TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is preparing to sign a proclamation apologizing to African-American citizens for the years of segregation sanctioned by state laws.

Brownback scheduled the signing for Thursday, the 58th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education.

The 1954 ruling declared separate schools for blacks and whites inherently unequal and struck down the doctrine of "separate but equal" as a justification for segregated educational facilities.

Among those invited to the signing are Deborah Dandridge, chairwoman of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, and Mildred Edwards, the commission's executive director.