For immediate release
Media contact: Evie Klopp Holzer, (405) 831-0709
LANGSTON, OKLA. – Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher’s struggle to gain admittance to the University of Oklahoma College of Law will be the focus of the play “I’ll Do It!” performed by the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, at the I.W. Young Auditorium at Langston University, 701 W Sammie Davis Jr. Dr. in Langston.
Fisher was a civil rights pioneer as the first African American to attend and graduate from OU Law. Fisher graduated from Langston University with honors in 1945 and dreamed of becoming a lawyer. However, Langston University did not have a law school, and state statutes prohibited blacks from attending white state universities. When her brother declined a request to be a test plaintiff, Ada Lois volunteered to be a plaintiff for a lawsuit to be filed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. On January 14, 1946, 21-year-old Fisher applied for admission to the OU law school to challenge Oklahoma’s segregation laws. “I’ll Do It!” was written by OU Law Professor and Legal Clinic Director Cheryl Wattley.
“The play is called ‘I’ll Do It!’ because Ada Lois Sipuel possessed the courage, focus and determination to be willing to tackle the entrenched system of segregation at the University of Oklahoma,” Wattley said. “Her bravery and steadfast resolve opened the doors, not just of the University of Oklahoma, but of academic institutions across this nation.”
There is no reservation required or cost to attend the play.
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