1885
In Tape v. Hurley, 66 Cal. 473(1885), Mamie Tape fought for the right to public education.
Tape v. Hurley, 66 Cal. 473 (1885) was a landmark case in the California Supreme Court. In 1884, Mamie, then eight years old, was denied admission to the Spring Valley School due to her Chinese ancestry. Her parents sued the San Francisco Board of Education and won. Their argument was that the school violated California Political Code. The California Supreme Court upheld the decision. Justice McGuire wrote, "To deny a child, born of Chinese parents in this state, entrance to the public schools would be a violation of the law of the state and the Constitution of the United States."
A bill was quickly passed to establish the Oriental Public School in San Francisco. The school was renamed Gordon J. Lau Elementary School in 1998.
1848年以來，加州掀起淘金熱，短短一年就30萬人擠到加州，因為激增的人口，政府設立了7所公立學校。1852年，舊金山已有兩萬華人居民。1884年，出身富裕的華裔女孩 Mamie Tape 時年8歲，父母打算讓她就讀公立小學卻被拒收，因為當時的公立小學只收白人。
她的父母一狀告到加州最高法院，獲得勝訴。但舊金山教育委員會說服加州州議會，通過設置華裔專校的法案，讓華裔只能就讀華裔小學，堅決貫徹種族隔離政策。舊金山也因此在1859年成立第一所華人小學「東方公立小學」。此校經過多次更名，現為「劉貴明小學」，紀念這位人權鬥士。
Photo Credits: California State Archives, Wikipedia
///此展獻給邱彰律師摯愛的兒子陳澤民
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