Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher
| Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Ada Lois Sipuel February 8, 1924 Chickasha, Oklahoma |
| Died | October 18, 1995 (aged 71) |
| Alma mater |
Langston University University of Oklahoma |
| Known for | Key figure in the Oklahoma civil rights movement |
| Spouse(s) | Warren Fisher (m. 1944) |
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher (February 8, 1924 - October 18, 1995) was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement in Oklahoma. She applied for admission into the University of Oklahoma law school in order to challenge the state's segregation laws and to become a lawyer. She was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma and was the daughter of a minister, Rev. Travis B. Sipuel, and his wife, the former Martha Belle Smith.
Fisher graduated from Lincoln High School in 1941 as valedictorian. She enrolled in the Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal College (now University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff), but transferred to Langston University in 1942. After marrying in 1944, she graduated May 21, 1945, with honors.
Her brother planned to challenge segregationist policies of the University of Oklahoma, but went to Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C. to not delay his career further by protracted litigation.
Fisher was willing to delay her legal career in order to challenge segregation. In 1946, she applied at the University of Oklahoma and was denied because of race. Two years later, in 1948, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Sipuel v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Okla. that the state of Oklahoma must provide instruction for blacks equal to that of whites. Thurgood Marshall acted as the head NAACP lawyer for this case and the justices ruled unanimously. The case was also a precursor for Brown v. Board of Education.
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