On September 1884, eight-year-old Mamie Tape was ready to begin her studies at Spring Valley Primary School in San Francisco, but the principal refused to admit her because of her Chinese heritage. Mamie’s parents, who were affluent, fully assimilated middle-class immigrants, decided to fight back in a case called Tape v. Hurley.
According to a History article, the case was one of the most significant civil rights decisions of all time. Even American-born Chinese students were denied access to public schools in San Francisco despite laws that entitled all children a right to public education.
Because Mamie’s parents had lived in predominantly White communities for so long, it seemed only natural to send their child to nearest primary school. Tape v. Hurley had made it to the Supreme Court in March 1885. Yet, the court ruled against Mamie’s parents, stating that the “separate but equal” doctrine justified the segregation taking place.
In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was not unconstitutional as long as the facilities were equivalent in nature. Since the court did not find any significant differences between schools, it did not find merit in the discriminatory claim.
Furious with the injustice, Mamie’s mother, Mary, decided to write a letter to the Alta California newspaper. Highlighted in a San Francisco Chronicle article, Mary Tape’s letter furiously asks, “Is it a disgrace to be born a Chinese?”
Tape’s letter did not help Mary’s daughter. Nonetheless, the outcome was still a triumph for the Chinese American community. Following the release of the letter, more schools admitted Chinese Americans into predominately White schools and less Whites complained
The separate but equal doctrine would finally be repealed in 1947, seven years before the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that school segregation was unconstitutional.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff or submitting a story.
Throwback Thursday: The story of the 8-year=old who paved the way for Chinese Americans: you really couldn’t find an image of a Chinese American student?