Rebecca Brown, 53, cafeteria worker

Brown was about to enter second grade when the schools closed and her world, with its familiar rituals of math lessons, recess and homework, fell apart.

When the schools reopened in 1964, Brown returned to the third grade at the age of 13. She struggled with math, science and spelling, finally dropping out of school at 16 with a sixth-grade education.

Rebecca Brown returned to school as a third grader at the age of 13 because the schools in the rural Virigina community where she grew up closed in defiance of the Brown decision. (Heather Wines | GNS)

"I was shamed to sit in that classroom with tiny little kids," the 53-year-old grandmother said. After several years of factory work in Baltimore, Brown returned to Farmville in 1987. Today, she works in the dining hall at Longwood University in Farmville, making salads and sandwiches for $5.46 an hour.

Brown, who shares an apartment with her 21-year-old daughter and 2-year-old grandson, said she wants to make more money, but "everybody with jobs in Farmville is looking for a high school diploma or GED."