CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Swann vs Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education was a landmark Supreme Court case from the 1960s that was won by a North Carolina lawyer dedicated to civil rights.
Darrius Swann sued Charlotte Mecklenburg Board of Education in 1965, because he wanted his 6-year-old son to attend a more diverse school. Charlotte attorney Julius Chambers represented the Swann family and argued the case before the Supreme Court.
In 1971, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed that busing was suitable to achieve desegregation in schools. Districts were allowed to use buses to transport students to schools potentially farther away in an effort to desegregate those schools.
Geraldine Sumter worked with Julius Chambers, and said the 1971 ruling was the talk of the town.
“For many year