Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher
A graduate of Langston University, Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher dreamed of being a lawyer. However, Langston did not have a law school and at that time state statutes prohibited blacks from attending white state universities. At the urging of the NAACP, twenty-one-year-old Fisher agreed to seek admission to the University of Oklahoma's law school and challenge Oklahoma's segregation laws.
Her application was denied. Not because of her academic credentials, but because of her race. Fisher filed a lawsuit, represented by a young Thurgood Marshall and later U.S. Supreme Court Justice. After losing at the county and state levels, she appealed to the U. S. Supreme Court. The nation's highest tribunal ruled that Oklahoma must provide Fisher with the same opportunities for securing a legal education as it provided to other citizens.
Rather than admitting Fisher to OU, the Oklahoma Legislature created a Langston University School of Law in the Senate rooms of the Oklahoma State Capitol. Fisher filed a motion contending that the Langston law school did not afford the equal legal education as that of OU. Although the county and state courts upheld that t
Who Was Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher?
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher was a determined young woman whose courageous actions in the face of racial prejudice sparked a change that rippled across the nation.
Together, we'll delve into the remarkable life of Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, a pioneering voice in the fight for equal education and a champion for civil rights.
We’ll learn about her early life and the motivations that underpinned her fierce determination for equality; we’ll dive into the landmark civil rights lawsuit against the University of Oklahoma, and her lifelong; and we’ll hear from the influential voices — her son included — whose lives were shaped by her bravery and leadership.
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher’s Childhood and Early Life
Originally hailing from Dermott, Arkansas, Ada’s parents, Travis “T.B.” Sipuel and Martha Bell Smith, fled from Tulsa to Chickasha in the wake of the Tulsa Race Massacre in
It was there in Chickasha that Ada was born just 3 years later in , with her young life Her early life unfolded against the backdrop of a deeply segregated society and the challenges faced by African Americans in the Jim Crow era.
“JE: So we should say the State Constitution at tha
Oklahoma Civil Rights activist Ada Lois Sipuel was born February 8, , in Chickasha, Oklahoma. An excellent student, she graduated from Lincoln High School in as valedictorian. Initially, she enrolled in Arkansas A&M College at Pine Bluff. After one year she transferred to Langston University in September , and she majored in English and dreamed of being a lawyer. On March 3, , she married Warren Fisher. On May 21, , Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher graduated from Langston University with honors.
Even in education, Oklahoma was segregated. Langston University did not have a law school, and state statutes prohibited Blacks from attending white state universities. Instead, Oklahoma provided funding whereby they could go outside the state of Oklahoma and attend law schools and graduate schools that accepted Blacks. At the urging of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) twenty-one-year-old Fisher agreed to seek admission to the University of Oklahoma's law school in order to challenge Oklahoma's segregation laws and achieve her lifelong ambition of becoming a lawyer.
On January 14, , she applied for admission to the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher
In , Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher became the first African American student admitted to OU Law. Her admission to law school, however, was preceded by a three-year legal battle. At the time of her application to OU’s law school in January , Oklahoma schools were segregated, and she was denied admission on racial grounds. With the support of civic leaders and grassroots supporters, Fisher challenged the decision through the court system, ultimately reaching the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously in her favor. Fisher was finally admitted to the OU College of Law on June 18, Her landmark case laid the groundwork for the elimination of segregation in public education nationwide. After graduating from the OU College of Law in , Fisher practiced law in Chickasha and later joined the faculty at Langston University. In , OU awarded her an honorary doctorate of humane letters, and the following year, she was appointed to the OU Board of Regents – the very group that once rejected her. Fisher died Oct. 18,
“Dr. Fisher was an everyday person who had the courage, the spirit, the smarts and the love to do superhuman things. She empowers each and every one of us by
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