"Courage," said Hemingway, "is grace under pressure." Evidently, sixty-one-year-old George McLaurin had plenty of it. Below, a powerfully poignant image of McLaurin seated in a segregated classroom at Oklahoma University on Oct.14, 1948. He learned in a closet looking out over the room where his white classmates sat; he dined at separate tables at separate times; and he used a different table in the library to study. At the time he began classes, he was 61 years old. He had already earned his master’s in education from the University of Kansas and taught at Langston University, Oklahoma’s historically all-black institution, for 33 years. “This is a happy day in my life,” he told Sooner Magazine on the day of this picture. “If things continue the way they have gone today, I think everything is going to be all right.” George W. McLaurin died in Los Angeles on September 4, 1968, at the home of his son, who followed in his father's footsteps as a college professor
Re: George McLaurin
Posted by theone on 7/28/2025, 12:01 pm, in reply to "George McLaurin"
Great Black educator, Maestro. Never heard of him. Thanks for providing this info. Today Segregation is legally outlawed but it's still legal in the hearts of men.
FYI, When he applied to the University of Oklahoma, he was turned down because he was Black, and he "sued".
Yes, he fought them all the way. That was when you could get help from the federal govt. now trump runs it. good luck
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Great Black educator, Maestro. Never heard of him. Thanks for providing this info. Today Segregation is legally outlawed but it's still legal in the hearts of men.
FYI, When he applied to the University of Oklahoma, he was turned down because he was Black, and he "sued".
Ha-ha-ha, good point. The federal govt must be hell nowadays especially for those who still need to reach their rights in the U.S
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Yes, he fought them all the way. That was when you could get help from the federal govt. now trump runs it. good luck
Previous Message
Great Black educator, Maestro. Never heard of him. Thanks for providing this info. Today Segregation is legally outlawed but it's still legal in the hearts of men.
FYI, When he applied to the University of Oklahoma, he was turned down because he was Black, and he "sued".
Re: George McLaurin
Posted by gm on 7/29/2025, 11:53 am, in reply to "George McLaurin"
The image alone leaves deep psychological scars.. I'm surprise to learn that he even lived to be in his 70s(75?) given the stressful & degrading shit he went through.
No matter how strong your personality the degradation of one's humanity remains in the psyche forever... Very few are able to keep that harm suppressed. Count George McLaurin among them.
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