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2017 SESSION

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17104666D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 397 Offered February 13, 2017 Commemorating the 50th anniversary of African American students in residence at The College of William and Mary. ----------
Patrons-- Mason, Dance, Locke, Lucas, McClellan and Spruill; Delegates: Aird, Bagby, Bourne, Bulova, Carr, Cox, Hayes, Heretick, Herring, Hester, Hugo, James, Keam, Kilgore, Lindsey, McQuinn, Minchew, Mullin, Plum, Pogge, Price, Stolle, Torian, Tyler, Ward and Webert
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WHEREAS, the fall semester of 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the first African American students in residence at The College of William and Mary, marking its official and long-awaited desegregation in 1967; and

WHEREAS, Hulon Willis and Edward Augustus Travis (1951), Miriam Johnson Carter (1955), Oscar Houser Blayton (1963), Bernard Bailey (1964), and Carolyn Davis (1965), attended The College of William and Mary before 1967 but were not allowed to live in campus residences; and

WHEREAS, in the fall of 1967, three female African American students—Lynn Briley, Janet Brown, and Karen Ely—were admitted to the freshman class and, having been assigned housing together in Jefferson Hall, were able to take full advantage of campus facilities and offerings; and

WHEREAS, these students were the first African American students in residence and the first African American women to graduate from William and Mary, paving the way for thousands of other black students since 1967; and

WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary has since made a commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, explored the university’s past, and planned a year marking the important contributions of its African American students, faculty, staff, and alumni; and

WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary wishes to honor those early, courageous African American students who helped the university to move closer to achieving equality and inclusion; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of African American students in residence at The College of William and Mary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to The College of William and Mary as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for this important milestone.