A critical analysis of African Americans’ collective efforts to obtain educational equality before Brown v. Board of Education.
 
The landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, which barred racial segregation in American public schools, wasn’t the only path for Black parents, teachers, and activists who sought equality of educational opportunity. Some believed that the solution to inequality lay in pressing the federal government to live up to the Jim Crow doctrine of “separate but equal” by providing more resources to Black schools. And for a time, this seemed true in Washington, DC, where Black activists leveraged their status as residents of the nation’s capital to advocate on behalf of Black education. However, disappointments with the “separate but equal” strategy and a sea change in activism led to an embrace of integration.
 
In Nothing Less Than Equality, Tikia K. Hamilton reveals the rich and complex history of educational activism in Washington prior to Brown v. Board of Education, illuminating complex dynamics that provide a counterpoint and backdrop to the landmark Supreme Court case. Hamilton thoroughly examines the multipronged strategies employed by parents, teachers, attorneys, and activists to democratize education, demonstrating that there was no linear path to Brown. 
 

Tikia K. Hamilton is assistant professor of history at Loyola University Chicago. 

Introduction: A “Model” System
1. “Optimal Autonomy”: African American Education in Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Washington
2. “Jim Crow Capital”: Washington’s Dual System During the Depression
3. “A Blessing in Disguise”: The Marian Anderson Campaign for the Equal School Facilities
4. “Make DC Mean Democracy’s Capital”: Desegregating School Facilities and Playgrounds
5. “100 Percent Cooperation!”: The Browne Parents’ Boycott
6. “People Can Never Lose When They’re United”: The Central for Cardozo Campaign
7. “Give the Child a Fair Chance!”: Bolling v. Sharpe and the Road to Brown
Epilogue

Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Notes
Index