Mamie Tape (1876-1972)
b. San Francisco, California
Tape v. Hurley (1885)
Do You Know? Mamie Tape was the eldest of four siblings and eight years old when her case went to court.
What: Tape's parents sued the principal and the SF Board of Education because she was denied admission to Spring Valley Primary School due to her Chinese ancestry.
Decision: The court ruled that denying public education to a child of Chinese descent born in the United States was a violation of State law and the Constitution of the United States.
Today: Every child has a right to an education regardless of ethnicity, class, gender or citizenship.
(Portrait by Cayla Orpilla, SFSU 2019)
TAPE Mamie (Orpilla C) Color.pdf300.48 KB
TAPE Mamie (Orpilla C) BW.pdf328.97 KB