Segregated to the Anteroom

George W. McLaurin, a veteran school teacher living in Oklahoma applied to the all-white University of Oklahoma to pursue an advance degree in education in 1948. His application was rejected because Oklahoma statutes made it illegal for blacks and whites to attend the same school. McLaurin filed a complaint against the University on the state court level and won. And in 1950, McLaurin filed suit with the U.S. Supreme Court and won. The case paved the way for the Brown v. Board of Education cases. He was allowed to attend classes but not with his fellow students. This photograph shows how he was segregated to the anteroom of a classroom in 1948 after his admission.

Source: Oklahoma Historical Society