REBECCA ROBERTS, host:
Sue Koehler is making an inaugural journey from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She's traveling a relatively short distance, but her story represents how far we've really come. In 1958, Sue was a sophomore at an all-white high school in North Carolina. And she remembers the day Brown versus Board of Education was decided.
Ms. SUE KOEHLER: My mother, who was a very traditional southern lady, born in 1905, she said, well, you know, this is right. This is the right thing. And I went off to school and there was just furor. All these kids were saying, my parents were saying I'll never have to go to school with a - and then the "N" word came out. And I'll just never forget it.
I'm really lucky that I had parents who inspired me to understand that this separate society that I lived in was not quite right. I don't think there are a lot of things in this country that have gotten better in 50 years, but that's one thing that has. And that's just the thing I want to celebrate.
ROBERTS: She'll be celebrating with a long-distance guest. Her sister-in-law is flying in from Germany for the festivities.