Court Upholds Exclusion of Lucille Bluford from University of Missouri on Ground of Segregation

September 2, 2008

Article regarding Lucille Bluford’s attempt to enter the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism:
New York Herald Tribune
New York Times
July 9, 1941

Court Upholds Missouri Exclusion of Negro From University on Ground of Segregation

The Missouri Supreme Court today affirmed a lower court decision denying to Lucille Bluford, editor of a Kansas City Negro newspaper, entrance to the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

The court said that the State, by law, had ordered equal facilities for negroes at Lincoln University and that Miss Bluford would be entitled to enter the school at Columbia only if Lincoln was unable to provide the course she sought.

“It is the duty of this court to maintain Missouri’s policy of segregation so long as it does not come in conflict with the Federal Constitution,” the court said in an unanimous opinion by Judge Albert W. Clark.

Miss Bluford’s failure to demand that Lincoln University furnish her graduate work in journalism before she attempted to enter the University of Missouri caused the court to uphold a decision of Boone County Circuit Court denying her entrance.

Miss Bluford, 30, managing editor of the Kansas City Call, tried to enter the university graduate school of journalism in January and September, 1939.

S.W. Canada, registrar, denied entrance to her because she was a Negro, and she sued for a writ of mandamus to compel him to enroll her.

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