Career
She was the second editor and publisher of the Kansas City "Call" newspaper. Bluford applied to the Master of Journalism program at the renowned Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri and was accepted. However, during the ensuing enrollment process, she was dismissed because of her race.
At the time Bluford attempted to enroll Missouri expected African-American students to attend Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, 30 miles away from the Columbia, Missouri university campus.
Lincoln University did not have a journalism program On October 13, 1939, after trying to enter the University of Missouri"s program 11 times, Bluford filed the first of several lawsuits.
By 1941 her case had made it to the United States. Supreme Court which ruled in her favor. After the court ruling in her favor, the University of Missouri responded by closing their Journalism Graduate program, stating there were too few staff members because of World World War World War II In 1989 the University of Missouri awarded her an honorary degree which she accepted, “not only for myself, but for the thousands of black students” who had faced discrimination.
