The University Library is presenting the first in a series of exhibits highlighting diversity at Texas Tech. The exhibit, located in the Library’s Croslin Room and in celebration of the university’s charter centennial year, is titled “Education Has No Color – Celebrating Black History at Texas Tech University.” It is an all-encompassing display celebrating breakthroughs and highlighting Black history artifacts at the university. The exhibit’s title is derived from a quote regarding educator Lucille S. Graves’ success in breaking the university’s race barrier in 1961 after several failed attempts to enroll.
The exhibit will run through March 16. Items include historic photographs, student organization memorabilia and short biographies of distinguished Black Texas Tech alumni. The exhibit also includes a chronology of milestones including the various attempts to integrate the school, “first” and academic milestones achieved, protests over racial incidents, and steps made to improve the university environment for people of color.
In addition, the TTU Black History Timeline is an in-depth online chronology, and the Distinguished Black Red Raiders web page both will be online year-round providing expanded biographies, citations and additional resources found in the Southwest Collection/Special Collection Library’s University Archives.
The exhibit was designed with the intention of being updated each year it is on display. Three to five new biographies honoring distinguished TTU Black alumni will be added each year.
