What key issue did the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education address?

The landmark case Brown v. Board of Education addressed the issue of racial segregation in public schools. Specifically, it challenged the constitutionality of state-sponsored segregation, which was sanctioned under the "separate but equal" doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. The Supreme Court's unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 declared that segregated educational facilities are inherently unequal, thus violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This ruling was pivotal in the civil rights movement, as it set a legal precedent that helped dismantle systemic racial discrimination in education and beyond, promoting greater equality and integration in American society.