First Undergraduate Students

In the end, the Supreme Court upheld the Frasier decision and, in 1956, four African-American undergraduate students, Ed Carson, Manuel Crockett, Irwin Holmes, and Walter Holmes, enrolled at NC State. Once at the university, these students, for the most part, were allowed equal access to the University’s programs and resources, although segregation continued to impact their lives. They could eat in the University cafeteria but not in the restaurants on Hillsborough Street. Irwin Holmes, a talented tennis player, was allowed to join the tennis team but some schools refused to play him. Walter Holmes became the first African American student in the band program but he too was not always welcome on other campuses. The acceptance of African American undergraduates in predominantly white universities was undoubtedly an achievement for those who wanted equal opportunities for all students regardless of race. It did not however represent an end to their struggle.

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