Browse Items (12 total)

This is a draft of a generic rejection letter from the College of William & Mary to prospective African-American students. The letter cites “existing policy in the Commonwealth” as the premise for denying acceptance to applicants, and directs…

This is an application by Lawrence C. Bryant applying to teach education at the College of William and Mary in 1956. This application shows that Dr. Bryant was very accomplished, with ten years of teaching experience, six references, and several…

These pictures depict the difference between white and black education at the start of the 20th century. Although the educational standard was “separate but equal,” the building of the Black school lacked even basic resources compared to the…

These letters highlight the correspondence between Miriam J. Carter, a female African-American teacher, and faculty at William and Mary regarding her admission for graduate study. The entire exchange includes over 12 letters sent between June and…

“Indeed, the sense of history and tradition, which is so alive at the College, sometimes excludes black students, who comprise about 4 percent of the total student population.”

When black students were finally admitted to the College on a…

This 1963 enrollment report from the Stella Neiman papers (a Williamsburg City Council member and Williamsburg-James City County Schools Board member) showed the current and projected enrollment of white and black students from grades 1-12 in…

This is a letter authored by Garland Gray, a Virginia State Senator from the mid-20th century, and loyalist to the “Byrd political machine” that was crucial to the preservation of segregation throughout the state. He writes this on behalf of the…

This map shows the counties with desegregation in effect as of spring 1960. The states with the most counties integrated with actual black pupils in schools or non-discriminatory acceptance were Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma,…

This editorial from the Flat Hat (William & Mary student run newspaper) prompted the temporary suspension of the paper from publication, according to a 1985 publication called The Black Presence at William and Mary. Editor-in-chief Marilyn Kaemmerle…