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The Lawrence League for the Practice of Democracy (LLPD)
The Lawrence League for the Practice of Democracy (LLPD), founded in 1945. Its purpose was to fight segregation in businesses located in Lawrence, especially theaters and restaurants. The purpose of the Lawrence League for the Practice of Democracy was also to make sure that democracy, justice and complete equality principles were not violated. The LLPD focused on inter-racial understanding and promoted respect for religion, race and class as well.(1) The LLPD was formed by the University Of Kansas  faculty and the Lawrence clergy. They organization had around 650 members who were not charged to be part of it.(2) The LLPD was founded because, Mr. Wesley Sims, a black war veteran, was asked to leave  the white section of theater located on Massachusetts St., in Lawrence. When the police forced Mr. Sims to leave the theater, the debate about segregation started in Lawrence.(3) The Lawrence City commission knew that these kinds of discriminatory acts violated the Kansas 21-22424 statute. However this statute was reversed (4) The LLPD worked together with the Topeka Human Relations Commission and the Kansas anti-discrimination commission. These two organization received complaints about discrimination cases in Kansas City. The Topeka Human Relation Commission promoted fair housing, education and fair employment practices in the Kansas City Area. (5)

THE LAWRENCE COMMUNITY NURSERY
The LLPD suffered extreme financial hardships and it started to support educational programs. The education was an ideal which the LLPD had always supported. Therefore, they started to offer extension courses, which focused on the well-being of children. At the same time the Child Study Group, which belonged to the American Association of University Women, was giving courses about this topic as well.(6) Four women who attended these courses decided to start a preschool, which was located in Lawrence. The Lawrence Community Nursery was finally opened April 19, 1948. The nursery had teachers who were actually trained in the education field. One of the first teachers was a KU graduate with a major in Psychology. (7) The nursery founders went through difficult economic hardships. They not only had to move several times because they could not find permanent places to set up the nursery, but they also needed additional space for the children. However, the nursery managed to survive thanks to the generosity of a lot of Lawrence residents, who made generous donations. It also organized fundraising events. The nursery moved several times until they finally found a permanent location at the Baptist Church located at 645 Alabama St., where it is located today.(8) In 1951 the Kansas State Board of Health licensed the nursery, which was a very important step for the nursery. The lower tuition offered by the nursery was a significant step forward towards integration because kids of African-American parents did not have the resources to pay for a nursery. (9) The nursery’s main contribution is that it not only takes care of the kids in the community but also helps with early child development needs. (10) The nursery gets money from the tuition and from fundraisings which are organized by them. They also make food donations to shelters and donate clothing for homeless people on Christmas.

LLPD’S PRESIDENT SHAFFER
Shaffer, who was originally from Australia, came to the US in 1940, where he served in the army for a few years. He received a degree in Economics from the University of New York. Later on, he worked at the University of Alabama, where he was also part of the movement Autherine Lucy, a movement which focused on the integration of black female student. When he moved to Kansas, he was hired by the University of Kansas to be an assistant professor, so he became part of the LLPD as well. (11) Shaffer became president of the LLPD on March 31, 1960. His major concern was to make sure that public spaces complied with the Kansas Public Accommodation Law, which prohibited discrimination in public spaces.(12) He retired in 1991, but he still lives in Lawrence.

THE PLUNGE POOL
At that time, most of the pools in Lawrence were private, and they did not admit black people. The largest pool was a private pool, called the Jayhawk Plunge, which belonged to Bertha Nottberg. It was part of a private club. Therefore, since the club was private, the pool did not have to comply with the Kansas public accommodation law. This law made it a misdemeanor to discriminate based on race in places of entertainment. But some white men, who did not belong to the club, used the pool. Therefore, the pool was not operating as a private club. On the other hand, the owner wanted the pool to remain private, because integrating the pool meant losing money. She feared racial issues if black and white kids swan together. (13) A lot of protests went on to push for an integrated pool system in Lawrence. There was so much unrest that the pool’s owner, Bertha Nottberg, decided to lease the pool. There were so many protests that the LLPD asked the City Commission to intervene. (14) Most of the people who supported integration were from the University of Kansas. Therefore, they were blamed for the protests. In the end, Nottberg refrained from selling the pool and decided to lease it to Mark O’Banion and Richard L. Harris, who called it “The Olympic Swim Club”, and operated the pool as a private, non-profit club. Mark O’Banion and Richard Harris stated that the “social, educational and economic levels of the members would determine the integration policies and it is about what the members want.” (15) Since the pool continued to function as a private club and the LLPD could not do anything to change this, the organization continued its work, promoting fair housing and employment opportunities for the black community in Lawrence.However, the LLPD continued to monitor the club’s guest policy. (16) In 1960, the LLPD declined. New civil rights movements arose and new organizations were created to fight for equality in the United States. Rusty Monhollon, “Away From the Dream: the Roots of Black Power in Lawrence, Kansas, 1960-1970”, (master’s thesis, KU, 1994),page 64.

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