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Document Type
Book
Department/Program
Africana Studies
Department
English
Publication Date
2019
Publisher
William & Mary
City
Williamsburg
Abstract
From its beginning, the success or failure of William & Mary relied on the labor of black people who worked tobacco fields in Virginia and Maryland. The history of African Americans at William & Mary is a rich, albeit complicated, history involving as it does the diverse cultures, personalities, attitudes, beliefs, and opinions that make up a heterogeneous group as a whole. It is integral to the traditional history of William & Mary, and building on the legacy of several scholars who have documented parts of the history of African Americans at William & Mary, I seek to fill in the gaps by providing a more comprehensive account of some of the challenges African Americans have faced but especially the contributions we have made and continue to make to this university. Using archival records, relevant scholarship, individual interviews, and personal experiences, I have pulled together the stories, and sometimes counter-stories, that help to portray a thorough representation of the roles African Americans have played in the development and growth of this institution. To a lesser degree, I address some of the issues and debates that continue to concern blacks in higher education at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) generally and William & Mary specifically.
ISBN
9781681842349
Publication Statement
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work in any form whatsoever without permission in writing from the publisher, except for brief passages in connection with a review. For information, please contact William & Mary.
Recommended Citation
McLendon, Jacquelyn Y.. "Building on the Legacy: African Americans at William & Mary: An Illustrated History of 50 Years and Beyond" (2019). Williamsburg: William & Mary.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/asbook/50
