Bluford vs. Canada, Civil Action No. 128: Defendant's Requested Instructions
Defendant's requested instructions in Civil Case No. 128: Lucile Bluford v. S.W. Canada. The defense team requests the court instruct the jury on a number of issues, including that Missouri law does require that white and black residents "shall receive equal opportunity and facilities for higher education in separate institutions of learning," that state law required the establishment of a graduate journalism program at Lincoln University "upon timely request therefor by any qualified negro resident" of the state, that there is no evidence Bluford applied to Lincoln, and other issues. At the time, Bluford was the managing editor of the Kansas City Call and her effort to gain admittance to the masters degree program at MU's School of Journalism, and repeated denials due to her race, lead to a a series of lawsuits that eventually reached the Missouri Supreme Court.