It’s been 65 years since school segregation ended, as the historic Brown v. Board of Education case determined separate but equal was unjust, happening right here in Topeka.

Six decades later, the historic case is being celebrated and remembered, with day one of the festivities starting at the Topeka Performing Arts Center on Friday. The 10-day events kicked off with a symposium featuring a total of 11 people who lived in Topeka during the case. They all answered five questions and described their experiences during that time.

Organizers said this year is a chance for people to not just remember the case, but to assess if there’s still more work to be done in the city.

“If it’s not quite the way we thought it should be, what should that look like?” said Karen Hiller with the Brown v. Board Sumner Legacy Trust. “And what can we do about it? We really have to pull together as a community.”

Along with the panel, student art was displayed inside of TPAC from Highland Park students. Each piece related to Brown v. Board.

Day one will wrap up with the Smoke Behind Closed Doors play at Topeka High School.

The 65th anniversary recognitions continue through the weekend and into next week. On Saturday afternoon, there’s a mural tour for free from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Topeka High School.

Another performance of Smoke Behind Closed Doors is also happening tomorrow night at 7:00.

For a link to the complete schedule of events in the coming week, click here.