UF honors Black pioneers from past and present in celebrating 60 years of integration

Gershon Harrell, The Gainesville Sun
·3 min read

The University of Florida celebrated the 60th anniversary of undergraduate integration by recognizing seven Black pioneers who shattered racial barriers — along with paying homage to six pioneers from more recent years.

In 1962, seven Black students attended UF as part of the first integrated undergraduate class. They were honored last week at campus events marking 60 years of integration.

"You look back on 60 years, which really wasn't that long ago, but the University of Florida has made great strides ... I'm just extremely grateful to these folks," said Brian Danforth, assistant vice president of development and executive director of the Alumni Association.

Evelyn Mickle receives an award on behalf of her late husband, Judge Stephen P. Mickle Sr., for being one of the first seven Black students to integrate the University of Florida. Mickle was the first Black student to earn an undergraduate degree at UF and the second Black student to earn a law degree at UF. He later became the first Black federal judge in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Florida. He died in 2021 at the age of 76.

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Danforth said that nearly 24,000 Black students have graduated from UF and there are currently over 2,000 Black faculty and staff.

UF President Kent Fuchs said that no one at the university can forget the sacrifice and courage of the first seven Black undergraduate students.

"And I myself I am just so thankful on behalf of the entire university, for their resilience, their dedication and their all important legacy in paving the way for future future generations," Fuchs said.

UF's integration followed a legal battle after six African-American students were denied admission to the university in 1949. The lawsuit was filed by the NAACP.

In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Virgil Hawkins, the last man in the legal fight, was entitled to admission at UF, but he withdrew his admission in 1958. George H. Starke became the first Black student to attend the UF College of Law.

The move paved the way for seven Black undergraduate students to enroll at UF. The seven first undergraduate students that were recognized were Johncyna Williams-McRae, Alice Marie Davis, Rose Green, Jesse Dean, John Redic, Oliver Gordon and Judge Stephan P. Mickle.

Though not all of them graduated, they are still recognized for the adversity they had to endure.

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A historical marker for first Black students to attend and graduate from the University of Florida, on the UF campus in Gainesville.
A historical marker for first Black students to attend and graduate from the University of Florida, on the UF campus in Gainesville.

UF also received six firsts from more recent years at last week's event: Onye Ozuzu, the first female Black dean of the College of the Arts; Pauline Lawrence, the first Black person to have a building named in their honor; Trent Dwight Williams, the College of the Arts' first black faculty member to earn tenure; Hub Brown, the College of Journalism's first Black dean; Chimay Anumba, the College of Design, Construction and Planning's first Black dean; and Andra Johnson, first Black dean of UF/IFAS extension and director of Florida Cooperative Extension Service.

McRae, one of the first seven Black undergraduates, was only 17 years old when she arrived on UF's campus. It was a culture shock for her coming from the Black high school of Lincoln Memorial High School, in Manatee County, to a nearly all-white institution.

She said to be recognized is humbling.

"Because you never expect any kind of recognition. You just did what you had to do," McRae said.

McRae shared a room with another of the first seven, Rose Green. She said Green eventually transferred to a historically Black institution because she wanted because she wanted the college experience that she wasn't getting from UF.

But McRae said leaving wasn't an option for her, acknowledging that there were Black leaders who came before her who made sacrifices so she could attend UF.

"I'm proud of the fact that I came here," McRae said. "I completed what I started and I think I fulfilled the dream of Virgil Hawkins. A lot of people sacrificed and at 17, you don't know it. And I found later what sacrifices they made so I could stand here, and I don't ever want to forget that."

Gershon Harrell is an education reporter at The Gainesville Sun. He can be reached by phone at (352) 338-3166, by email at Gharrell@gannett.com or on Twitter at @GershonReports.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: UF marks 60 years of integration by honoring first Black undergrads