Denver resident Gladys Noel Bates, 88, will be honored today by the Jackson, Miss., Public School District, which will name a school after the longtime educator and civil rights pioneer.
Bates, a teacher, in 1948 filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Mississippi charging salary discrimination against black teachers and principals. At the time, black teachers were paid half the salary of white teachers. Her suit is considered the forerunner for the school desegregation cases of the 1950s.
After filing it, Bates and her husband were fired from their teaching positions, Bates’ home was burned to the ground and the couple was blacklisted from all public school positions in Mississippi.
The Bates family was forced to leave Mississippi and relocated to Denver. As the suit wound through the courts over several years, black teachers’ salaries improved in Mississippi. By 1951, the case was irrelevant.
In Denver, Bates has received numerous awards for her achievements as an educator and a community leader.
