Arizona sun., 1947-12-05
Negro Peoples
Struggle For
Better Education

DGLLGT EuuCuLLOu
San Francisco, Calif.-Progres
sive forces throughout the nation
led by the National Association fol
the Advancement of Colored Peo
pie, are leading a fight to force
jimcrow, state-supported universi
ties ito admit qualified Negro ap
plicants.
You will remember the u. S. Su.
preme Court decision which stated
that Negroes must be furnished
equal educational opportunities
This is one of the principles around
which the fight is waged.
One of the current cases pend
ing decision concerns Oklahoma
University Law School.
Miss Ada Lois Sipuel, a graduate
of Langston University, Oklaho-
mas Negro college, was denied ad-
mission to Oklahoma University
law school. The university admit
ted that her entrance papers were
in order and that she was refused
entrance solely because she was a
Negro.
The Oklahoma supreme court
turned down Miss Sipuels' appeal,
represented by the NAACP, and
upheld the decision Of university
officials to bar Miss Sipuel. The
court declared her admission would
be contrary to Oklahoma's consti-
tuition, laws and public policy.
That case is now before the U.
S. Supreme Court.
Another instance of discrimina-
tion was heard Nov. 81 by the U.
S. circuit court of appeals in Ma
ryland. This case is between the
board of trustees of the University
of South Carolina and John H.
Wrighten.
Wrighten made application for
admission to the law school of the
University of South Carolina July,
1916, but was rejected because of
his race. A complaint was filed by
the NAACP seeking an injunction
to restrain the university from
barring Wrighten on account of his
race from the only law school in
the state.
The district court issued an or
der requiring the state officials at
the university to admit him into
the law school or furnish to him
and other persons in like plight a
law school completely equal in all
respects to the law school of the
University of South Carolina.
The alternative laid down by the
court was to close the law school
of the university and furnish no
state legal education to any per-
sons.
IN IL STATES.
The Nov. 81 hearing is an ap-
peal by the university from this
judgment.
There are II states and the Dis
trict of Columbia which have sep
arate educational systems. In that
area there are 104 Negro schools
and 533 white schools of higher
educational.
There are 100 schools of higher
education in the u. S. according to
the u. S. Office of Education, of
which about 600 are for white stu
dents only.
Among the Negro colleges, only
four are "A" colleges, so accrced-
tied by the Association of Ameri-
can Universities.
Providing equal but separate ed
ucational facilities for Negroes is
expensive, difficult and absurd.
In Texas, for example, as the re-
suit of a court decision the state
was required to build an education
al plant costing So million at Hous-
ton to furnish higher education
for Negroes.
Texas, with its population OF
about seven million, of which near
ly two million are Negroes, has II
institutions of higher education for
whites, six of which are teachers
colleges.
There is only one state institu-
ton of higher education for Ne
groes in Texas, Prairie View Col
lege. Besides being inaccessible to
some students, it is far inferior to
the five top white institutions.
The fight for education is a dra-
matte part of the struggle of the
Negro people for freedom and
equality. -. =.