    EXHIBIT
    WOMEN OF COLOR
PROFILES IN ACHIEVEMENT

EDIT THIS PER EXHIBIT ---In this exhibit you can explore the different phases of Solitude’s history. We begin during the period when this place was indigenous land, and go on to explore its history as a slave plantation in the nineteenth century.

CONFRONTING RACISM AND MAKING COMMUNITY ON CAMPUS

Being the only Black, Indigenous, or women of color in a group of white men can be daunting. BIWOC battle the threat of white supremacy as well as misogyny in their day-to-day lives. In the workplace or on campus, their intersectional identity made it so much more difficult than their male counterparts to gain the respect and credibility they deserve.
  
Being a BIWOC during much of the twentieth century in Blacksburg, Virginia could be especially isolating. This was a time when many of their white classmates believed that nonwhite populations were inherently inferior and actively supported white supremacy. This culture existed at Virginia Tech and was ingrained into its history as an institution.

"Cottonpicker" Mascot pictured with the Cotillion Club

"Cottonpicker" Mascot pictured in second row, third column

Screenshot from The Bugle 1968 - Cotillion Club

White students at VPI often took part in racial stereotyping and racist traditions at the expense of Black students. According to the 1968 VT Bugle, the Cotillion Club had a mascot of a black and brown dog named “Cottonpicker,” a term that refers to enslaved people who were forced to work in plantation fields harvesting cotton. Racist terms and traditions at VPI became points of contention between white and Black students. 

Black women dealt with Tech's student "traditions" head-on. Marguerite Harper (one of the first Black women to attend VT) recalls how she saw hatred expressed towards the Black community at football games: “The cheerleaders would come out on the field first with this huge rebel flag, and then the Highty Tighties would come out playing ‘Dixie.’ When they played ‘Dixie,’ it was expected that people would stand, as if it were the national anthem.” While the song, Dixie is offensive, Harper describes how the Black students were harassed if they silently protested by sitting through the song,  “I recall at a game I said, ‘There’s no way I’m standing for ‘Dixie. And I Remember someone punching me in the back at a football game and saying something to the effect about how I should stand. I looked at that person, and I said, ‘You best not put your hands on me again.’” While some white students directly threatened student protesters, there were also many indirect acts of aggression that displayed the opposition towards the Black community. Harper and other Black students received hate mail and demeaning telephone calls in response to their activism. 

On an often inhospitable campus, Black-centered organizations and physical spaces ensure a safe environment that promotes physical, mental, and spiritual well-being for students of color.

As Dr. Linda Turner stated in the Collegiate Times, it was important for Black community members to be there for each other:

 “We were like a family among ourselves on that campus. When we were down, we shared it with each other. When we were up, we shared it with each other. We came from segregated environments and Virginia Tech had been segregated, so we had to make our own way.”

St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall

In 1905, the St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall was built by local Black fraternal orders. Odd Fellows Hall was a place of refuge for the African American community in Blacksburg.  

This was the only place that the African American community could gather publicly, other than in segregated churches, until integration in the 1960s and 1970s. Since neighborhoods were still strictly separated by race, the Black community didn’t get to enjoy the many amenities that their white counterparts did. The building allowed them to enjoy recreational activities, weddings, dinners, Easter egg hunts, and many more that would serve as a safe space for Black women to grow and flourish.

The Cosmopolitan Club was one of the first organizations open to non-Black POCs. When it was first established in the 1920s, it included anyone that was from a state that was not Virginia. The club died down for reasons unknown, only to make a reappearance in 1947 as the club for anyone who identified as “foreign” or was interested in foreign cultures. At the time, Virginia tech increased enrollement of international students. After World War II, the Cosmopolitan Club's membership expanded to many different students including: Bulgaria, Germany, Puerto Rico, Poland, Iran, Russia, Syria, Guatemala, India, Southern Rhodesia, China, and Argentina. 

The Cosmopolitan Club reflected a sentiment among the broader white population across the United States: women of color were acceptable if they were from another country, or if they weren't Black. VPI was more willing to accept women of color that were "foreign" because of their lighter skin tone and because they weren't stigmatized by association with the formerly enslaved Black population. 

VPI was cautiously wading into a more tolerant future, trusting and accepting that international students and students of color were acceptable. Women of color (like Yvonne Rohran Tung) flourished because of the Cosmopolitan Club, and left the door open for other BIWOC to follow.

Cosmopolitan Club, 1950

ALICE - MLK Fund

Alice - Word Art

ALICE - Volume I, Issue I, Page 1

ALICE - "Black woman"

“Alice” is named after Alice in Wonderland and was described as a “free newspaper,” that was published (from 1968-1970) by students for students at VPI. Their aim was to broaden perspectives by challenging them with diversity and change, highlighting the struggles of people of color. It was a form of free discussion for issues related at VPI. 

There is one section entitled, “Black woman” on the very first issue, highlighting Black women's struggle for equality that was often relegated to the background. This section goes over the many intersectional struggles of Black women during that time: 

“The BLACK WOMAN is an example of incomparable courage and strength. She is a guiding light for a wronged and robbed people.” 

In another section, VPI is criticized for their lack of books about the African American community and history concerning civil rights. They then ask for funds to be donated in the late Dr. Martin Luther King’s name to buy more books concerning these topics to educate the students of future generations at VPI.

Since then, VPI has acquired more books in their libraries about Black equality and liberation. Thanks in part to those students, Virginia Tech has more diverse library collections today. 

There is always safety and strength in numbers, especially on a white-dominated campus in the South. During the 1960s, the Human Relations Council was an integrated group and a safe place for Black men and Black women. Their goal was to promote unity and tolerance across campus for Black minority students, the campus community, and the administration.

The  Black Organizations Council was founded in 1982, since there were nine established Black clubs on campus, with the intention to represent the Black community’s needs. After a significant increase in the Black population at Virginia Tech, the BOC proposed a Black Cultural Center in 1984. After years of deliberation and pushback from VT administration, the BCC was opened in 1991.