Librarian who defied Jim Crow laws to be honored

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) _ A Bartlesville librarian who was labeled a communist was dismissed from her job during the height of the McCarthy era in the 1950s. <br/><br/>But her fans say Ruth Brown was

Sunday, March 5th 2006, 5:50 pm

By: News On 6


BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) _ A Bartlesville librarian who was labeled a communist was dismissed from her job during the height of the McCarthy era in the 1950s.

But her fans say Ruth Brown was actually fired because she defied Jim Crow laws and allowed black people to borrow books from the library.

The Bartlesville Women's Network is raising $10,000 to place a bust of Ruth Brown in the library she was fired from a half-century ago.

Artist Janice Albro has agreed to sculpt the bust, which is scheduled to be ready in time for Oklahoma's Centennial celebration next year.

Additional funds raised will be used to establish a scholarship fund for Bartlesville Public Library employees to use toward earning a master's degree in library studies.

The Oklahoma Library Association already has an award in her name to recognize programming that addresses issues of social concern.

A book by author Louise Robbins -- ``The Dismissal of Ruth Brown'' -- details what happened. Actress Bette Davis starred in the movie ``Storm Center,'' which was about Brown.
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