Alice Piper (1908-1985)
In the early 1920s, a new high school opened in the Big Pine School District and 15-year-old Alice Piper of the Big Pine Paiute Tribe was looking forward to attending. California laws at this time maintained a “separate but equal” approach to segregation in schools. Native American children were made to attend underfunded Indian schools designed to assimilate them to a white European standard and erase their language, culture, and traditions. When Alice and other Native American students applied to the new school, their entry was denied. It was then that Piper and six other students decided to challenge the school district for the right to attend the public high school stating that their 14th amendment rights to equal education opportunities were being violated. In 1924, the California Supreme Court ruled in Alice Piper’s favor in the landmark case Piper v. Big Pine School District of Inyo County. Alice Piper’s victory laid the groundwork for future cases fighting segregation in schools. A life size statue of Alice Piper now stands outside the entrance to Big Pine High School commemorating her fight for equal rights.