Bluford vs. Canada, Civil Action No. 42: Affidavit of Duke Diggs supporting Challenge to Panel

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Description: 

Affidavit of Duke Diggs supporting challenge to panel in Civil Action No. 42: Lucile Bluford v. S.W. Canada. Duke Diggs, a resident of Jefferson City, attests that "both from his own personal knowledge and from the general reputation of the community [he] knows that Negroes have never been called to serve as jurors" in the U.S. District Court for the Central Division of the Western District of Missouri in at least 50 years. He also attests that many black residents of the relevant counties are "fully qualified for jury service," with qualifications including being over the age of 21, able to read and write English intelligently and understand court proceedings, and no criminal convictions. 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.

Creator: 
Date: 
October 21st 1940
Modern Location: 
MO
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-42-0017
Transcription: 
KANSAS CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY | DIGITAL HISTORY