African Americans c.1945-1954 - OCR ADiscrimination in education and employment

Discrimination in education

In the South, schools were segregated. Poor funding for African American schools meant that some buildings had only one room to educate all the children, with one teacher delivering lessons to all ages. White students usually had separate classes based on age, with a qualified teacher for each class, and facilities for sports. The facilities for African American and white students were separate but not equal and therefore not in keeping with the Plessy v Ferguson ruling.

The most prestigious universities in the South, such as the University of Mississippi, would not accept African American students. African American students who had an academic record good enough to enter these universities were denied entrance. This meant that they had to attend universities with lower reputations and poorer facilities.

Discrimination in employment

Racist practices meant that African Americans received less pay than their white colleagues and worked in poorer conditions. African American teachers in the South were paid an average of 30 per cent less than white teachers in the same area.

African Americans were more likely to be employed in low-paid jobs in comparison to white people. The table below shows US Bureau of the Census figures and lists the percentage of white and black Americans in two employment sectors with typically low incomes.