WESTERN HISTORICAL MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
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Linda Brown of Topeka, Kansas and Craton Liddell of St. Louis, Missouri were among those American youngsters whose lawsuits resulted in dramatic changes in public education. The Brown v. Board Education of Topeka was the most far-reaching of these desegregation lawsuits. But it was Liddell v. Board of Education of St. Louis in 1972 that brought integrated education to hundreds of thousands of St. Louis’ school children. Craton Liddell is now deceased, the city-county school desegregation program lives on, with more that 10,000 African-American students boarding the bus each morning on their way to suburban schools, and another 700 suburban students attending city magnet schools.
Minnie Liddell, Craton’s mother didn’t want her son bused to the suburbs. She wanted him to attend his neighborhood school, Yeatman Elementary. The courts found that busing was the only procedure to desegregate some of the black city schools. The result was one of the largest inter-district school desegregation programs, and one of the largest school choice programs in the country. In many regions of the country, the end of desegregation court cases has been followed by re-segregation. The sixteen St. Louis County districts that are in this novel school choice program should keep it from ending. This program has not only proved successful in sending more African-American children to college, it has helped build bridges across racial divides. Craton Liddell graduated from Northwest High School, and attended Lincoln University in Jefferson City, and Harris Stowe State College in St. Louis.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
This collection documents St. Louis’ Desegregation Court Case, including the Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri from 1972-1985.
SERIES DESCRIPTION
SERIES 1 ARTICLES, 1979-1989 AND CORRESPONDENCE, 1980-1982 Folders 1-3, arranged chronologically.
SERIES 2 LEGAL DOCUMENTS, 1972-1985, Folders 4-15, arranged chronologically.
SERIES 3 DESEGREGATION REPORTS, 1976-1986, Folders, 20-27, Legal Document, Folder 16, Newsclippings, Folder 17, Oral History, Folder 18 and Pamphlets Folder 19, arranged chronologically.
SERIES 4 RESEARCH PAPERS, 1982-1986 Folders 28-34, arranged chronologically
SERIES 5 QUESTIONAIRES, 1982 Folder 35, arranged chronologically
FOLDER LIST
BOX 1
SERIES 1: ARTICLES AND CORRESPONDENCE, FOLDERS 1-3
1. Articles, 1979-1989
2. Correspondence, 1980-1982
3. Correspondence, 1982-1986
SERIES 2: LEGAL DOCUMENTS, FOLDERS 4-15
4. Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1972
5. Carton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1975
6. Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1979
7. Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1980
8. Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1982
9. Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1982
10. Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1983
11. Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1983
12. Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1983
BOX 2
13. Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1984
14. Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1984
15. Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1985
SERIES: 3 DESEGREGATION REPORTS, FOLDERS16-27
16. Kalima Jenkins v. State of Missouri, 1985
17. Newsclippings, 1969-1985
18. Oral History Transcription, Marilyn Goodman, November 8, 1982
19. Pamphlets, 1849-1981
20. Desegregation Report, 1976
21. Desegregation Report, 1977
22. Desegregation Report, 1978
23. Desegregation Report, 1979
24. Desegregation Report, 1979
25. Desegregation Report, 1982
BOX 3
26. Desegregation Report, 1985
27. Desegregation Reports, 1985
SERIES 4: RESEARCH PAPERS, FOLDERS 28-34
28. Research Paper, 1972
29. Research Paper, 1979
30. Research Paper, 1980
31. Research Paper, 1982
32. Research Paper, 1983
33. Research Paper, 1984
34. Research Paper, 1986
SERIES 5: QUESTIONAIRES, FOLDER 35
35. Questionnaires, 1982
INDEX
African Americans, 1-35
Civil Rights, 2-34
Education, 4-15
Desegregation, 1-35
WESTERN HISTORICAL MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 222 THOMAS JEFFERSON LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS 8001 NATURAL BRIDGE ROAD ST. LOUIS, MO 63121 (314) 516-5143 E-MAIL: whmc@umsl.edu