Academics

Indiana University’s first Black graduate was Marcellus Neal (A.B. mathematics, 1895); in 1919, Frances Elizabeth Marshall was the first Black woman graduate (A.B. English). Neal and Marshall are the first stars among a constellation of Black academic achievers that span more than a century. Despite sometimes less-than-favorable conditions, Black students earned an increasing number of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees from IU in the twentieth century (and now in the twenty-first). In 1895, IU’s one campus had one Black student. In 2001, its eight campuses had 6,553 African American students and an Office for Student Development and Diversity over-seeing many programs to increase under-represented student enrollment and retention.

Activism

Student movements have brought about great changes at Indiana University; causes often begin with a few motivated learners whose sincerity and energy persuade faculty, administrators, and colleagues to act. The history of Blacks at IU is a history of activism, marked by a few remarkable and prominent leaders, but often creating change as the result of unity among many students of color.

Athletics

The legacy of Blacks in IU athletics dates back to the late nineteenth century, when Preston Emmanuel Eagelson won varsity letters in two sports and, a few years later, the Colored Football Team was a successful and energetic force on campus. Over the decades, IU has authored many “firsts” in the Big Ten athletically. George Taliaferro, Walt Bellamy, Milt Campbell, Greg Bell, DeDee Nathan, Denise Jackson, Tina Parrott, Quacy Barnes, Steve Downing, Isiah Thomas, and Mike Davis are just a few of IU’s Black pioneers in athletics. They share their places in IU’s proud and storied history with many others, and the future can only hold more of the same.

Change Agents

They were the “firsts,” the people who were catalysts for change and social justice, whose pioneering spirits and bravery served as role models for generations of young Black people who came after them. They were the change agents, who took footballs and carried them past metaphorical goal posts as well as real ones, who broke the color barrier through their achievements, who refused to be held back by bigotry or racism, who succeeded despite the obstacles in their path.

Creative and Performing Arts

Black faculty, staff, students, and visiting artists have made significant contributions to Indiana University’s rich history and international reputation in music, theatre, dance, and fine arts. From Marian Anderson’s performances in the IU Auditorium in the ’40s, to the university’s first Black faculty member (Richard Johnson, School of Music) in the ’50s, to the recent
successes of IU students in national performing groups and such renowned institutions as the Metropolitan Opera, Black artists with connections to IU have blazed a trail of sound, image, movement, and character across the cultural landscape.

Student Life and Organizations

The compelling story of Black student life at IU is about protest and advancement, inclusion and segregation, fraternity and sorority, faith and action, and the support of comm-unity. Until the 1940s, when IU president Herman B Wells was the key agent for integrating housing and changing the cultural fabric of IU and the surrounding community, Black students lived separately from White students and weren’t served food on campus or in local restaurants. Bloomington’s Black community, particularly its churches, bridged these considerable gaps, opening their doors and kitchens to feed, house, and provide a support network for Black IU students. Students also formed Black fraternities, sororities, and other social and academic groups. After the ’40s, student life changed significantly—in 1946, the IU NAACP
campus chapter was formed, Thomas Atkins became IU’s first Black student body president in 1960, the Black Culture Center found a home on North Jordan Avenue in 1973, the African American Arts Institute was founded in 1974, a Vice President for Student Development and Diversity was appointed in 1998, and the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center opened in 2002.

The Black Experience at Indiana University:
Realizing the Dream 1816–2002

The Black Experience at Indiana University is an exhibit that celebrates the generations of brave students, community members, and IU faculty and staff who have worked to build the dream of educational equity and excellence at this university. The exhibit coincides with the dedication of the Marcellus Neal and Frances Marshall Black Culture Center on the Indiana University Bloomington campus and is designed to travel to other locations around the state.

African Americans began attending Indiana University as long ago at the 1870s, not many years after a prohibition on their right to an education was lifted from the state’s constitution. But it was only in the 1940s and 1950s that they were allowed to live in IU residence halls, swim in the campus pool, and eat at the Indiana Memorial Union on the Bloomington campus. In the late 1960s, the first physical embodiment of the dream, then known as “Black House,” was established, primarily due to the diligence of Dean for African American Affairs (later Vice Chancellor) Herman Hudson. Out of that first temporary facility grew the idea for a state-of-the-art culture center, and in 1981, the Neal-Marshall Center was first proposed. There were many ups and downs before it was approved by the state legislature, and during those years, the ensembles of the African American Arts Institute rose to national prominence, programs to recruit and retain African American students and faculty were devised and enhanced, and the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club was established. Today, the Neal-Marshall Center dream is a reality, and is home to the Black Culture Center, a library, the African American Arts Institute, and Diversity Education.

The Black Experience at Indiana University: Realizing the Dream 1816–2002 includes a timeline, illustrated with historical photos, that begins with the establishment of the Indiana Territory and its abolition of slavery and ends with the dedication of the Neal-Marshall Center, named for the first Black male and female graduates of IU (Marcellus Neal in 1895 and Frances Marshall in 1919). Additionally, six kiosks in the exhibit provide more detail about the “Black Experience” at IU, covering the following categories: Academics, Activism, Athletics, Change Agents, Creative and Performing Arts, and Student Life and Organizations.

The Black Experience at Indiana University: Realizing the Dream 1816–2002 is presented by the Indiana University Office of the Vice President for Student Development and Diversity.

Exhibit and brochure produced by the Indiana University Office of Publications.

Credits:
Research: Betty Bridgwaters
Exhibit Consultant: Dr. Joseph Russell
Photography research: Brad Cook
Writing: Erika Knudson and Mike Wilkerson
Design: Marcia Busch-Jones
Technical assistance: Barry Anderson and Owen Mundy

Special thanks to:
Gloria Gibson, Frank Motley, Vicki Roberts, Mark Giles, and the Indiana University Archives

For more information about the programs of the Office of Academic Support and Diversity, go to www.indiana.edu/~asd/