The world is remembering civil rights icon Linda Brown, who died on Monday at the age of 76.
As a little girl, Brown was at the center of the historic Brown vs. Board of Education case, which ultimately ended segregation in U.S. public schools.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell and movie director Ava DuVernay were among the many who paid tribute to Brown on Twitter:
Linda Brown's passing is a reminder that our youth have always been our future. Her courage at such a young age to stand up to segregated schools forever changed the fight for our civil rights. I am sending my condolences to the Brown family, along with our entire nation. pic.twitter.com/75Nt0Z6hLn
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) March 27, 2018
#RestInPower Linda Brown. Thank you for showing the #usa that separate is not equal. #BrownVBoard #Courage #Strength pic.twitter.com/0hUR0oemz7
— Naomi Campbell (@NaomiCampbell) March 27, 2018
Never doubt the ability of one determined young person to change the world. Thank you for your courage and strength, Ms. Brown. Rest in power.https://t.co/m8dZe19KlG
— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) March 26, 2018
Linda Brown put her life on the line, and her name in history books, to uphold Constitutional rights. No one is too young to make history. https://t.co/DI0bxbXoYh
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) March 27, 2018
Linda’s father, Oliver, became lead plaintiff in Brown v. Board after trying to enroll her in an all-white school in 1951. She was denied due to her race. NAACP challenged this. The Supreme Court ruled school segregation as unconstitutional in 1954. Hero. https://t.co/tNIGE6IW5h
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 26, 2018
Linda Brown's courage helped change the course of our country. We should continue her legacy by fighting to ensure every child has access to a quality education.https://t.co/cmKYxDn8xl
— Doug Jones (@DougJones) March 26, 2018
Thank you, #LindaBrown. Well done. #BrownvBoard https://t.co/9gEi7J01by
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) March 27, 2018
To anyone disrespecting young people and saying we shouldn’t listen to them or that they can’t change the course of history: this is Linda Brown. She ended #school segregation and made this nation a more decent place.
— Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) March 26, 2018
May she Rest In Peace. 🙏🏽 #BrownVBoard https://t.co/cqtRMxA4JY
Linda Brown, the “Brown” in Brown vs the Board of Education (of Topeka Kansas) has died. This history seems ancient. It’s not. R.I.P. https://t.co/UgJQomsMls
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) March 26, 2018
The fight of Linda Brown and her father led to the Brown v. Board of Education case, setting the stage for students like me to avoid the kind of discrimination she suffered. I'll always argue that she was one of the most important Americans who ever lived. https://t.co/lR2r4MYdc8
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) March 26, 2018
"In the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place." Thank you to Linda Brown for what you stood up for, and the impact it had on this nation. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/GCCslWTQHi
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 27, 2018
The Brown decision made America a beacon of hope to the rest of the world; it taught us that we could, through the rule of law, end a kind of oppression and race-based caste system.
— ACLU (@ACLU) March 26, 2018
Today we honor Linda Brown and all the fights we have left to win. https://t.co/roxvyVEMib
Linda Brown was in third grade when she changed the course of this nation.
— Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) March 27, 2018
Her family's fight for her education put her at the center of #BrownvBoard, the #SCOTUS case that struck down school segregation across the country. #RestInPower #TheMarchContinueshttps://t.co/B8YB7XcZn3
Thank you Linda Brown. Generations stand on your shoulders. Rest in Power https://t.co/kp8VXSMiVY
— Michele Norris (@michele_norris) March 27, 2018
RIP A hero for our nation!
— NAACP (@NAACP) March 26, 2018
Woman at center of Brown v. Topeka BOE case dies at 76 https://t.co/LMpS11HdJH#naacp
Linda Brown, lead plaintiff in our landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, has died. As a young girl, her courage in the face of one of the darkest forces in American history fundamentally changed our nation. For that, we owe her our eternal gratitude. https://t.co/qMgpy67n6h
— Legal Defense Fund (@NAACP_LDF) March 26, 2018
Before You Go