Ada lois sipuel fisher biography of abraham hamilton

They told her blacks couldn't attend law school with whites, but Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher got the highest court in the land to tell them they were wrong. They told her she had to sit behind a roped-off area in the back of the classroom with a sign that read "Colored," but she came to class every day and left with a law degree. Her quest for justice made her a social missionary and, according to her autobiography, a frightened "guinea pig.

In , Fisher was a young black honors graduate from Langston University who was denied admission to the University of Oklahoma Law School because of her race. The legal battle that followed lasted nearly three years, and was aided by attorney and future U. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Sipuel Fisher graduated from OU Law

OU President George Cross supported Fisher, but the law would have to be changed before she could attend the college. Fisher lost her case in the state courts, but her appeal to the U. Supreme Court succeeded. However, university officials still refused to admit her. They chose instead to create a separate-but-equal law school for her to attend: Langston University Law School consisted of a single room at the state Capitol.

Supreme Court, forcing the Legislature to integrate OU's law school. The case eventually led to banning segregation in colleges and later in public schools, restaurants and theaters. OU Law School Dean Andrew Coats said although Fisher was told to sit separately from other students, the students broke the rule and sat next to her.

Because of her legacy, we've had so many black students come through the school of law and contribute so richly to the culture.