Cheryl Brown Henderson
One of the three daughters of the late Rev. Oliver L. Brown, who, in the fall of 1951, along with 12 other families, led by attorneys for the NAACP, filed suit in behalf of their children against the local Board of Education. Their case made its way all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and on May 17, 1954, became known as the landmark decision; Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. This case was named for Oliver Brown, i.e., Oliver L. Brown et. al. vs. The Board of Education of Topeka. Brown died in 1961 before knowing the impact this case would have on the country.
Cheryl is currently serving as President and CEO of the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research, which she founded in 1988. She is the owner of Brown & Brown Associates, an educational consulting firm and has an extensive background in education, business and civic leadership, having served on and chaired various local, state and national Boards. In addition she has nearly two decades of experience in political advocacy, public policy implementation and federal legislative development. She is also an associate with the Westerly Group a public advocacy firm in Washington, D.C.
Since its establishment, the Brown Foundation has provided scholarships to forty minority students, presented awards to local, state and national leaders and sponsored programs on diversity and educational issues, for some 4000 people. In 1990, under her leadership the Foundation successfully worked with the U.S. Congress to establish the Brown v Board of Education National Park in Topeka, scheduled to open in 2004. In 2001 under her leadership, the Foundation successfully worked with the U.S. Congress to establish the Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Presidential Commission, which will serve to provide a Federal presence in the 2004 anniversary of the Brown decision.
On January 17, 1994, May 19, 1995 and May 2003 she was one of a group of individuals invited to a reception at the White House in honor of Dr. King and the Children of Civil Rights Movement and the 75th Anniversary, U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau and 49th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, respectively.
In June of 1996, Cheryl became the first African American woman from Kansas to run for the U. S. House of Representatives.
Published Writings:
- "Lucinda Todd and the Invisible Petitioners of Brown v. Board of Education", African American Women Confront the West, anthology, Oklahoma University Press, 2003
- "The Legacy of Brown Forty-Six Years Later", Washburn University Law Journal, Volume 40, Number 1, 2000.
- Brown v. The Board of Education: In Pursuit of Freedom and Equality, Teachers Guide, Brown Foundation, 1997.
- Forty Years After the Brown Decision: Implications, Perspectives and Future Directions, Readings on Equal Education, Vol. 13, spring 1997.
- Guest Editor, CRM Cultural Resource Magazine of the National Park Service
Volume 19, Number 2, winter 1996.
- "The Brown Foundation Story: Preserving Public History," CRM Cultural Resource Magazine of the National Park Service, Volume 19, Number 2, winter 1996.
- "Schoolhouse Restoration", Preserving Our Recent Past, Historic Preservation Education Foundation Washington, DC, 1995.
- "Landmark Decision - Remembering the Struggle for Equal Education," Land and
People, The Trust for Public Lands, Volume 6, Number 1, spring 1994.
Honors and Awards
- National Alliance of Black School Educations Life Time Achievement Award
- Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund Award of Excellence
- Fight for Justice Award, Southern University Law Center
- Mayor's Award for serving as Co-Chair of the Mayor's Diversity Council
- Spirit of Amelia Earhart Role Model Award, presented by the Amelia Earhart Museum
- Multimedia Cable and Capitol Federal Savings Capitol Citizen Award
- Convention and Visitors Bureau Spirit of Topeka Award
- Who's Who Among African Americans
- Women of Distinction Award - Girl Scouts
- Women in U.S. Vocational Education Administration
- Outstanding Young Women of America
- Who's Who in the Midwest
- Distinguished Alumni Citation, Baker University
- Numerous awards for work and presentations on women's issues
- Various honors and proclamations for participation in work to preserve the history of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education from the states of New York, Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, Nevada, Nebraska, Washington to name a few.
State and National Activities
- 1997 appointed by Senator Pat Roberts to the Kansas Advisory Committee on Science, Technology and the Future.
- 1997 appointed by Senator Sam Brownback to the Kansas Women's Advisory Committee.
- Has held memberships in 19 professional and civic organizations including the boards of Kansas Humanities Council, Kansas State Historical Society and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
- Extensive public speaking experience which includes university guest lectures at over 40 universities including Harvard Law School, with primary focus on education and contemporary civil rights issues.
- 1982 to 1993 Board member of Women Work: the National Network for Women's Employment.
- 1990 to 1992 Chaired Women Work the National Network for Women's Employment, representing 15 million women nationwide. Office based in Washington, D.C.
- Provided testimony before both the U.S. House and Senate on Women's issues and Brown v Board of Education.
- Media interview experience includes CBS News, NBC News, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and 14 other major TV and Radio stations and over 25 tabloids.
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