Final answer:
The Brown v. Board of Education case addresses whether public institutions can legally be divided by race, overturning the 'separate but equal' doctrine and mandating school desegregation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Brown v. Board of Education case primarily addresses whether public institutions can legally be divided by race. This landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision overturned the 'separate but equal' doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional. Chief Justice Earl Warren's majority opinion stated that 'separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,' thereby mandating the desegregation of schools across America. The case did not focus on whether officers can acknowledge racial differences, whether districts should be penalized for segregating schools, or the appropriateness of race-specific entrances in schools.