This action was eventually overturned in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision in Bolling v. Sharpe, which made segregated public schools illegal in the District of Columbia.

[4] The John Philip Sousa Middle School is located in Southeast Washington, on the north side of Ely Place opposite Fort Dupont Park.

The main entrance faces the street at the front of this section, whose street-facing end has a curved half-round elements on the right side.

A group of parents of Browne Junior High School students organized in 1949 to mount a demonstration and legal challenge to the district's segregation policies.

When the new John Philip Sousa Junior High School opened in September 1950, twelve students, accompanied by parents, lawyers, and a police escort, sought to gain entry to the facility, but were denied by the principal.