Linda Brown.

To reach her all-black school in Topeka, Kansas, Linda Brown had to walk between train tracks for six blocks to get to the school bus stop. She had to leave home at 7:40 a.m. to get to the Monroe School by 9.

But on the first day of third grade in 1950, her father Oliver Brown took her in a different direction that avoided the tracks. He took her to the whites-only Sumner School, which turned them away.

“I could tell something was wrong, and he … took me by the hand and we walked back home,” she recalled decades later. The Brown family took another path that led to the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education, which announced that public school segregation was unconstitutional.

“We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” then-Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote. “Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”

Brown died on March 25 at the age of 75. What follows are tributes and other remarks on her passing.

Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc.: Linda Brown is one of that special band of heroic young people who, along with her family, courageously fought to end the ultimate symbol of white supremacy—racial segregation in public schools. She stands as an example of how ordinary schoolchildren took center 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. Brown v. Board of Education is the most important, transformational Supreme Court decision of the 20th century. The life of every American has been touched by Linda Brown … I mourn her passing and extend my deepest condolences to the entire Brown family.

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, posted on Twitter:

Debo Adegbile, partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr and former acting president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: Linda Brown stepped forward, as a child, with courage and resolve to implore America to deliver on one of our most important constitutional promises—the promise of equality. For many, the passage of time erases an awareness of the risks that trailblazers like Ms. Brown bore for all of us—indeed there was a plaintiff in an earlier case who was never seen again after his desegregation victory. But she rightly endures in the American memory. Ms. Brown narrowed the gap between our high constitutional promises and what were too often discriminatory practices.

Indeed Brown v. Board is the very first case that many school kids learn about. It's a point of entry into the role and power of our courts and the rule of law. Linda Brown made America better. The work continues, but the most important tribute to her life is our enduring commitment to the important legal and moral principle that she established, and our recognition that even young people have the power to perfect the union.

National School Boards Association executive director Thomas J. Gentzel: The passing of Linda Brown is a sad day for supporters of public education. Brown is the central person in the historic case of Brown v. Board of Education, which profoundly impacted public education by ending segregation in public schools. Linda Brown was a courageous person and a pioneer in public education. Her sacrifice broke barriers and it created educational opportunities for millions of students who want to receive a quality education at their local public school. For her courage and her work as a Head Start teacher, Brown was an extraordinary person whose legacy will last forever.

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama said in a tweet: Linda Brown's courage helped change the course of our country. We should continue her legacy by fighting to ensure every child has access to a quality education.

Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc., said: Never doubt the ability of one determined young person to change the world. Thank you for your courage and strength, Ms. Brown. Rest in power.