Black Leaders: Texans for Their Times Page: 165
This book is part of the collection entitled: Texas State Historical Association Monographs and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Texas State Historical Association.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Texans for Their Times 165
Week in May, 1944, Sweatt delivered the principal address. He
asserted that no longer would the Negro have to bear an inferiority
complex imposed by educators "who spend sleepless nights develop-
ing tests aimed at providing mental inferiority of Negro to white,"
instead of ". .. opening equal doors of opportunity."20
Sweatt's primary concern, however, was the problem of
discrimination against blacks in the post office. In order to be pro-
moted to supervisory positions, an employee first had to be a clerk.
Yet postmasters systematically exluded Negroes from becoming
clerks, thus relegating them to the lower position of postal carriers. As
local secretary of the National Alliance of Postal Employees, Sweatt
and his colleagues continued his father's work. They enumerated
their grievances in conferences with the postmaster. In March, 1944,
Sweatt, with the assistance of attorney Francis Scott Key Whittaker,
prepared a documentation of their case, citing national postal regula-
tions and policies.21 This involvement sharpened his interest in the
law as a means of challenging discrimination. By mid-1945 he had
decided that instead of remaining a postman he would like to go to
law school. He contemplated attending the University of Michigan
law school but decided against doing so when his father suffered a
serious heart attack.
In a conversation with William J. Durham, Sweatt explored the
possibility of acquiring a legal education in Texas. The attorney advis-
ed seeking admission to the University of Texas law school. He knew
that the university was vulnerable, since there was no law school for
blacks in the state. Under the Gaines precedent, Texas would either
have to provide a separate school for Sweatt or admit him to the
university.
Later that fall Sweatt decided not only to apply to the university
but also to serve as the NAACP's plaintiff if rejected on the basis of
race. He made his decision during a meeting at Wesley Chapel in
what he later described as a "brash moment." On that occasion Lulu
White spoke to a group of Houston blacks, appealing for a volunteer
to file a lawsuit against the university. When no one else showed a
willingness to do so, Sweatt stood up and announced that he would.22
After NAACP officials notified Durham of this development, he
and White apparently met with Sweatt at the latter's home, where
they discussed plans in further detail. Durham had several reasons to
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View 208 pages within this book that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Barr, Alwyn & Calvert, Robert A. Black Leaders: Texans for Their Times, book, 2007; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth296839/m1/176/?q=1966+yearbook+north+texas+state+university: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.