Race relations: then and now

When 75 members of MSM's Cla ss of 1949 returned to campus last June to commemorate the 50th ann iversary of thei r graduation, no ethnic minorities or women were among them. The Cla ss of '49 was made up predominantly of white male veterans of World War II, who were getting their education through the G.I. Bill. At that time, minorities, particularly those of African American heritage, were denied access to MSM and all other public coll eges and l'el,·aTh-o-m -pson-Aa-gg-·s..Yo universities in Missouri. Missouri laws prohibited racial integration in the classroom. The laws provided for separate - and theoretically equal elementary, secondary and postsecondary educational opportuniti es for minorities, specifically for African Americans. As members of the MSM Cla ss of '49 entered the work force, social attitudes towa rd segregation were beginning to change. President Harry S. Truman 's integration of the Armed Forces in the 1940s changed our nation 's view of equality and justice. But progress towa rd integration on other fronts was slow in coming. In 1951, the U. S. Supreme Court's landmark .---T4:-:-=--r-...... Brown vs. the Topeka (Kan.) Board of Education decision accelerated raci al integration of Missouri's colleges and universities. On ly two African American males attended MSM prior to 1955, and both left th e campus without achieving their goal of becoming engineers. Leila Thompson, CE'60, the first femal e African American to study at MSM, broke the color barrier when she became the first African American to

L_ graduate from MSM.

Leila Thompson 's perseverence and success demonstrated to other African Americans that they too could succeed at MSM. However, the hindrances were many. Th e lack of on-campus housi ng required minority and international students to rent property from community landlord s. Unfortunately, most of the landlords who agreed to provide offcampus approved housing were not willing to rent their properties on a first-come, first-served basis. As a result, minority students were forced to accept substandard housing at premium rates. The situation became so severe that faculty, staff and friends of the international student population pooled resources to lease a residence at 8th and State streets as an "international house."

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Many townspeople were aware of the housing problems and other issues fac ing minorities. But because no one complained, nothing was done to correct these issues. That all began to change in 1963. That year, a white physics major experienced raci al disc ri mination on hi s way back from a summer job in the southwest. Very tan, thi s man was denied lodging by several Texas hotel clerks who assu med he was Native American. Back in Rolla, he and several professors established a com mittee on race relations. Thi s group eventuall y became the Rolla Advisory Committee on Race Rel ations.

By 1964, the number of African American students increased to about 1 perce nt of the student population. These students, all males, were scattered th roughout Rolla and had no representation in student government. To create unity and a voice for the black ca mpus community, 18 of these men fo rmed the Epsilon Psi Ch apter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. on April 27, 1965. Fraterni ty members' involvemen t resulted in a policy change at MSM-UMR that improved the off-ca mpus housing situation. The change required all landlords wh o wished to list th eir property with the university to sign an affidavit certifying they would not discri minate aga inst students because of race, color, religi on, creed, or nationa l ori gin.

Changes in the composition of athletic teams helped to educate both coaches and players about the ills of society, and as they strugg led with these issues, change was steadi ly occu rring on ca mpus.

The community created other obstacles for Africa n Americans. Barbers and beauticians refused to cut or treat their hair. Restau rants, motels and other businesses were off-li mits. Today, th ese impediments, vestiges of the old Jim Crow laws, have been removed. Th e perce pti on that minority students, particularly tho se of Africa n American heritage, were unabl e to compete with the white majority was also dispell ed. And the co lor barrier that inhibited interrac ial membership in fraternities dissipated.

Th e increasing numbers of females created a new set of problems. The few African American females on campus found housing in private dwellings. When one Africa n American parent sought residence in the dormitory for his daughter, he discovered that MSM-U MR did not provide dormitory accommodations for female students. This bothered him and he asked for the unive rsity's help in finding a dwe lling fo r his daughter that was near campus. Th e fath er was very dark-skinned, and upon his departure, the univers ity officia l who was given the assignment of loca ting appropriate accommodations contacted me fo r assista nce. I identified a potential landlord and wa ited for his call. After cla sses had begun and I had not been contacted, I called to inquire about the young lady's enrollment. The university official told me that she had indeed enrolled and did not encounter any problems wi th housing. I obta ined her

en an

telephone number and my wife and I invited her to dinner one Sunday afternoon. When I met the young lady, I realized why she didn't have a problem. She was as fair skinned as the university official, and upon seeing her he was able to secure accommodations near campus for her without a problem because no one inquired about her ethnicity or suspected that she was of African American heritage.

This young lady made life interesting. She openly dated both black and white students. Whenever her date's skin pigmentation was significantly different from hers, the campus police fe lt compelled to intervene. Thi s caused members of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity to petition Chance llor Merl Ba ker to stop this dispa rate treatment.

Although campus support for African American students was not as strong as desired, the population of blacks increased nearly threefold, from 1.3 percent to 3.6 percent, between 1978 to 1981, while the total minority population remained relatively constant (between 11.9 percent and 12.2 percent). Even whil e the minority student populations increased, the presence of nativeborn ethnic minorities in staff and faculty positions was almost nonexistent. A 1981 review by the Office of Civil Rig hts revealed that the campus' report to the U.S. Department of Education was inconsistent with the on-site campus demographic profile. In 1980, there were no African American faculty, and the onl y two African American professionals on staff were employed by the Minority Engineering Program. There has been some progre ss since then, but again it has been slow, as there were onl y fi ve African American faculty, only one of whom was native-born, and four native-born professional staff members in the workforce

ow By Lawrence C. (lcg@umr.edu) George

during the 1997-1998 academic year. Even though these numbers are minuscule, the campus climate has improved significantly.

Many of us remember Ralph Ellison 's novel The Invisible Man. This was truly the plight of ethnic minorities in campus life as depicted by Rollamo yearbooks and the MSM-UMR Alumnus. Sports was the exception. Prior to 1985, minorities were very seldom shown in non-sports-related activities in these publications. But improvements in race relations were very evident among students when Sharon Warren, an African American female, was crowned Homecoming Queen in 1976 as the Alpha Phi Alpha candidate. Another important but subtle change is the gradual eradication of racially offensive behavior by the St. Pat's Board since it has been reconstituted as the St. Pat's Committee. (One of the committee's goals is to make St. Pat's more inclusive .) Ethnic minorities, especially those of African American descent, have not fully bought into this new phenomenon but in' recent years there have been more ethnic minorities present at St. Pat's celebration. Also, two African Americans have been made Honorary Knights of St. Patrick in the 1990s.

Yes, change has occurred, and it is unlikely that those who remember MSM or UMR as it was during their days on campus wou ld recognize the more supportive and inclusive climate that now exists. If you wish to enjoy a positive experience in multicultura lism, please come back to campus and personally observe how supportive we are of one another.

Lawrence C. George is the assistant to the chancellor for Affirmative Action.

Photo by Bob Phelan/Photomasters

- • •

10 who changed the course of the century

By Lawrence O. Christensen (christen@umredu)

Defining the 10 most significant historymakers of the 20th century is a daunting task. One cou ld choose the 100 most influential people of the century and get a wide acceptance of the choices. But to choose only 10 requ ires a strong ego.

Because mine could be stronger, I solicited aid from colleagues in the department of history and political science. Only two members submitted lists to me, the rest apparently 10. MAO TSE-TUNG ruled the most populous nation on earth for more than 20 years and added a new dimension to the Cold War. He waged civi l war against Chiang Kai-Shek before establishing communist control of Ch ina in 1949. Much to the surprise of U.S. diplomats, Mao winning over the world. He continued to exert major influence through the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s before his death in 1976. 9. RACHEl CARSON wrote Silent Spring, which launched researcher expressed the horror about what human beings were doing to their environment. psychology, revolutionized the way people thought about every aspect of life. There is no telling where the sexual revolution he inaugurated will go next. 7. HENRY FORD changed the way people lived by making the automobile affordable and reliable. Thanks to him, the car became the organi zi ng principle for the growth of cities and believing that my ego was sufficiently strong to go it alone. Professors Jack B. Rid ley and Larry D. Gragg agreed with me on six people who shou ld be on the list. For th re e of us to designate the same six names is encouraging. Discussions with my wife, Maxine, colleague Dona ld B. Oster, Marcia J. Ridley, Patricia Oster, Lance Williams and others helped me clarify my selections, but none of these individuals should be criticized for my 10 people. My ego is sufficient to withstand all of the

............ "-.-..... sided with the Soviet Union during the 1950s, making it appear to many that communism was

the worldwide envi ronmental movement. This little-known

8. SIGMUND FREUD , the father of modern criticism. nations. The automobile revolution influenced national economies, dating patterns, and every other aspect of life even religion, as Ca lifornia created drive-in churches.

6. MOHANDAS GHANDI started the overthrow of colonialism. His civil disobedience movement won independence for Ind ia, influencing those who opposed colonia li sm acro ss the world. Ghandi directly influenced Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement in the United States.

5. PHYSICIST ALBERT EINSTEIN

deserves recogn ition for opening science in new directions. To quote my colleague Larry Gragg, "His general theory of the universe."

relativity changed the way we understand 4. As prime minister of Great Britain, WINSTON CHURCHILL provided the leadership that made it possible fo r

Photo Source' Churchill, Winston Great Oesllny Sixty Yeats of the Memorable E\1!1lls in /he tJfeo! (he Manal the CenluryRecoonred In I-#s Own Incomparable Wonts Edited by FW Heath New York, 1962 Geldetman. Carol W HentyFord The WiylVoJrdDJpilalist New York. 1981 Gellman, Irwin F SeaetAffalfS FriJllklm Roosevelt. Cordell Hull, andSurrtlef J.1Ielles Maryland. 1995. Jones, Ernest SlflmundFrevd New YOlk, 1961

Krishna Murthy. Mahatma GantIIr and Othet 1ofan)1:s of Incha MIS$Ollrl. 1948 Mao Tse-TlIOQ Selected Watts of Mao Tse-Tung New York., 1977 Peyson, lE:WIs The Young EInStein The AD\ten( of RelatMty England. 1985 Radlinskii. Edvard

Stalm The First In-deplh Biogra/ilybasedon &plosive New Documents from Russias Secret AirhM!S Translated by H T Willeas. Ooubleday, NewYort:.l996 Von Mallitz. Horst The EKllu/ion ofHlllet's GertTliJt7y New York., 1973

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MSM-UMR ALUM NUS ! lVirlier 1999