Joyce Scott’s work often deals with stereotypes. She says, “Almost everyone’s been oppressed in some way, or under someone’s
thumb or been misjudged because of their skin tone, gender, weight, eye color, hair color, or hairstyle. We’re misjudged and we dislike it, so we know what that feels like.”

A time in US history I find difficult to understand — when suspicion was very intense and many, many people were misjuged — is the MacCarthy era. Right here in Tacoma, the 1950s fostered some ugly moments. Here’s a summary of such a case involving Seattle attorney Ken MacDonald:

Margaret Jean Schuddakopf was a school counselor in the Tacoma School District in 1954. When she was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in June, 1954, she was represented by Seattle attorney, Kenneth A. MacDonald, where, before hundreds of people and early television, she invoked the 5th Amendment to the United States Constitution asserting that her testimony might incriminate her.

Ms. Schuddakopf was called before the Committee following Barbara Hartle, a former communist member listing Ms. Schuddakopf as being disloyal. No evidence was provided, but it was known that Ms. Schuddakopf’s father and two brothers were well-known socialists.

Within a week of her reliance on the 5th Amendment, the Tacoma School Board called her before it to explain the invocation of the 5th Amendment. Hearings went for about three evenings and at the end, the Board refused to affect her employment because she had a constitutional right to invoke the 5th Amendment.

The American Legion soon placed a large ad in The Tacoma News Tribune demanding her discharge because of the invocation.

In response, Fred Haley, Chairman of the school board, published a full-page ad in The Tacoma News Tribune inviting anybody who actually knew of any criminal activity by Mrs. Schuddakopf to relay it to the board. There was no response.

Immediately following the action of the Tacoma School Board supporting her, a petition was prepared demanding her removal from the Tacoma public schools. In less than three full days, 27,000 people signed. Thereafter, Ruth Bethel, Superintendent of Pierce County Schools in August, 1954, suspended Ms. Schuddakopf.

The suspension was appealed by Ms. Schuddakopf to Pearl Wanamaker, State of Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction. Ms. Wanamaker delayed a decision on the appeal for more than a year, until December 22, 1955 when she reversed the order of Mrs. Bethel.

Ms. Schuddakopf then sought to be reinstated at the Tacoma School District and sued for her lost wages as an employee of the Tacoma School District. The Pierce County trial court ruled that she could not sue because the school year was over.

The State Supreme Court in 1959 affirmed the trial court’s decision “The simple fact is that during the school year 1954 to 1955 Mrs. Schuddakopf was incapable of performing her contracted employment.”