Vallateen Virginia Dudley Abbington facts for kids

Vallateen Virginia Dudley Abbington (1907 – October 13, 2003) was an important American activist, teacher, and social worker. She is famous for a court case called Abbington v. Board of Education of Louisville. In this case, she bravely fought for teachers in Louisville, Kentucky to be paid fairly. This meant that all teachers, no matter their race, should earn the same amount of money for the same work.

Early Life and Education

Vallateen Virginia Dudley Abbington was born in 1907. She grew up in the countryside of Indiana. She was one of eight children in her family.

She went to Michigan State Normal College for her studies. While there, she joined a sorority called Alpha Kappa Alpha. After finishing college, she married Jesse Matthew Abbington. The couple later moved to Louisville, Kentucky. They then moved to St. Louis, Missouri. In Missouri, Vallateen earned a Master's degree in social work. This degree helped her learn how to help people and communities.

Vallateen Abbington passed away on October 13, 2003. She died in Los Angeles, California. She is buried in the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis.

Fighting for Civil Rights

While living in Louisville, Vallateen Abbington worked as a teacher. She taught at Jackson Junior High School. She noticed that African American teachers were paid much less than white teachers. This was not fair. For example, African American teachers earned about $1,490. White teachers earned $1,750 for the same job.

This unfair pay led her to work with the NAACP. The NAACP is a group that fights for equal rights. Together, they decided to take the issue to court. This happened in 1940. The court case was named Abbington v. Board of Education of Louisville.

Before Vallateen, the NAACP had trouble finding a teacher willing to sue. Many Black teachers were afraid of losing their jobs. This was especially true during the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a time when many people lost their jobs and money. Vallateen was brave enough to stand up for what was right.

The lawsuit went to the Federal District Court. The school board then told Vallateen that they would pay all teachers equally. They asked her to drop her case if they did this. She agreed, and they kept their promise in 1941. This was a big victory for equal rights. It was the third such case for the NAACP. It was also the very first case of its kind in Kentucky.

After moving to St. Louis, Vallateen Abbington kept working for civil rights. She tried to end segregation in public housing. Segregation meant keeping people of different races separate. She also worked to desegregate her church, Trinity Episcopal. This showed her strong commitment to fairness and equality for everyone.