What was declared unconstitutional in 1954?

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education. The Court ruled that "separate but equal" educational facilities for racial minorities and whites were inherently unequal, thus violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This decision effectively overturned the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 and marked a significant step toward desegregation in the United States.