Bluford vs. Canada, Civil Action No. 128: Complaint for Deprivation of Plaintiff's Civil Rights under Color of State Laws

Complaint for deprivation of plaintiff's civil rights under color of state laws in Civil Case No. 128: Lucile Bluford v. S.W. Canada. The complaint alleges that the the refusal of admission of Bluford to the University of Missouri graduate journalism program by university registrar Canada constited a violation of her civil rights. Their argument notes that the University of Missouri offers the only graduate journalism program in the state, and specifically lacks an equivalent program at Lincoln University, the state's university for black students; that Bluford is "fully qualified scholastically, morally, mentally, financially" for admission; and Bluford's acceptance based on merits but refusal to be registered based on race. Bluford's attorneys claim she is owed $10,000 in damages due to "humiliation, mental anguish, loss of earning power and proficiency in her newspaper work, [and] irrepaceable time out of her life," and demand an injunction ordering her registration as an MU student. 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 a series of lawsuits that eventually reached the Missouri Supreme Court.