Farmer and Garms Say 'I Do' Photo by Garrett Garnu Chronicle Reporter Layla Farmer and Winston-Salem State University Photographer Garrett Garms tied the knot on Friday, April 20 during a private sunset ceremony on the banks of the Currituck Sound in Corolla, N.C. The couple will reside in Winston-Salem. ? WFU from page Al black students. "The vote was not unani mous, but it nonetheless made Wake Forest the first private Southern university to open its doors to black students," stated Provost Emeritus Dr. Edwin Wilson. "After '62, progress toward full integration was very slow, but step by step, the college became more sup portive of and more hos pitable to black students." On Friday, Wake Forest kicked-off a yearlong celebra tion of the history-making vote during a special gather ing at the Brymm Welcome Center dubbed "Faces of Courage: Celebrating SO Years of Integration." "As we look back this afternoon to 1962 and the years that followed, we must realize anew our debt to those few men and women of courage who challenged what they saw as an injustice," Wilson said. "It was a prel ude to the Wake Forest of today... We have become, I hope, in ways that could not have been imagined 50 years ago, an open university." Dr. Barbee Oakes, assis tant provost for Diversity and Inclusion and the event's organizer, said the decision to integrate has allowed count less students and faculty members from a wide array of backgrounds to come to know and love Wake Forest and to help enhance its lega cy. "Half of the audience today would likely not be here were it not for the courage and bravery of peo ple, many of whom did not look like us," said Oakes, who was recently recognized nationally for her efforts to promote diversity and inclu sion on the prestigious cam pus. "The impact of that decision is reflected in nearly every facet of the university today. Although it was con troversial and scrutinized at the time ... integration was absolutely necessary to fur ther the mission of Wake Forest." A lunch counter sit-in staged jointly by students at Wake Forest and Winston Salem State University in 1960 had given rise to calls for integration on the WFU campus. Trustees answered that call with mixed emo tions during their vote. Ed Reynolds, the school's first African American student, arrived on campus in the fall of 1962. "We stood up as a com munity in a room full of people who were primarily sitting down and said, 'This is a value that we hold and this is something that we want to do,"' declared Matthew Simari, a current student trustee. "...It was a victory for this entire com munity." WFU President Nathan Hatch, whose office co-spon sored the event, said Wake Forest continues to make strides in becoming more inclusive. He read a 1970 A SGA President Tri Easton quote from Reynolds - who came to Wake from another African nation, Ghana - stat ing that he believed Wake had improved its race relations since the time he was a stu dent. "Ed acknowledged the university had indeed come a long way, and the same could be said of more recent progress," said Hatch, who cited the addition of Muslim and Jewish chaplains and the establishment of the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Trans gender/Questioning (LGBTQ) Center on campus last summer among the school's more recent accom plishments. "Wake Forest is indeed forging ahead... No university is perfect, but Wake Forest is engaged in ? ?? J Sonia Kuguru Dr. Edwin Wilson the constant pursuit of bet terment." Dr. Herman Eure, a biol ogy professor, was among those who helped to change the face of the university. Eure, a member of the Matthew Simori school's Class of 1974. was the first African American to be conferred a WFU Ph.D. He became the school's first full-time black faculty mem ber later that year. Eure said the school's next frontier to conaier will likely surround isjflfcs7 ofxlass. f '4Tfte biggest" hurdle to total inclusion today has more to do with economics than it has to do with race," he said. "You have to provide the means ... for people to be able to come to a place like Wake Forest." Oakes said Faces of Courage celebrations will continue in the 2012-2013 school year, with a slate of programs designed to pro voke thought and encourage candid conversations among diverse groups. FOR SALE Office Building 3100 Square feet 1334 Patterson Avenue Winston-Salem, NC 27105 Call Richard Davis 760-4709 Need energy? Join Leadership Winston-Salem and GET ENERGIZED to serve the community. For 27 years, Leadership Winston-Salem has been educating, connecting and energizing leaders to serve and improve the community. Interested in learning more about this life-changing community leadership program? Visit www.leadershipws.org for more information or to apply for the 2012 13 class. Application deadline is June 13th. ^ LEADERSHIP WINSTON-SALEM Igniting Community Leadership J rhe Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest H. Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published every Ehursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co. Inc., S17 N. Liberty Street, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101. Periodicals postage paid at Winston-Salem, N.C. Annual sub scription price is $30.72. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Chronicle, P.O. Bo* 1636 Winston-Salem, NC 27102-1636 mm jjhi CLEMMONS World-class care when and where you need it. You and your family deserve the best, most advanced care available. 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