Chamal Samaranayake, 14, has won the national Brown v. Board essay contest sponsored by National History Day, the Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Commission and the Brown Foundation.

Brown v. Board of Education is the landmark May 17, 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregation in public schools. Samaranayake is an eighth-grade student at Rolla Junior High School in Rolla, Mo., and his winning essay titled "Brown v. Board of Education Topeka, Kansas: A Historic Encounter" explores the impact of this decision in our nation's struggle for racial equality.

Over 3,000 students in grades six-12 from inner city, suburban and rural schools across the United States entered papers in the contest as part of National History Day (NHD), a yearlong education program that is reforming the teaching and learning of history in America's schools.

The Brown Commission will recognize Samaranayake for his work at the dedication ceremony of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site on May 17 in Topeka, Kan., and he will receive $1,000 for his scholarship. Information on the May 17 ceremony is available at www.brownvboard.org.

Using the NHD theme "Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History" students entering the contest could examine one or several of the five cases from Delaware, Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C., that composed the Brown case. There were nearly 200 plaintiffs, community activists at each case site and more than a dozen attorneys involved in this historic fight.

"I can't believe that I won," said Samaranayake. "Even though it was hard work, researching and writing this paper was worth it. I learned a lot about the hardships African-Americans faced during this time-period. This project taught me the importance of fighting for your rights even against insurmountable odds."

Samaranayake decided to write about Brown after reading a book in his school library that mentioned the case along with other Supreme Court decisions. As a person of Sri Lankan and Philippino decent he noted he understood what it is like to be out of place or different because your skin tone. He spent months researching the case and finding primary sources to examine all sides of the issue. He explains in his paper that segregation still exists, but notes that his research shows that the future of desegregation is not all bleak. He said, "with the exception of Clarendon County, South Carolina, the school districts involve in the Brown case are showing a high level of desegregation."

National History Day is not just one day, but a yearlong education program that makes history come alive through educator professional development and active student learning. Over 700,000 students annually participate by producing dramatic performances, imaginative exhibits, multimedia documentaries and research papers based on research related to an annual theme. The projects are evaluated at local, state competitions and advance to a national competition held at the University of Maryland. The program received the National Endowment for the Humanities Charles Frankel Prize for public programming. The NHD program has collaborated with the National Archives to develop the "Our Documents" initiative to improve American history, civics, and service. For more information go to www.nationalhistoryday.org

The Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Commission was created by Congress to encourage and coordinate public activities surrounding the 50th anniversary - May 17, 2004 - including public lectures, writing contests and public awareness campaigns. President Bush worked with members of Congress to appoint distinguished Americans to the commission, which include plaintiffs' families, college faculty and leaders from the NAACP and the federal government. The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice lead the federal government's efforts on the commission. More information is available at www.ed.gov/brownvboard50th.

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