WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester and U.S. Representative Sarah McBride (all D-Del.) today celebrated the National Parks Service’s (NPS) announcement that it had formally included three historic Delaware locations in Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park. The announcement is the result of legislation introduced by Senator Coons and Representative Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) that was signed into law in 2022 by President Joe Biden.

The 2022 law expanded Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Park to authorize the inclusion of additional schools as affiliate sites to the park. Three Delaware sites that played a pivotal role in the 1954 case striking down the doctrine of “separate but equal” were included:

  • Howard High School in Wilmington, already a National Historic Landmark, was the first high school for African Americans in the state of Delaware and the school to which the plaintiffs in Belton v. Gebhart were forced to travel. Today, the school is known as Howard High School of Technology and is administered by the New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District.
  • Claymont Community Center, formerly Claymont High School denied admission to the plaintiffs in the Belton v. Gebhart case. Today, the former school is a community center.
  • Hockessin School #107 was an all-Black school that one of the plaintiffs in Belton v. Gebhart was required to attend without being provided the same public transportation offered to white students attending other schools. It is now used as a community facility.

The Brown v. Board of Education National Park now consists of the three Delaware sites, Monroe Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas, as well as Summerton High School and Scott’s Branch High School in South Carolina.

While the effort was signed into law by President Biden in 2022, today’s signing of a Secretarial Decision by Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland means the three Delaware sites can officially celebrate their affiliation with the NPS, promote that affiliation, and are formally preserved through the protections offered therein. All three sites continued to offer educational services throughout the two-year implementation process.

“I was raised just a few hundred yards away from Hockessin Colored School, but I did not learn of its important role until I was in law school. It’s imperative we embrace our history and teach it well, so every student is aware of the past and carries its lessons with them while crafting a brighter future,” said Senator Coons. “Today’s National Park Service designation will make our students a little more aware of their past and help our nation come to know Delaware’s important role in America’s history of correcting injustice and segregation.”

“Black history is an essential part of our collective story,” said Senator Blunt Rochester. “Preserving Black history—across our nation, but especially in Delaware – has never been more important. Thank you to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the National Park Service for adding Howard High School, Claymont Community Center, and Hockessin Colored School #107 to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park. I am proud that Delaware’s role in this landmark civil rights decision is getting the recognition it deserves, and I look forward to these three sites continuing to educate Delawareans for generations to come.”

“Time and time again, the story of America has been written by courageous Delawareans who have often put their lives on the line to build a more perfect union,” said Congresswoman McBride. “I am so glad that the Brown v. Board of Education National Park will now formally include three historic Delaware sites, sharing the important role of Delaware and Delawareans in striking down the scourge of segregation nationally. We must preserve Black history so that America's future can learn from the pain and progress of our past—and I am so grateful for the leadership of Senator Coons, Representative Clyburn, and Secretary Holland to make this step a reality."

“Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park is so grateful for this opportunity to share with visitors and school children the heroic stories of struggle, perseverance, and activism in each of the five communities that contributed lawsuits decided by the Supreme Court in 1954,” said James Williams, Superintendent of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park. “We have established fruitful partnerships with the three affiliated areas in Delaware and are excited to nurture those in coming years.”

“The Friends of Hockessin Colored School #107C are ecstatic to be formally recognized as a National Park Service Historical Site under Brown v. Board of Education,” said David Wilk, of the Friends of Hockessin Colored School #107C. “To have 107C be honored and preserved ‘means the world to us former students’ (James “Sonny” Knott) and is ‘one of the highlights of our life to Walk through the Doors Again.’”

“This is really a great day,” said Gary Hutt, President of Howard High School Alumni Association. “We are especially appreciative of the great collaboration of Senator Coons and Congressman Clyburn to assure the preservation of this great chapter of American history through the National Park Service.”

“We are thrilled to be named an affiliate of the Brown v. Board site in Topeka, KS joining the other sites in Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia, and DC,” said Allison C. David, CEO of the Claymont Community Center. “This designation allows for the full telling of the story, and we understand the importance of sharing Claymont’s role. Knowing our past inspires us to work towards a more equitable society now and this legacy of inclusion is central to our work in the community.”