Redwood High School’s Black Student Union celebrate their acomplishment of renaming the Academic Building on campus to the Wysinger Academic building in honor of Edmond Wysinger and his son Aruthur Wysinger who are a part of both Visalia but also national history.
Read about the history for Edmond and Aruthur Wysinger along with audio recordings.
Back in 2023, the Black Student Union club here at Redwood rediscovered the Wysinger v. Crookshank case, which took place here in Visalia. The case was of new beginnings, allowing a person of color to attend the predominantly white schoolhouse. The case was a story of perseverance, and not giving up. Though not directly correlated with Redwood, it’s an impactful case that the BSU team wanted to honor by renaming the Academic building to the ‘Wysinger academic building”.
Arthur Wysinger, the son of Edmond Wysinger (a former slave), was denied admission to the public school on Locust Street in Visalia, California, in 1888, due to his race. This event marked the beginning of a legal battle against educational segregation.
Arthur Wysinger’s story is often mistakenly associated with Redwood High School, which did not exist until 1954, well after Arthur’s death in 1916.
Arthur could not have attended or been denied admission to Redwood High School.
In 1888, Visalia did not have a unified school district or a high school as we understand them today. Education was provided in one-room schoolhouses, including one for white students on Locust Street and another for students of color on North East 4th Street.
The legal battle was not against a school district but against a teacher, Crookshank, who refused Arthur admission based on race. This lawsuit led to a California Supreme Court decision that challenged educational segregation and influenced future cases.
Further down the road in 1954, the Wysinger v. Crookshank case was referenced during the case of Brown v. The Board of Education. The case served as a precedent against racial segregation in education.
For more information about the process of renaming the building, watch this video below:
Greer Olson
Greer Olson, '27, is in her fourth year of journalism and an editor for the Student Life section. She enjoys writing about Redwood culture and its diverse population.
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