Challenging Jim Crow in the North | Finding Your Roots

Learn about a fight against segregation in Michigan’s higher education system during the Jim Crow Era. In this clip from the Finding Your Roots, actor, director, and producer Sanaa Lathan traces her family history to her great-grandfather, Wesley Deer McCoy. In 1909, McCoy and fellow student Felix Booker were denied readmission to veterinary school because they were Black. Refusing to accept this discrimination, the two men sued the university under Michigan’s anti-segregation law — and won their case.

The accompanying activities invite students to explore the broader impact of Jim Crow laws in the North and examine the many ways individuals challenged segregation and fought for equal access to education and opportunity. Through discussion, analysis, and reflection, students will consider how legal action and personal courage helped confront injustice and advance civil rights.