Early Life
Henderson was born as Zelma Cleota Hurst in Colby, Kansas, on February 29, 1920. Her family, The Hursts, were one of only two African American families living in Colby at the time. Her parents grew wheat and raised cattle for a living. The family moved to Oakley, Kansas, when she was still young.
Kansas state law at the time required that elementary schools in towns with a population of 15,000 or more had to be racially segregated. However, the law did not apply to either Colby or Oakley, since both towns had populations of under 15,000 people. As a result, Henderson attended integrated elementary schools in both towns alongside both black and white children. The law did not apply to Kansas middle schools or high schools, which were integrated throughout the state.
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