George McLaurin, The First Black Man Admitted To The University Of Oklahoma

George W. McLaurin born September 16, 1887, died September 4, 1968, was an American professor, and the first African to attend the University of Oklahoma in the US.

George McLaurin held a master’s degree from the University of Kansas and retired as a professor living in Oklahoma City. Prior to retiring, he taught at a predominantly black college, Langston University.

George McLaurin, the first black man admitted to the University of Oklahoma in 1948 was forced to sit in a corner far from his classmates. When he first applied he was denied based on his race. He went to court & it ruled that denying him was unconstitutional. George W. McLaurin provided the Oklahoma civil rights case that irreparably damaged the “separate but equal” legal position established in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution The justices affirmed that McLaurin’s 14th Amendment rights means he must receive the same educational experience as OU’s white students. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas and taught at Langston University, an all-black institution, until 1968.