Legacy of Leadership
A Legacy of Leadership
It was more than two centuries after its founding in 1636 that Harvard College’s first Black graduate received a bachelor’s degree, and it was not until the 1960s that the presence of Black students at Harvard and Radcliffe increased significantly.
Yet early Black graduates lived lives of extraordinary impact. Despite an often inhospitable learning environment at Harvard and Radcliffe, they confronted and resisted marginalization, earned their educations, and, ultimately, reshaped the nation. Their leadership and resistance — their struggles and triumphs — are also part of Harvard’s story, and part of the legacy that today’s Harvard students inherit.
Volume 1:
At Harvard
While legacies of slavery continued to shape Harvard University life long after the Civil War and well into the 20th century, so too did Black resistance and Black excellence. Throughout the postbellum era and into the 20th century, Black students confronted and resisted marginalization, earning their educations and ultimately reshaping the University and the nation as scholars, activists, and leaders.
Richard T. Greener
Harvard College’s first Black graduate, Richard T. Greener, went on to become the first Black professor at the University of South Carolina and dean of the Howard University School of Law.
Clement G. Morgan
In 1893, Clement Garnett Morgan became the first Black student to graduate from both Harvard College and Harvard Law School.
W.E.B. Du Bois
W.E.B. Du Bois, the first Black person to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard, used his talent and intellect to pave a path toward racial uplift.
Carter G. Woodson
Carter G. Woodson, known as “The Father of Black History,” was the second Black person to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Charles Hamilton Houston
Known as “The Man Who Killed Jim Crow,” Charles Hamilton Houston was the first Black person to both serve on the Harvard Law Review and earn a Doctor of Juridical Science from Harvard Law School.
Ewart Guinier
Ewart G. Guinier was the founding chair of Harvard’s first Department of Afro-American Studies in 1969 — a bittersweet return to Harvard decades after he faced a dispiriting student experience from 1929 to 1931.
Volume 2:
At Radcliffe
The history of Radcliffe is, itself, a tale of resistance. It was founded in 1879 as the Society for the Collegiate Instruction of Women, or the “Harvard Annex,” to create opportunities for women then excluded from the University. Radcliffe stood out among its peers by consistently enrolling more Black women than other Seven Sisters colleges, but the women educated at Radcliffe College (and the Annex) overwhelmingly were white.
The relatively few Black students educated at Radcliffe welcomed the opportunity to be a part of a community of women scholars, but they also encountered discrimination. Yet many of these extraordinary women went on to play important roles in building a better and more equitable nation, particularly through roles as educators in Black communities across the country.
Alberta Virginia Scott
Alberta Virginia Scott created a quietly powerful legacy as the first Black woman to graduate from Radcliffe College.
Frances O. Grant
Frances O. Grant, the first Black woman elected to the Iota Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, graduated from Radcliffe College in 1917.
Eva Dykes
Eva Beatrice Dykes made history at Radcliffe College in 1921 as the first Black woman to complete the requirements for a Ph.D. in the United States.
Marita Bonner
Marita Bonner Occomy, an award-winning author and song writer who published under her maiden name Marita Bonner, graduated from Radcliffe College in 1922.
Caroline Bond Day
Caroline Bond Day earned her A.M. in anthropology in 1930, making her one of the first Black people to earn a graduate degree from Radcliffe College.
Volume 3:
The Jourdain Journey
The Jourdain Journey chronicles the history of three generations of a Black family’s experiences at Harvard University. Through the lens of the experiences of Edwin Jourdain Sr., Edwin Jourdain Jr., and Spencer Jourdain, this project illustrates how early Black alumni and affiliates of Harvard University became leaders in education, civil rights, and political activism. The Jourdain family’s legacy at Harvard, in New England, and throughout the nation reveals the importance of family and community bonds in the enduring pursuit for a more just and inclusive society.
Edwin B. Jourdain Sr. and his son Edwin B. Jourdain Jr. were among the earliest Black students to earn degrees from New England’s predominantly white universities.
Emmaline Hardwick’s journey began in rural Georgia at the beginning of the 20th century. The Hardwicks’ experiences moving from the South to the suburban Midwest highlight how regions determined access to resources and citizenship for Black Americans during the Jim Crow era.
As the first Black person elected to Evanston’s city council, Edwin Jr. dedicated his life to political organizing and civil rights advocacy.