The Dovell Act, or Stephens-Dovell Act,
was legislation in the U.S. state of Virginia that provided out-of-state tuition to its African American residents, who were barred from attending in-state public institutions of higher learning during
segregation Segregation may refer to:
Separation of people
* Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space
* School segregation
* Housing segregation
* Racial segregation, separation of humans ...
. It passed in 1936 after
Alice Jackson was denied admittance to the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
.
Jackson applied to UVA in 1935. After she was denied admission a graduate school was established at
Virginia State University
Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a public historically Black land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia. Founded on , Virginia State developed as the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of high ...
in
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...
.
The Foster brothers were among those who used the tuition support program to study out of state.
Jackson went on to pursue her studies at Columbia University.
Several other states had similar programs.
Gregory Swanson
Gregory Hayes Swanson, LL.B, A.B., (born 1924 – July 26, 1992) was an American Lawyer who was the first African American to attend the University of Virginia.
Biography
Swanson graduated from Howard University in 1945 with a Bachelor's deg ...
sued to gain admission to
University of Virginia Law School
The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...
.
He was admitted in 1950.
See also
*
Ashton Dovell
*''
Murray v. Pearson
''Murray v. Pearson'' was a Maryland Court of Appeals decision which found "the state has undertaken the function of education in the law, but has omitted students of one race from the only adequate provision made for it, and omitted them solely be ...
''
*
Oliver Hill (attorney)
Oliver White Hill, Sr. (May 1, 1907 – August 5, 2007) was an American civil rights attorney from Richmond, Virginia. His work against racial discrimination helped end the doctrine of "separate but equal." He also helped win landmark legal de ...
*
School segregation in the United States
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulso ...
*
Spottswood Robinson
Spottswood William Robinson III (July 26, 1916 – October 11, 1998) was an American educator, civil rights attorney, and a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after previously se ...
References
{{Reflist
Legal history of Virginia