They were plaintiffs in cases originating in Clarendon County that led to the landmark civil-rights case of Brown v. Board of Education. Pearson's case was dismissed because his property straddled three school districts. Briggs's case (Briggs v. Elliott) was consolidated with four other cases and argued before the Supreme Court as Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
Sources: Benjamin F. Hornsby Jr., Stepping Stone to the Supreme Court: Clarendon County; Richard Kluger, Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality; Stephen L. Wasby et al., Desegregation from Brown to Alexander: An Exploration of Supreme Court Strategies.
