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KEY COURT CASES
Homer Adolph Plessy v.
The State of Louisiana
Though this case wasn't an education case, this case's decision brought
the "separate but equal" doctrine to the forefront resulting
in years of segregated in public education
On June 7,
1892, a 30-year-old colored shoemaker named Homer Plessy was jailed
for sitting in the "White" car of the East Louisiana Railroad.
Plessy was only one-eighths black and seven-eighths white, but under
Louisiana law, he was considered black and therefore required to
sit in the "Colored" car. Plessy went to court and argued,
in Homer Adolph Plessy v. The State of Louisiana, that the Separate
Car Act violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the
Constitution. The judge at the trial was John Howard Ferguson, a
lawyer from Massachusetts who had previously declared the Separate
Car Act "unconstitutional on trains that traveled through several
states" . In Plessy's case, however, he decided that the state
could choose to regulate railroad companies that operated only within
Louisiana. He found Plessy guilty of refusing to leave the white
car. Plessy appealed to the Supreme Court of Louisiana, which upheld
Ferguson's decision. In 1896, the Supreme Court of the United States
heard Plessy's case and found him guilty once again.
The Plessy
decision set the precedent that "separate" facilities
for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were "equal."
The "separate but equal" doctrine was quickly extended
to cover many areas of public life, such as restaurants, theaters,
restrooms, and public schools. Not until 1954, in the equally important
Brown v. Board of Education decision, would the "separate but
equal" doctrine be struck down.
Sweatt
v. Painter
One
of the early segregation cases was Sweatt v. Painter. Herman Sweatt
was a black who wanted to attend the University of Texas Law School.
The law school denied him admission solely because of his race.
Texas had set up another law school for blacks, but Sweatt argued
that the black school was not equal to the white school. Indeed,
it wasn't; it was not as large and, because it was newer, it did
not have as good a reputation. Sweatt took his case to the Supreme
Court. In 1950, the Court ruled in favor of Sweatt and forced the
University of Texas Law School to admit him.
Speaking for
a unanimous Court in Sweatt v. Painter, Chief Justice Vinson wrote:
"With
such a substantial and significant segment of society excluded,
we cannot conclude that the education offered [Mr. Sweatt] is
substantially equal to that which he would receive if admitted
to the University of Texas Law school."
McLaurin
v.
Oklahoma State Regents
for Higher Education
A
slightly different segregation case was McLaurin v. Oklahoma State
Regents for Higher Education. Oklahoma State University admitted
G.W. McLaurin, a black citizen of the state, because the black state
colleges did not have comparable programs. The university, however,
forced McLaurin to sit in isolated seats in the classrooms, library,
and cafeteria. In 1950, McLaurin argued that this policy was unconstitutional,
and the Supreme Court agreed in a unanimous decision.
Brown
vs. Board of Education
In the
Midwest town of Topeka, Kansas, a little girl named Linda Brown
had to ride the bus five miles to school each day although a public
school was located only four blocks from her house. The school wasn't
full and the little girl met all of the requirements to attend —
all but one that is. Linda Brown was black. And blacks weren't allowed
to go to white children's schools.
It was not
until 1954 that the doctrine of "separate but equal" was
challenged. In attempt to gain equal education opportunities for
their children that were not provided for under the Plessy v. Ferguson
decision, African-American community leaders took action against
the segregation in America's schools. Aided by the local chapter
of the NAACP, a group of thirteen parents filed a class action suit
against the Board of Education of Topeka Schools.
On May 17,
1954, the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that the "separate
but equal" clause was unconstitutional because it violated
the children's 14 amendment rights by separating them solely on
the classification of the color of their skin. Chief Justice Warren
delivered the court's opinion, stating that "segregated schools
are not equal and cannot be made equal, and hence they are deprived
of the equal protection of the laws." This ruling in favor
of integration was one of the most significant strides America has
taken in favor of civil liberties.
The change
against segregated schools did not come without a fight. Southern
activists and politicians resisted the move and did much to stop
integration from invading their states. 1957, President Dwight D.
Eisenhower was forced to send National Guard troops to Little Rock
High School to protect the first entering black students. The battle
was long and hard, but progress finally came. To this day efforts
continue across the country to realize the dream of the NAACP and
the families in the original Brown case. The monument decision of
the Supreme Court at 12:52 p.m. on May 17, 1954, altered the economic,
political and social structure of this nation. Brown v. Board of
Education helped change America forever.
UNITED
NEGRO COLLEGE FUND
In
1943, Dr. Frederick D. Patterson, president of Tuskegee Institute
(now Tuskegee University), wrote an open letter in the Pittsburgh
Courier to the presidents of our nation's private black colleges
urging them to "pool their small monies and make a united appeal
to the national conscience." His words would soon become the
guiding principle for one of the world's leading education assistance
organizations. One year later, the United Negro College Fund was
incorporated on April 25, 1944 with 27 member colleges and combined
enrollment of 14,000 students.
Since that
time, UNCF has grown to become the nation's oldest and most successful
African American higher education assistance organization. It is
a consortium of 39 private, accredited four-year historically black
colleges and universities. Though UNCF has broadened its focus by
offering more programs designed to enhance the quality of education
for America's brightest young minds, its commitment to providing
financial assistance to deserving students, raising operating funds
for member colleges and universities, and supplying technical assistance
to member institutions remains unchanged.
More than 300,000
educated men and women have worked to strengthen their communities
thanks to the support they received from the United Negro College
Fund. Each day graduates of the UNCF college experience are working
to build a stronger nation as community leaders, educators, health
professionals, and in numerous other vocations. UNCF is proud to
make a difference in the lives of thousands of students each year,
so they may in turn make a difference in the lives of millions of
others for a lifetime.
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UNITED
NEGRO COLLEGE
FUND TIMELINE |
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1802
|
Atlanta
University's first classroom is an abandoned box car, Spelman's a
church basement, and Tougaloo's a plantation. |
1904
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With
$1.50 and 5 students, Mary McLeod-Bethune, a daughter of slaves, opens
a vocational school, later to become Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona
Beach, Florida.
Considered one of the great crusaders for black progress in the U.
S., Dr. Bethune becomes advisor to four American presidents.
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1943
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Dr. Frederick D. Patterson, third president of Tuskegee Institute,
writes an open letter to the presidents of other private black colleges
urging them to "pool their small monies and make a united appeal
to the national conscience." His letter is published in the weekly
newspaper The Pittsburgh Courier. |
1944
|
The United
Negro College Fund, with 27 member colleges and universities is
founded following a year of planning and development, its stated
purpose "to aid the cause of higher education for members of
the Negro people in the United States." Dr. Patterson is the
founder and William Trent becomes UNCF's first executive director.
UNCF's first
campaign receives the support of many prominent Americans including
FDR and John D. Rockefeller. UNCF raises $765,000, three times what
the institutions had raised separately the previous year.
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WWII
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Enlistees from Tuskegee Institute and other black colleges are the
first African-Americans to undergo training as combat fighter pilots.
In the skies over Italy and Germany, they destroy over 260 enemy aircraft. |
1948
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. graduates from Morehouse College. |
1954
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In Brown vs. Board of Education the Supreme Court unanimously
rules public school segregation unconstitutional. This landmark ruling
leads people to think there is no longer a need for historically black
colleges. UNCF convinces donors that despite integration HBCUs are
still uniquely qualified to educate blacks. |
1955
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UNCF holds a convocation at the Metropolitan Opera House where young
soprano Leontyne Price debuts. Attending are Secretary of State John
Foster Dulles and Morehouse President Benjamin E. Mays. |
1960
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Black and white
college students meet at Shaw University in Raleigh, N. C. to establish
the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), to work against
segregation and discrimination. UNCF has to face questions form
donors and potential donors who do not approve of students participating
in protests and sit-ins.
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1963
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UNCF
begins its second capital campaign with a ceremony at the White House
hosted by JFK. "For the good of this country this campaign must
be successful," says JFK, who donates to UNCF the Pulitzer Prize
money he won for his book, Profiles in Courage. |
1972
|
UNCF
launches a public awareness campaign with the slogan, "A mind
is a terrible thing to waste," to become one of the most famous
in advertising history. |
1974
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Nancy
Wilson and Clifton Davis host the first UNCF telethon called "Something
Special," which raises $300,000. In 1979, with the help of singer
Lou Rawls, UNCF launches an expanded version called "The Lou
Rawls Parade of Stars" that raises more than $165 million for
black higher education over the next 17 years. |
1980
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UNCF CEO Christopher F. Edley, Sr. launches new fund-raising initiatives
such as direct mail, and payroll deduction for state and municipal
workers. He also sets up a government affairs office in Washington,
D. C. to monitor legislation and policy affecting historically black
colleges and minority students. |
1990
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Billionaire publisher Walter H. Annenberg pledges a historic $50 million
to UNCF's most ambitious capital campaign, CAMPAIGN 2000. His gift
is the largest single contribution ever given to historically black
colleges. |
1991
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Representative
William H. Gray, III, the third most powerful member of Congress,
becomes UNCF's seventh president after Christopher F. Edley, Sr. retires
from eighteen years of service. By 1994, Gray will bring in approximately
one quarter of the nearly $1 billion the organization has raised since
its founding in 1944. |
1993
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UNCF college enrollment reaches an all-time high of 54,000 students.
This represents an increase of 28% since 1986. |
1994
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UNCF
celebrates its 50th Anniversary by braking the $1 billion mark in
total funds raised to help young men and women attain their education
goals. President Bill Clinton attends annual dinner in New York. For
greater efficiency and economy, the UNCF reorganizes and relocates
to the Washington, D. C. area. |
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HISTORICALLY
BLACK COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES
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Barber-Scotia
College
Concord, NC
Benedict College
Columbia , SC
Bennett College
Greensboro, NC
Bethune/Cookman College
Daytona Beach, FL
Claflin College
Orangeburg, SC
Clark Atlanta University
Atlanta, GA
Dillard University
New Orleans, LA
Edward Waters College
Jacksonville, FL
Fisk University
Nashville, TN
Florida Memorial College
Miami, FL
Huston-Tillotson College
Austin, TX
Interdenominational Theological Center
Atlanta, GA
Jarvis Christian College
Hawkins, TX
Johnson C. Smith University
Charlotte, NC
Lane College
Jackson, TN
LeMoyne-Owen College
Memphis, TN
Miles College
Birmingham, AL
Morehouse College
Atlanta, GA
Morris College
Sumter, SC
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Morris Brown College
Atlanta, GA
Oakwood College
Huntsville, AL
Paine College
Augusta, GA
Paul Quinn College
Dallas, TX
Philander Smith College
Little Rock, AR
Rust College
Holly Spring, MS
St. Augustine's College
Raleigh, NC
St. Paul's College
Lawrenceville, VA
Shaw University
Raleigh, NC
Spelman University
Atlanta, GA
Stillmen University
Tuscaloosa, AL
Talladega College
Talladega, AL
Tougaloo College
Tougaloo, MS
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee, AL
Virginia Union University
Richmond, VA
Voorhees College
Denmark, SC
Wilberforce University
Wilberforce, OH
Wiley College
Marshall, TX
Xavier University
New Orleans, LA |
ORGANIZATIONS
The
National Alliance of
Black School Educators
NABSE, a 5,000 plus member, nonprofit organization founded in 1970
by Dr. Charles D. Moody, Sr. and other prominent educators, is the
nation's largest network of African American educators. NABSE is
dedicated to improving the educational accomplishments of African
American youth through the development and deployment of instructional
and motivational methods that increase levels of inspiration, attendance
and overall achievement.
To that end, NABSE seeks to:
- Promote
and facilitate the education of all students, especially those
of African descent;
- Establish
a coalition of African American educators and others directly
and indirectly involved in the educational process;
- Create
a forum for the exchange of ideas and strategies to improve opportunities
for people of African descent;
-
Identify and develop African American professionals who will assume
leadership positions in education; and Influence public policy
concerning the education of African Americans.
NABSE's compelling mission and purposes are achieved through three
primary areas of focus: Professional Development Programs that strengthen
the skills of teachers, principals, specialists, superintendents
and school board members; Information Sharing around innovative
instructional and learning strategies that have proven successful
in motivating African American youth and increasing academic performance
in critical learning areas; and Policy Advocacy to ensure high standards
and quality in our public and private education systems.
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