University of South Carolina Exhibit Documents Early Black History on Campus

South CarolinaFifty years ago in 1963, the first Black students of the 20th century enrolled on the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia. The university has kicked-off a year-long commemoration of the desegregation of the student body.

One of the events is a new exhibit at the library on campus. The exhibit which runs through December 20, is entitled “1801-1963: The Long Road to Desegregation at the University of Carolina.”

Included in the exhibit are documents that show how slaves were used on campus during the antebellum period. The accompanying photograph shows a group of Black students who were on campus during the Reconstruction period. Blacks also served as faculty and administrators during Reconstruction. After racial segregation returned with the end of Reconstruction, African Americans continued to work on campus is various capacities. The exhibit also documents the university’s attempts during the early 20th century to maintain racial segregation.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

University of Maryland Reports on Its Historic Ties to Slavery

"This new research report is an important first step in confronting and disrupting the narrative of our shared history. It challenges us to see through the privileged half-truths we’ve long held as a university and to create a more inclusive and truthful documented history," said Lae’l Hughes-Watkins, co-chair of The 1856 Project.

Yale University Commits $10 million Toward HBCU Partnerships

Yale University issued a formal apology three weeks ago regarding its historical ties to slavery. In response, the university has pledged $10 million towards an initiative that aims to expand collaboration with historically Black colleges and universities.

Gallup Survey Finds Black Students More Likely Than Their White Peers to Withdraw From College

A 2023 survey conducted by Gallup in partnership with the Lumina Foundation has found that 40 percent of currently enrolled Black students have considered stopping their coursework in the past six months, compared to 31 percent of White students.

Recent Books of Interest to African American Scholars

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.

Featured Jobs