Hocutt v. Wilson

Hocutt v. Wilson, N.C. Super. Ct. (1933) (unreported), was the first attempt to desegregate higher education in the United States.[1] It was initiated by two African American lawyers from Durham, North Carolina, Conrad O. Pearson and Cecil McCoy, with the support of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).[2] The case was ultimately dismissed for lack of standing, but it served as a test case for challenging the "separate but equal" doctrine in education and was a precursor to Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954) (holding that segregated public schools were unconstitutional).[3]

  1. ^ "Brown v. Board at Fifty: "With an Even Hand": A Century of Racial Segregation, 1849–1950". Library of Congress. November 13, 2004.
  2. ^ The Center For Urban Affairs, North Carolina State University, Paths Toward Freedom: A Bibliographical History of Blacks and Indians in North Carolina by Blacks and Indians 172 (1976).
  3. ^ "Durham Civil Rights Leader and Lawyer, Pearson, Dies". Durham Morning Herald. June 27, 1984. p. 1A – via Newspapers.com. Article continues on page 2A.