In school he was not allowed to participate in plays unless he was dancer, in the Army as a soldier he was discriminated against, and as a supply clerk for the Veterans Administration he had many limits because of his skin color.
In 1948, Burnett became President of the Topeka chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
His focus as president settled on desegregating public schools in Topeka, Kansas.
Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the ruling of the Supreme Court: "We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place.
On October 4, 2001, the Topeka Public Schools Administrative Center was renamed in his honor.