Desegregating Duke

Fighting for Racial Justice

The origins of Duke are interlaced with slavery and segregation. Past presidents turned deaf ears to Black employees pleading for fair working conditions and students urging admission of “qualified Negroes.” After 125 years of segregation and 15 years of explicit administrators’ opposition, Duke graduate and professional schools admitted Black students in 1961. In 1963, undergraduate schools followed and Duke’s first African American professor arrived in 1966. Boycotts, sit-ins, and protests followed as students' fight for racial justice continued.

Portrait photo of Julian Abele

1920s - 1930s Julian Abele

Julian Abele, working under Horace Trumbauer, was the primary designer and architect for Duke's West Campus. Duke owes its iconic and symbolic buildings to him; among them are the Chapel and Cameron Indoor Stadium. As a black man, he was not able to enter the Chapel, a segregated building, and forced to include segregation in the blueprints for West Campus.

Construction of Duke Chapel in early 1930s

Excerpt opposing intergration from the Duke Chronicle

African American Duke staff seated separately at holiday party

1946 - Duke Chronicle Opposition to Integration & Segregated Duke Staff Holiday Party

In the midst of intense racial segregation in the United States, the staff at the Duke Chronicle published a piece vehemently opposing the idea of integration at Duke, and Duke itself hosted a segregated staff holiday party, in which Black staff and White staff were forced to be seated apart. These events demonstrate Duke's resistance to integration in the early 20th century, highlighting the profound significance of the progress made in the years that followed.

1948 - Divinity Students Petition to Desegregate

Divinity School students published a letter in The Response newsletter asking Duke's Board of Trustees to admit Black students. The appeal marked the beginning of the formal campaign a for desegregation at Duke, laying the foundation for broader student efforts toward racial equality on campus.

Signatures on Divinity School petition

1951 - First Inter-Racial Basketball Game

Inching towards integration, Duke hosted its first inter-racial basketball game against Temple University, featuring Samuel Sylvester, who was the black starter for Temple. Due to hosting inter-racial games being seen as controversial, when Temple traveled to Durham and attempted to stay at the Washington Duke, the hotel refused, which prompted protest from over 200 Duke students and Sylvester garnering a two-minute standing ovation for being the first black player to play in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke-Temple Basketball Game

1954 - Brown v. Board of Education

The 1954 decision of Brown v Board of Education marked the end of legalized racial segregation in public schools, and the following year, many southern state universities desegregated. Although this decision prompted schools across the country to desegregate, and was enforced loosely until a few years after its passing, Duke remain segregated. The Supreme Court's acknowledgment of the constitutionality of integration continued to prompt activism across the country for Black civil rights, which efforts led to the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the spirit of integration and activism at Duke.

Thurgood Marshall and members of NAACP legal defense team that led the Brown v. Board case

1958 - Duke Women's College Favor End to Segregation

The Women's College of Duke adopted a resolution to formally acknowledge their favor of the admittance of students “regardless of race” in all higher education institutions, but specifically at Duke. Although later than the Divinity School petitions, the growing sentiment and favor of integrating and desegregating Duke continued to expand.

Excerpt from the Duke Chronicle announcing Duke Women's College favoring the end to segregation

Excerpt from the Duke Chronicle announcing Duke's Graduate School's desegregation

1961 & 1962 - Duke Graduate and Undergraduate School Desegregates

In 1961 and 1962, Duke University resolved to evaluate all applicants for both its undergraduate and graduate programs without regard to race, creed, or national origin. The quote highlighted in front page feature of the Duke Chronicle reflects the university's decision to integrate this principle of equality into its admissions process, marking a significant step toward inclusivity.

1963 - First Black Undergraduates

In 1963, Mary Mitchell Harris, Gene Kendall, Cassandra Smith Rush, Nathaniel White, and Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke, known as "The First Five," became the first African Americans to integrate Duke University's undergraduate program, breaking the school's racial barriers. Despite Duke being the one of the last schools in the south to desegregate and encountering a faculty and administration that lacked people of color, they all went to become leaders in the fields and helped shaped Duke's core values of diversity and inclusion.

Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke, Mary Mitchell Harris, and Nathaniel White, Jr.

Duke students listening outside Page Auditorium to Martin Luther King Jr.

1964 - Martin Luther King Speaks at Page Auditorium

Following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Lydon B. Johnson's presidential victory, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in Page Auditorium. In his speech, he urged students and people alike to continue to fight for civil rights and equality, despite the passing of the Civil Rights Act, and emphasized the power of faith in the ongoing fight for racial justice. His words left a profound impact on those in attendance and around Duke, inspiring the spirit of activism that later fueled the Silent Vigil, held in response to his assassination.

1967 - Allen Building Study-In

Just fifteen months before the 1969 Allen Building Takeover, a group of about thirty African American students organized a study-in in front of President Knight's office, protesting the use of segregated facilities by Duke organizations and President Knight's involvement in an all-white country club. Although smaller in scale compared to the 1969 Allen Building Takeover, their advocacy brought about the adoption of anti-segregation policy, which banned the use of segregated facilties.

Students protesting in front of President Knight's office

1968 - Silent Vigil

Following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Duke students organized the Silent Vigil to honor his legacy and advocate for social and labor justice. The peaceful protest called on President Knight to formally acknowledge Dr. King's death, endorse a minimum wage for university employees, and support collective bargaining rights for workers. The vigil expanded into a broader boycott of classes and campus facilities, reflecting solidarity with Duke’s workers and highlighting the predominantly white student body’s recognition of the ongoing struggle for racial equality and social justice.

Front page of a special edition from the Duke Chronicle featuring the Silent Vigil

Front Page of the Radish

1969 - The Radish

From a special edition of The Radish Newspaper, the editors announced a student strike in reaction to Duke’s response to the Allen Building takeover and failure to recognize the African American student’s demands. The 1969 Allen Building Takeover started once as a peaceful occupation by Black students demanding the inclusion of an African-American studies department, a black student union, protection from police harassment, and further financial support for black students, until tensions escalated and the student protestors denied an ultimatum from Duke administration to leave, which caused police to use tear gas on a crowd outside.

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Sasha Faison, Tyler Rogers, Ava Bachman, and Jayden Pierrette researched racial segregation at Duke and created this portion of the online and in-person gallery exhibit.

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