Bluford vs. Canada: Summons and Complaint

Summons and complaint in the civil case of Lucile Bluford vs. S. W. Canada, registrar at the University of Missouri. Canada is ordered to answer Bluford's complaint, directed to her lawyer Carl R. Johnson, within 20 days. The complaint asserts that Bluford was deprived of her civil rights under state law by Canada's refusal to admit her to the University of Missouri's graduate program in journalism, as MU offered the state's only such program, and Bluford was qualified for that program and was rejected solely on the basis of her race. Bluford is suing the university for damages totalling $10,000.00, her legal costs, and a judgment allowing her to enroll. At the time, Bluford was the managing editor of the Kansas City Call and her effort to gain admittance to the masters degree program at MU's School of Journalism, and repeated denials due to her race, lead to a case that eventually was heard before the Missouri Supreme Court.