| Roberts v. City of Boston | |
|---|---|
| Court | Supreme Court of Massachusetts, Suffolk |
| Full case name | Sarah C. Roberts vs. The City of Boston |
| Decided | November 1849 |
| Citation | 59 Mass. 198, 5 Cush. 198 |
| Court membership | |
| Judge sitting | Lemuel Shaw |
| Case opinions | |
| Action dismissed | |
Roberts v. Boston, 59 Mass. (5 Cush.) 198 (1850), was a court case seeking to end racial discrimination in Boston public schools. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of Boston, finding no constitutional basis for the suit. The case was later cited by the US Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson, which established the "separate but equal" standard.
The 2004 book, Sarah's Long Walk: The Free Blacks of Boston and How Their Struggle for Equality Changed America, co-authored by Stephen and Paul Kendrick, explores this case, along with its social and political context.