Lucile Bluford
Person
1911 –
Who is Lucile Bluford?
Lucile Harris Bluford was a famous journalist and opponent of segregation in America's education system, and after whom the Lucille H. Bluford Branch of the Kansas City Public Library is named.
She was the second editor and publisher of the Kansas City "Call" newspaper.
Bluford applied to the Master of Journalism program at the renowned Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri and was accepted. However, during the ensuing enrollment process, she was dismissed because of her race.
She was a very close friend of Lloyd Gaines, who similarly attempted to enroll at the University of Missouri. At the time Bluford attempted to enroll Missouri expected African-American students to attend Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, several dozen miles away from the Columbia, Missouri university campus. Lincoln University did not have a journalism program.
On October 13, 1939, after trying to enter the University of Missouri's program 11 times, Bluford filed the first of several lawsuits. By 1941 her case had made it to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled in her favor. After the court ruling in her favor, the University of Missouri responded by closing their Journalism Graduate program, stating there were too few staff members because of World War II. In 1989 the University of Missouri awarded her an honorary degree which she accepted, “not only for myself, but for the thousands of black students” who had faced discrimination.
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Lucile Bluford." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 May 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/biography/lucile-bluford/m/0j3dg7j>.
Discuss this Lucile Bluford biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In