Ed Orser, American Studies, in the Catonsville Times

In 1935, two seventh grade African American girls, under the guidance of a promising young black attorney from Baltimore named Thurgood Marshall, attempted to enroll in an all-white Baltimore high school. Their request set off a court case that helped lead to Baltimore County creating three black high school programs where none existed before. That case stands today as a historic precursor to the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education

“It’s not one of these cases that gets as much attention as (Marshall’s) quote, unquote, successes,” said Ed Orser, professor emeritus of American studies, “but it really was a forerunner.” Orser has researched the case with his students.

The full story, “A Step in the Struggle,” appeared in the Catonsville Times April 26.