The Winthrop University community commemorates the institution’s 50th anniversary of integration in October 2014 with a week-long schedule of events. The week’s theme, Fulfilling the Promise, allows the community to come together, remember, and reflect on the contributions of these brave women and the many other esteemed African Americans who helped pave the way for the access and diversity that today characterizes the Winthrop experience. Please join us for the activities. Members of the Rock Hill and surrounding community are welcome to attend.
Events scheduled for the week are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Events approved as cultural events are identified. 
4-6 p.m., Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, 700 Cherry Road
Sponsored by: Office of the President, Friends of Dacus Library, Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, and the 50th Anniversary Coordinating Committee
The integration of higher education in South Carolina was a long process that, for Winthrop, took 10 years after the Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka case in 1954. The Pettus Archives has gathered together original documents to illustrate the history of the time period. The exhibit includes original letters, minutes, photographs, oral history interviews, film clips and newspaper clippings relating to the integration of Winthrop in the summer of 1964 and the events leading up to it. The exhibit will be on display through the month of October.
7 p.m., Dina’s Place, DiGiorgio Campus Center
Sponsored by: John C. West Forum on Politics and Policy, Minor in African American Studies, DiGiorgio Student Union, Office of Diversity and Student Engagement, Winthrop University Galleries
In conjunction with the exhibition “Question Bridge: Black Males,” a “Blueprint Roundtable” will be held to facilitate multi-generational dialogue about leadership, mentorship, and critical social issues in the black community. Roundtable participants are: Timothy Hopkins ’83, ’85, ’00, Kambrell Garvin ’13, Saani Perry, Joshua Dantzler, Rudy Currence, Ron Nelson Jr., Willis Lewis and Morenga Hunt.
11 a.m. – 1 p.m., DiGiorgio Campus Center Lobby
Sponsored by: Louise Pettus Archives & Special Collections
The Pettus Archives will bring the history of integration at Winthrop to the DiGiorgio Campus Center with a condensed version of the larger exhibit on display in the Archives. Copies of photographs, letters, newspapers clippings and other documentation will give students a good idea of the events leading up to the integration of Winthrop in the summer of 1964.
Times & Locations Vary
Sponsored by: Resident Students’ Association
At 8 p.m. in the Wofford Classroom, Resident Students’ Association (RSA) invites students to the movie showing of 42. Released in 2013, 42 is a biographical sports film about Jackie Robinson’s integration into American Major League Baseball. Popcorn and snacks provided.
Additional movies highlighting stories of African Americans will play during the week on the Eagle Cinema. These include The Butler and Pride.
11 a.m. – Noon, Tuttle Dining Room, McBryde Hall
Sponsored by: Office of the President and the 50th Anniversary Coordinating Committee
Panel discussion featuring Cynthia Plair Roddey ’67 and Delores Johnson Hurt ’68, plus Ellen Owens and Dorothy Barber, African Americans hired as Winthrop staff in 1970. Moderated by Nathaniel Frederick of the mass communication faculty. Attendees should bring their own lunch; beverages and desserts will be provided.
9 p.m.-1 a.m., McBryde Hall
Sponsored by: Winthrop Alumni Association
Invitation only. Reservation required.
6:30 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. banquet, Richardson Ballroom, DiGiorgio Campus Center
Sponsored by: Office of the President and the Division of Institutional Advancement
Banquet highlights include recognition for a variety of important “firsts” in the integration effort, announcement of a new endowment benefitting minority students, and a short documentary to put this historic milestone into perspective.
$30 per person, $50 per couple; for tickets, call the Office of Development at 803/323-2150.
Entertainment provided by Plair.
3 p.m., Tillman Auditorium
Sponsored by: Office of the President and the 50th Anniversary Coordinating Committee
Winthrop’s oldest African American student group, founded in 1968, will hold a reunion concert of current and former members, followed by a reception.
11 a.m., Tuttle Dining Hall
Sponsored by: John C. West Forum on Politics and Policy
This discussion will feature Stephen Smith, professor of political science at Winthrop, and Roslyn Mickelson, professor of sociology at UNC-Charlotte. Dr. Mickelson will discuss what social science tells us about the benefits of integrated schooling and the harms of segregated education. Dr. Smith will follow up with information about desegregation and resegregation in North and South Carolina, particularly around the Charlotte area. Attendees should bring their own lunch; beverages and desserts will be provided.
Rutledge Building
Sponsored by: Winthrop Galleries
Question Bridge: Black Males is an innovative transmedia project that facilitates a dialogue between a critical mass of black men from diverse and contending backgrounds and creates a platform for them to represent and redefine black male identity in America.
Michaela Pilar Brown exhibit - Photography, sculpture, and installation focusing on cultural hierarchies relating to beauty and how race, gender, and history play into these caste systems.