NC Alumni and Friends Coalition

The Legal Defense Fund (LDF), which is a part of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is famous for winning lawsuits, like Adams v Richardson. However, the LDF also organized national, state, and local groups to advocate for Civil Rights.

The LDF encouraged the formation of a North Carolina group composed of alumni from the state's five historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The North Carolina Alumni and Friends Coalition (NCAFC) was established in 1973.

The NCAFC proposed that membership of the Board of Governors, the State Board of Education, and the UNC General Administration be at least 25 percent black. The group called for members of the board of trustees at HBCUs to be at least 60 percent black and that historically white institutions board members be at least 25 percent black. The proposal also suggested that duplicate programs should be eliminated, for instance the law schools at North Carolina Central and Chapel Hill could have different specialties.

Visit other Exhibits in Crossing the Color Line.