Gladys Noel Bates facts for kids

Gladys Noel Bates (born March 26, 1920, McComb, Mississippi, died October 15, 2010, Denver, Colorado) was an amazing African-American civil rights leader and teacher. In 1948, she bravely filed a lawsuit called Gladys Noel Bates vs. the State of Mississippi. This lawsuit challenged the unfair practice of paying Black teachers and principals less than white teachers. Even though her lawsuit didn't win in court, it brought a lot of attention to the issue. Because of her efforts, salaries for teachers started to become equal.

The Fight for Equal Pay

The "Gladys Noel Bates Teacher-Equalization Pay Suit" was the very first civil rights lawsuit ever filed in Mississippi. This important case helped pave the way for school desegregation cases that happened in the 1950s.

Why the Lawsuit Was Needed

In 1948, Black teachers in Mississippi were paid very little. Their salaries were among the lowest in the country. Black teachers often earned only half of what white teachers made. In some places, the difference was even bigger. This unfair pay was only because of skin color. It didn't matter if Black and white teachers had the same education, experience, or teacher certification.

The Black teachers' group in Jackson, Mississippi was called the Mississippi Association of Teachers in Colored Schools (MATCS). Later, it became the Mississippi Teachers Association (MTA). MATCS leaders quietly talked with the NAACP about filing a lawsuit. After many secret talks, they decided Gladys Noel Bates was the best person to lead the lawsuit. She was a teacher and an active officer in the Jackson NAACP.

Getting Ready for Court

Preparing for the lawsuit took many months. Everyone involved had to keep it a complete secret. They knew that if anyone spoke about it, Mrs. Bates could be fired before the lawsuit was even filed.

The main lawyer for the NAACP at that time was a young attorney named Thurgood Marshall. He met with the MATCS and NAACP representatives in Jackson. Attorney Marshall told them they needed $5,000 to seriously consider filing the lawsuit. This was a lot of money in the 1940s, and it would be very hard for the group to raise it.

Raising Money Secretly

Besides needing money, no public school employee wanted to have any papers linking them to the lawsuit. Mrs. Bates was often told to keep documents in a safe place. This protected the names of school staff and association members.

The teachers decided to raise money by increasing their membership dues by one dollar. They called this new fund the "welfare" or "benevolent" fund. If white school superintendents asked why dues increased, teachers had a practiced answer. They would say the money was for flowers and memorials for sick or deceased Black teachers. This was a smart way Black teachers survived during those times.

Another challenge for MATCS and the NAACP was how to bank these "welfare" funds. This also had to be done in complete secrecy. MATCS opened an account under a fake name at the Tri-State Bank in Memphis, Tennessee. All lawsuit expenses were paid from this secret account.

They also collected more money at MATCS meetings. They would pass a gunny sack around the room. All teachers would put their closed fists inside the sack, whether they had money or not. This protected members in case a snitch was present. The snitch wouldn't know who had or hadn't given money.

Finding a Local Lawyer

The next step was to find a local lawyer to handle the case. For a while, this seemed like a big problem. The only hope was an elderly man in Meridian, Mississippi, Attorney James A. Burns. He was very frail, and they worried his health wouldn't allow him to take on such a tough case. To Mrs. Bates' great relief, he agreed. He felt taking on the case was the right thing to do. He became the attorney for the Bates' lawsuit.

Attorney Burns rode a bus every week to Jackson, Mississippi. He filed papers and researched records for very little pay, just enough for bus fare and meals. He was paid $1500 for four years of hard work for civil rights.

What Happened After Filing

The lawsuit was officially filed on March 4, 1948. By the end of that school year, Mrs. Bates and her husband were fired from their teaching jobs. The Bates family, along with her parents and a few teachers who supported the lawsuit, were treated badly by society. They were also fired from their teaching positions.

Mr. and Mrs. Bates were not only fired but also blacklisted. This meant they couldn't get any public school teaching jobs in Mississippi. Their home was attacked with gunshots through the windows. Sadly, it was completely burned down in 1949.

The Results of the Lawsuit

Legal Outcome

This lawsuit lasted for four years, from 1948 to 1951. Finally, the United States Supreme Court refused to hear the case. It wasn't because the case wasn't important or fair. Instead, they used a rule from an earlier case (Cook vs. Davis). This rule said that all local and state steps had to be tried first. A person had to ask the local school board for help, then the county board, and then the state. The problem with this rule was clear: a person would likely be fired before they could even finish the first step, just like Mrs. Bates and her husband.

Long-Term Impact

Even though the lawsuit didn't win in court, Black teachers won a moral victory. More importantly, their salaries actually became equal. As the lawsuit moved through the lower courts, month by month and year by year, Black teachers' salaries in Mississippi slowly became the same as white teachers' salaries. By 1951, equal salaries were a reality, and the lawsuit's main goal was achieved.

About Gladys Noel Bates

Mrs. Bates was born to Andrew J. Noel, Sr. (1883–1960) and Hallie Sue Davis Noel (1893–1985). Both parents taught their five children the importance of their duty to God, family, and community. They also stressed how important higher education was. Her father paid for his college education by selling land he inherited. Her mother graduated from the University of Chicago.

Gladys grew up and went to school in Jackson, Mississippi. She attended Alcorn A&M College from 1937-1939. She earned her B.A. from Tougaloo College (1939–1942) and a master's degree from West Virginia State University (1952). She also studied at the University of Colorado, Denver.

In 1938, John M. Bates (1913–1995) and Gladys Winnie Noel got married. They had two children: Kathryn Sue Bates (born 1939) and John Milton (“Bunky”) Bates, Jr. (1945–2005).

Before they married, John Bates, Sr. went to schools in Fairmont, West Virginia. He graduated from West Virginia State College. In 1937, he joined the coaching staff at Alcorn A&M in Alcorn, Mississippi. In 1979, John earned his doctorate in education from the University of Colorado.

In 1960, while visiting relatives in Denver, John and Gladys applied for teaching jobs with the Denver Public Schools. They were both hired.

The Bates family received many important awards for their community service. Dr. Bates was the only person to lead both the North East Park Hill Civic Association and its next organization, The Greater Park Hill Community, Inc.

The John M. and Gladys N. Bates Award recognizes people who make great contributions in human relations, multiculturalism, and education.

Gladys Noel Bates passed away on October 15, 2010.

Her Many Roles and Awards

Gladys Noel Bates held many important positions and received numerous honors:

• Assistant Principal for Pupil Services, Denver Public Schools
• Dean of Girls, Denver Public Schools
• Teacher, Denver Public Schools
• Assistant executive secretary, Mississippi Teachers Association
• Secretary, Mississippi District YWCA
• Bookkeeper, Mary Potter Academy, Oxford, North Carolina
• Teacher, Jackson, Mississippi Public Schools
• Life member National Education Association (NEA)
• Member, Colorado Education Association
• National Association for Women Deans, Administrators & Counselors, Denver Colorado
• Denver Administrators and Supervisors Association
• Colorado-Wyoming Association for Women Deans, Administrators and Counselors
• Treasurer, Denver Association of Secondary Women in Administration
• Past member, Board of Trustees, Tougaloo College
• Past president, National Alumni Association, Tougaloo College
• Member, Delta Sigma Theta
• Past president, Denver Chapter of Links, Inc.
• Past member, board of directors, NAACP
• Precinct committeewoman and delegate to many Democratic County and State Conventions
• Recipient of National Education Association Human Relation Award, 1974
• Who’s Who of American Women, 1958–59; Who's Who of Black Americans, 1975–1976
• Merit Award, Mississippi Teachers Association
• Achievement Award, Alpha Phi Alpha
• Finer Womanhood Award, Zeta Phi Beta
• Pioneer Citation, Delta Sigma Theta
• Testimonial Banquet and Award, Citizens Commission of Jackson, Mississippi
• Plaque of Appreciation, Tougaloo National Alumni Association, 1966
• Teacher of the Year, Denver Blade Newspaper, 1964
• President’s Award at the National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc., 2002
• William Funk Community Service Award
• Founding Chair-person of the Greater Park Hill Community's Safe Neighborhood Committee Coalition Against Drugs
• Who's Who in Black Women
• Juanita R. Gray Award for Excellence in Education
• Black Women's Political Action Forum (Mississippi)
• Colorado Association of Non-Profit Organizations (CANPO), Building Community Award, 1996
• Mayor Wellington Webb of Denver, Colorado declared October 17, 1996, "Gladys Noel Bates Day".

Making a Difference in Her Community

Mrs. Bates and her husband were active members of many groups that worked to improve their community. Organizations that benefited from their leadership and participation include: Northeast Park Hill Civic Association, East Denver Optimists, Denver Area Council Boy Scouts, East Denver YMCA, NAACP, Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Shorter Community AME Church, CORE, Urban League, Denver Class Room Teachers Association, Colorado Education Association, Park Hill Action Committee, and Greater Park Hill Community, Inc.