Wofford College (Spartanburg SC) was the very first private school in South Carolina to voluntarily open up its doors for black students May 12, 1964. However, with such a bold push for diversity, came a flood of letters sent to President Charles F. Marsh expressing strong opinions both in support and in retaliation to the decision to desegregate.
Through a hand-picked collection of letters, we aim to explore the sentiments of alumni, churchmen, faculty, donors, students and friends alike and peek into the ambiguity that followed the mixing of races in an academic institution.
Through a hand-picked collection of letters, we aim to explore the sentiments of alumni, churchmen, faculty, donors, students and friends alike and peek into the ambiguity that followed the mixing of races in an academic institution.
"That the Wofford College Board of Trustees go on record as endorsing the present statement of admission policy in the College Catalogue, with the assurance of the board of Trustees that said statement of admissions policy is applicable to all students who may apply, regardless of race or creed." |
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ORIGINAL RESOLUTION |
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May 19, 1964, President Charles F. Marsh distributed a resolution to Wofford Faculty, Administrative Staff and the Student Body concerning the new admissions policy change. In this announcement, Marsh uses the very same words that founder William M. Wightman wrote in his original statement upon opening the college back in 1854. Significantly, despite Wightman's reign occurring during the plight of (legal) slavery, nowhere in his message does he explicitly deny entry of blacks- but instead accredits himself to upholding "catholic liberty...broad and liberal views" and "open...doors...to any of the youth of [the] country who may apply."
Marsh's inclusion of these words, strategic or not, allow this exploration of Wofford's desegregation to range much farther than just a simple policy change, but a social change that Marsh himself advocated for specifically. |