George W. McLaurin

George W. McLaurin (1887–1968) was the first African-American to attend the University of Oklahoma. George held a master's degree from the University of Kansas and was a retired professor living in Oklahoma City. Before retirement, he taught at a predominantly black college, Langston University. He applied and was accepted into the University of Oklahoma in 1948 due to the supreme court trial of McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Ed. Mclaurin vs Oklahoma which enabled African Americans to be admitted to graduate education at the University of Oklahoma on a segregated basis. In the case, Mclaurin was supported by Thurgood Marshall, Amos T. Hall, Roscoe Dunjee, and five other African American students. The University was required by law to allow McLaurin into the school, but he was entirely segregated from the other students. Later when other African-American students were admitted into the school, they went through similar conditions such as different classrooms, libraries, cafeterias, and restrooms.

On September 29, 1948 a Federal court ruled that the University of Oklahoma's denial to admit McLaurin was unconstitutional.^[1] To comply with segregation laws President George Lynn Cross arranged for George McLaurin's classes to be held in classrooms with an anteroom. This way, McLaurin could sit away from the white students while still attending all his classes. Other special accommodations that were created to continue segregation include special seating areas at the cafeteria, sporting events and separate restroom facilities. In retaliation of these conditions, McLaurin filed a suit stating that these conditions deprived him of equality. The District Court was not in agreement with his argument and denied his motion for the reason that racial segregation is a "deeply rooted social policy of the State of Oklahoma."^[2] Afterwards, McLaurin brought his case up again but this time he appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. This would begin the timeline of the McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education suit.

In Mclaurin vs Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education McLaurin argued that the Fourteenth Amendment was being violated by how they were being treated. It was not until 1950 that the Supreme Court ruled that the treatment must be equal between White and African American students. Mclaurin v Oklahoma State Regents was an important case in history because it was one of the first cases that attempted to combat the "separate but equal" provision in the Plessy v Ferguson case. Mclaurin v Oklahoma showed how the "separate but equal "provision can still be manipulated in a way that discriminates against individuals on the basis of race. This case played an influential role in history because it is ruling led the way to the eventual overturning of Plessy v Ferguson. The Mclaurin case showed the inequality in the separate but equal provision, the accommodations made for Mclaurin required that he sit separate from the other students, in an alcove labeled "reserved of colored" , he sat alone in the cafeteria and he also had his own desk in the library which was behind a stack of newspapers so he would not be seen by the white students. All of these discriminatory practices happened under the umbrella of the separate but equal provision." In 1950 a unanimous Supreme Court ruled that McLaurin had not received equal treatment as required by the Constitution. Writing for the Court, Chief Justice Frederick M. Vinson wrote that McLaurin was "handicapped in his pursuit of effective graduate instruction. Such restrictions impair and inhibit his ability to study, to engage in discussion and exchange views with other students, and in general to learn his professions."

Currently, there is a meeting named after George A. McLaurin on the campus called The George McLaurin Male Leadership Conference. The conference is mainly intended for the recruitment of first-generation college students, and particularly those within minority groups.

^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

References

1. "Oklahoma University Told to Admit Negro; Regents Put Him on 'Segregated Basis'". The New York Times: 52. 1948.
2. Salvatore, Susan (September 1, 2000). "National Historic Landmark Nomination" (PDF). National Park Service.
3. "McLaurin, George W. (1887-1968) - The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed".
4. "George McLaurin".
5. https://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/statelists/ok/Bizzell.pdf
6. http://search.proquest.com/docview/195535549