“If There is But One”: The Legal Battle for Educational Access in Oklahoma

• In Event: Remembering a Way Forward by Reclaiming the Past

Abstract

This paper explores two court challenges brought by Black families at the turn of the twentieth century in Oklahoma Territory (1889-1907). Oklahoma Territorial courts heard more cases related to Black educational access than any other state at the time. In the territory, Black families sought the protective wing of the nascent courts whose judges were federal appointees, making Constitutional claims more viable. During this pivotal time in the determination of rights for Blacks, this paper asks: how did Black families perceive their rights to education and its role in providing full citizenship? How would educational access be used by whites to deny citizenship rights to Blacks? What role would an activated class of Black lawyers play in securing these rights?

Author

• Sara Doolittle, University of Central Oklahoma