The first of which was the Black Ink, which was
created in 1969, after the chancellor recognized the
BSM as an official campus organization.
in 1963, Edwin Okoroma became the first
African-American athlete to represent UNC-CH.
Originally from Nigeria, this soccer player obtained
an A.B. in chemistry and continued on to graduate
from medical school. Almost eight years after this
feat, Mickey Hickerson became the first African
American to play on the baseball team. During this
same year, David Belton (captain) and Mary Rudd
became the first cheerleaders of color, and not until
1985 did the university have an African-American
volleyball player, Andrea Walls.
While these students were making athletic
strides, several other students were making political
strides. In 1972, Richard Epps (Wilmington) was
elected Student Body President. Another African
American named Marcus Williams succeeded Epps.
Two years later, Andromeda Monroe was selected
as the first African-American student Attorney
General. In 1976, Sheri Parks was the first
Richard tlpps (I.) atid Andromeda Monroe (r.) made student
government history at UNC’-CII in \'^11 and 1974, respectively.
African-Americn Homecoming queen, followed by
Cheryl King, Martha Kendrick, and Nina Ford.
Gordon Cureton served as the first African
American Speaker of the Campus Governing
Council from 1977 to 1978. Thirteen years after
Epps election, Patricia Wallace was the first
African-American female Student Body President.
W'hile the students were finding their places at
this predominantly white institution the faculty was
working on establishing its own. Hortense
McClinton was the first African-American profes
sor hired by the university; she taught in the school
of social work for 18 years. The BSM asked all the
African-American faculty members to boycott their
jobs until they were
given better working
conditions and pay.
This issue was not
resolved until almost
eleven months later on
March 20, 1969, when
the governor met with
three strike leaders and
gave into their
demands. Dr. Blyden
Jackson became the
first tenured professor Gordon Cureton also helped to
at any predominantly
.... . . , at UNC-CH.
white institution in the
Southeast when he was hired in the English depart
ment. Today Jackson Hall is named after Dr.
Jackson and Roberta Jackson, a professor from the
School of Education. Also in this year, students’
protests resulted in the development of an African
and Afro-American Studies curriculum. In 1972,
Edith M. Eliott was the first African-American
woman to be appointed as the director of the
Campus Y. All of the struggles for achievement
among the faculty culminated in UNC-CH having
the most endowed-chaired professorships, with 11
out of 74, of any American university in April of
1993.
One of the most arduous conflicts over the
past twenty-five years has been the struggle for the
freestanding Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural
Center. Dr. Stone was a professor at UNC-CH who
succeeded in a legal fight for tenure and who
worked endlessly for the rights of peers and stu
dents. In 1988 a temporary center was established
for the SHSBCC to operate and to raise funds for
programs and building. This past fall, the remain
ing amount of money was donated to build the free
standing center which will house classrooms, a the
ater, the Upward Bound program, the Institute of
African- American Research, and other programss.
Throughout its history, the African
Americans at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill have accomplished many achievements
in the face ot adversity. At the height of enrollment
and faculty presence, it is increasingly important
for knowledge of a complete history to be circulat
ed to everyone, especially African Americans.
II
Black Ink