Bluford vs. Canada, Civil Action No. 42: Brief in Support of Defendant's Motion to Dismiss

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Description: 

Brief in support of defendant's motion to dismiss in Civil Action No. 42: Lucile Bluford v. S.W. Canada. The defendant's attorneys argue for the dismal of Bluford's suit against Canada, the registrar of the University of Missouri, stating that she has no standing for the damages she seeks. They state that Missouri requires "separation of the white and negro races for purposes of higher education," and that Lincoln University has "the mandatory duty to provide for negro residents ... up to the standard furnished at the University of Missouri," and have been funded to do so. They also argue that Bluford has not gone through the proper channels prior to this suit as she had not yet applied to Lincoln University, and that she cannot claim damages against Canada, acting as a subordinate of the university and state who has "no power or control whatsoever over the question whether negroes may be admitted." 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.

Date: 
1940
Modern Location: 
911 Walnut Street
Kansas City, MO
Neighborhood: 
Historical Street Name: 
Other Versions of this Object: 
Rights Statement: 
Publication, commercial use, or reproduction of this image or the accompanying data requires prior written permission from the National Archives at Kansas City. Use of this image also requires that credit be given to the National Archives at Kansas City.
Collection Title, Call or Box Number: 
Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685 - 2009, Civil Case Files, 1938 - 1991, Lucile Bluford v. S. W. Canada
Digital Object Identifier: 
NARA-42-0001
Transcription: 
KANSAS CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY | DIGITAL HISTORY