African Americans in Early Years

African Americans First Appear On Campus

• The first African American student was Andrew Hilyer, who graduated in 1882 in a class of 32 students. Prior to Hilyer, African Americans passed by as white students at the university. ¹
• Frank Wheaton (1894) First graduate of Law, became first African American legislator in state of Minnesota, notable figure in Harlem Renaissance ¹
• Scottie Primus Davis (1904) First African American woman to graduate ¹ 
• Robert "Bobby" Marshall (1907) First African American at University of Minnesota and most likely all of the Western Conference (Big Ten), nominated into College Football Hall of Fame in 1971 ¹  

How Were African American Students Treated?

It is reasonable to assume African Americans before Hilyer passed by as white in order to avoid the possibility of racial discrimination. However the idea that the University of Minnesota was a racist institution is not an accurate assessment during this time period.

It must be said that Adams was a white student, however there is evidance to support the statment

The University during this period would be much more open than in the 1920s and '30s. In the magazine African American Contributions to the University of Minnesota, David Taylor is quoted saying that the University of Minnesota in its early days "seems to have been open and accommodating [to African Americans]. Black people weren't assisted to any degree because of their race. But there is ample evidence to suggest that African Americans students were not denied applciation." ¹ The University presented African Americans with a fair chance at success.

Were Things Truly Equal

No, African Americans were not treated equally. Name calling was a common occurrence at the University. Take Robert "Bobby" Marshall for example, the star athlete was called a "lank-limbed child of sunny Ethiopia". ¹ While this behavior is by no means morally right, it is not the institutionalized racism that would occur in the 1930s. The early University of Minnesota, while not perfect, was a place where African Americans could go and thrive, as seen by Hilyer, Wheaton, Davis and others.