Spartan Stories
Tales from the UNCG University Archives
civil rights
Mildred Barrington Poole (Class of 1921) and the first desegregated schools in the South
by Scott Hinshaw In 1951, Mildred Barrington Poole (Class of 1921), made a bold decision. Mrs. Poole became the first chief administrator and principal of the Fort Bragg school system in 1948. When she arrived, black and white servicemen’s children attended different schools, following the standard of “separate, but equal” established by the Supreme Court’s […]
Chronicling the Founding of the UNCG LGBT Student Organization (1971-1975)
by Stacey Krim Carolinian, Oct. 4. 1971 (p. 7) Although our University enjoys the benefits of a culture promoting equality and inclusivity, UNCG’s reputation for embracing diversity as an educational foundation was constructed over decades by student and staff advocacy. Among the more hidden stories of Civil Rights struggles at UNCG is that of the […]
The W.C. Informer: Read, Think, and Act!
by Erin Lawrimore “This is a personal letter to every Woman’s College student. The Informer has talked to you before about action: it isn’t enough to read and think. We must act. You have written you congressmen. You have spoken as a citizen. Here is your chance to get other citizens to act with you […]
“Gays Go Home” — The Strong Hall Protest of 1979
by Stacey Krim The LGBTQ community of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has contributed to the reputation for diversity and inclusivity earned by this university. Historically, this reputation was fought for and earned by very brave students, staff, and faculty. About a month after the first official meeting of the Gay Student Union […]
Claudette Graves Burroughs-White: Pioneer of Desegregation
by Kathelene McCarty Smith February is Black History Month. To celebrate, our Spartan Stories this month focus on remembering important people and events related to the history of African Americans and UNCG. Claudette Graves Burroughs-White, 1961 yearbook (p. 171) Claudette Graves Burroughs-White was a student at Woman’s College (now The University of North Carolina at […]
UNCG’s Black Power Forum of 1967
by Erin Lawrimore February is Black History Month. To celebrate, our Spartan Stories this month focus on remembering important people and events related to the history of African Americans and UNCG. Throughout the 1960s, Greensboro served as a key site for the civil rights movement. After the Sit Ins and protests of the early 1960s, […]
WC Students, Tate Street, and Desegregation in 1963
by Erin Lawrimore While the February 1960 sit-in at Greensboro’s F.W. Woolworth store downtown is well known, fewer people are knowledgeable about a second round of protests that escalated in Greensboro in the Spring of 1963. A number of Woman’s College (WC) students participated in the 1960 sit-ins, but the 1963 movement hit the students […]
Chronicling the Founding of the LGBT Student Organization (1971-1975)
by Stacey Krim Carolinian, Oct. 4, 1971 (p.7) Although our University enjoys the benefits of a culture promoting equality and inclusivity, UNCG’s reputation for embracing diversity as an educational foundation was constructed over decades by student and staff advocacy. Among the more hidden stories of Civil Rights struggles at UNCG is that of the formation […]
Black Power Forum of 1967
by Erin Lawrimore Throughout the 1960s, Greensboro served as a key site for the civil rights movement. After the Sit Ins and protests of the early 1960s, the middle of the decade saw the ideals of black self-determination and pride being spread throughout Greensboro and the nation. The term “Black Power” first entered the national […]