She was just a schoolgirl when she helped end racial segregation in American schools in what is still hailed as a landmark case for civil rights.
Now Linda Brown, who was just seven when her family fought for her to go to a ‘white’ school, has died aged 76.
Linda, from Topeka, Kansas, was forced to walk almost an hour and a half - including through dangerous parts of town - to get to classes, despite there being a ‘white’ school nearby.
But when her father Oliver Brown, tried to enrol his children at that school in 1954, he and several black families were turned away.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) legal arm brought a lawsuit against the Board of Education to challenge segregation in public schools, with Mr Brown the key plaintiff.
The lawsuit was joined with cases from Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
And on May 17, 1954, the landmark decision was made.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that separating black and white children was unconstitutional because it denied black children the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection under the law.
Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote: "In the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
NAACP president Sherrilyn Ifill, said Linda and her family were heroic young people who courageously fought to end racial segregation in public schools.
"She stands as an example of how ordinary schoolchildren took centre stage in transforming this country. It was not easy for her or her family, but her sacrifice broke barriers and changed the meaning of equality in this country, " Ms Ifill said.
The Brown decision overturned a previous decision in the Plessy v. Ferguson case, which on May 18, 1896, established a "separate but equal" doctrine for blacks in public facilities such as trains.
Kansas Govener, Jeff Colyer said Linda Brown was an inspiration to millions.
"Sixty-four years ago, a young girl from Topeka, Kansas sparked a case that ended segregation in public schools in America,” he said.
“Linda Brown's life reminds us that by standing up for our principles and serving our communities we can truly change the world. Linda's legacy is a crucial part of the American story and continues to inspire the millions who have realized the American dream because of her."
Kansas Deputy Education Commissioner Dale Dennis said: "Her legacy is not only here but nationwide,"
Oliver Brown later became a minister at a church in Springfield, Missouri but died of a heart attack in 1961.
In 1988, Linda Brown and her sister Cheryl Brown Henderson founded the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research.
The foundation was established as a living tribute to the attorneys, community organizers and plaintiffs in the landmark Supreme Court decision.
Its mission is to build upon their work and keep the ideals of the decision relevant for future generations.
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