruled on the Delaware cases that became a part of Brown v. Board of Education.
