Against the Odds
African American female student received degree at engineering graduation ceremony, 1977.Â
In the 1960s and 1970s, despite administration claims to federal officials, who had become impatient with the university’s low black enrollment, black students were graduating in even smaller numbers than they were enrolling. Irwin Holmes received the first Bachelors degree awarded to an African American student in 1960.[1] However, the first black female to receive an undergraduate degree did not graduate until 1966, and an African American did not receive a PhD from NC State until 1967. It took four more years for a second PhD to be awarded to a black candidate.[2] Because of ubiquitous expressions of racism, the inherent isolation of black students, and lack of administrative assistance, black students struggled to succeed in academic spaces. Those few who did graduate in the 1960s did so against the odds.
In student publications, personal correspondence, and in organization materials, black students in the 1960s and 1970s most often commented on feeling isolated in the classroom. One doctoral student, Hubert Winston, remarked to The Technician that when he was working towards his degrees in the late 1960s to mid 1970s, it was not uncommon to be the only black person in the classroom. He also noted that lack of fraternities and sororities or other organizations made it hard for black students to feel welcome or supported, both in the classroom and outside of it. Winston insisted that his race was a “peripheral” issue to his academic experience, but he attributed his success to his own personal drive. Not all students were so motivated in the face of isolation in such a daunting space.[3]
Student in lab, circa 1970s.
Despite this, the black students who spoke out in the 1960s and 1970s about the struggles of succeeding at a predominantly white university talked most often about drive, motivation, and perseverance. Very few expected anything from the university, and most remained confident that black students could succeed at NC State. One female student wrote, “A lot of people think they will not achieve and then don’t try…You have to stand up for what you want until you get it.” Another said, “no one can hold you back unless you let them.”[4]
Many of NC State’s black students struggled to succeed and felt isolated in the predominantly hierarchically white space of the university classroom. Many others used the classroom as a place to prove their talents and advance the civil rights cause. It is worth noting that as late as 1988, student leaders held meetings about low graduation rates among black students, lack of black faculty members, and discriminatory academic discipline.[5] In the 1960s and 1970s, the classroom was a battleground for black equality, and it was one of the last spaces to be won.
[1] Historical State, “African Americans, Timeline,” accessed October 25, 2014. http://historicalstate.lib.ncsu.edu/timelines/african-americans#d1960.
[2] Historical State, “African Americans, Timeline,” accessed October 25, 2014. http://historicalstate.lib.ncsu.edu/timelines/african-americans#d1960.
[3] Karen Archia, “Teacher Goes from Freshman to Doctor,” The Technician, Black History Special, date unknown. Folder 7, Box 2, UA 050.1.1 University Archives Reference Collection, North Carolina State University Special Collections, Raleigh, NC.
[4] Madelyn Rosenberg, “Students Go Against All Odds,” The Technician, Black History Special, date unknown. Folder 7, Box 2, UA 050.1.1 University Archives Reference Collection, North Carolina State University Special Collections, Raleigh, NC.
[5] Historical State, “African Americans, Timeline,” accessed October 25, 2014. http://historicalstate.lib.ncsu.edu/timelines/african-americans#d1960.