Harding’s Black History
Over Homecoming weekend, it is popular for Harding University alumni to reminisce about the history of this school. They tell stories about classes, students, and teachers that can be funny. We also hear a lot of praise for the administration and leadership of the school over the years. There are other parts to the history of Harding, though, darker parts. I can’t really listen to unqualified praise for previous Harding administrations without thinking of these other stories. Perhaps none is more despicable than the administration’s pathetic moral leadership during the Civil Rights movement.
Bill Floyd was the Student President at Harding College in 1957. That year, some students asked him to get involved with a petition to demand that the school integrate and allow black applicants. Floyd agreed to help circulate a “statement of attitude,” showing the campus’ opinion on the issue. When the administration found out that the statement was going to be circulated, they tried to stop it. They met with Floyd and announced in chapel that they opposed its circulation. The student council met later that evening and decided to circulate it anyway. The statement contained the following:
“November 10, 1957. Attention members of the Board of Harding College: The following is a statement that was circulated on the Harding College campus: To the administration and Board of Trustees of Harding College:
A number of members of the Harding community are deeply concerned about the problem of racial discrimination. Believing that it is wrong for Christians to make among people distinctions which God has not made, they sincerely desire that Harding College make clear to the world that she firmly believes in the principles of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. To that end, the undersigned individuals wish to state that they are ready to accept as members of the Harding community all academically and morally qualified applicants, without regard to arbitrary distinctions such as color or social level; that they will treat such individuals with the consideration and dignity appropriate to human beings created in the image of God; and that they will at times face quietly, calmly, patiently, and sympathetically any social pressures intensified by this action…
Forty-nine faculty members signed, forty-two staff members and eight executive directors. There is a total of nine hundred and forty-six signatures affixed to the statement. There are nine hundred eighty-six regularly enrolled students in the college…”
The response from the administration cannot possibly be defended. President Benson rejected the statement along with the 946 signatures with the reason that “they didn’t understand what they were signing.” He went on in a public address to speak of how “God made some blue birds and some black birds and that they were not intended to mix.” Privately, another reason emerged: the administration feared integration because of the possible financial impact it would have on donations to the school. Several years later, after President Benson retired, the school integrated. Instead of leading the charge for racial and social reform, Harding was dragged kicking and screaming well behind the rest of the country. I have a few short responses to this story:
- This is not just history. There are still racial issues on this campus, even if they are not as overt as they were in the 60s, 50s, and before. De facto segregation occurs in many ways, and we have almost no minority professors or administrators.
- The administration and culture of leadership at Harding hasn’t changed much. Money still seems to be a driving factor for policy – far more so than what is right or academically beneficial. Administrators have been admitting this for years while trying to pretend that Harding stands for real values.
- The spirit of leadership among the faculty, student body, and student government seems to have changed quite a bit. It is hard to imagine any of our recent SA presidents having the guts to defy a direct request from the administration. It is equally hard to imagine almost all of the faculty and students going along with the defiance. The overall culture at the school has shifted to value conformity and loyalty much more than personal conviction for what is right.
Happy homecoming weekend! There may be some good stories to tell and have a good laugh at. But there are other aspects to the history of this institution that are shameful, and those stories should be told as well. Even more shameful is the decline in independence and increase in authoritarianism that has occurred at Harding. Perhaps the students can regain their spirit and even force some changes on an administration obsessed with placating wealthy alumni. I wonder what stories I would hear in a few decades if I returned to Harding for a homecoming, and I wonder how the school will change between now and then.
You’ll hear a story about a girl that challenged the Harding administration to allow homosexual students on campus.
excuse me, allow “open” homosexual students on campus.
Harding first integrated in the spring of 1994. Benson retired in the spring of 1995.
Sorry, 1964, 1965
I had heard conflicting things on that, and even though I read through all of the Bisons between 63-65, I never saw any stories about it (which I found interesting). It seems like it might have been front page news when that happened…
But in any case,
1964 is 7 years after the students’ almost universal statement; 7 years after the Little Rock Nine; and 10 years after Brown v Board of Education; etc. One year plus or minus does not really excuse anything in my opinion.
“after President Benson retired, the school integrated.”
Just helping you with the facts.
Thanks! Like I said, different people/sources have said different things, and I couldn’t find any written evidence.
When did you go to Harding, shannon?
Graduated in 1965, the last year Benson was president. Shared a cubicle in 64-65 in the Old Married’s with Walter Cunningham and his wife. Walter was one of the first three black students to enroll in the Spring of 64.
Incidentally, I coached the first integrated high school basketball team (McCrory) to play in White County. (1966 vs Harding Academy in the Rhodes).
If Harding ever allows open homosexuality on campus, I’ll donate as much money to them as I can afford to.
If you have this many problems with it, why are you here? You must have known that Harding was a very conservative school before you came.
And saying that, im not saying im a racist. Im most certainly not, and im glad its different now than almost 60 YEARS AGO. Its the past.
Can you change it? No.
Older people, as you know, get stuck in their ways now just as President Benson was just in his ways and that was that. End of story.
Just like the board now is of the older generation and theyre in their ways and mindsets. I know that, as do you, so i dont have problem with it whatsoever. Now, i may not be happy with everything, but i do love this school and what it tries to accomplish. I came expecting strong morals so it would be my own fault if i had a problem with it, not Hardings fault.
And the homosexuality issue. That is not right Becca. You’ll be one of the few donors to Harding if that occurs. I most certainly wont be a donor.
MW’s response was ridiculous. He obviously missed the point of the post, in my opinion.
And Becca, you’re not “right”. Stop advocating for the fags.
Also, there it is. The pathetic “why are you here” argument. Beautiful….
Michael,
As a non-openly gay male and recent graduate of Harding, I can only thank God that I was able to avoid people like yourself during my short time there. It was difficult enough as it is…
Um, I’m here because my mom works here and with the 75% discount plus all the federal aid I get for my mom getting paid crap I am able to come here for about $20 a semester. Not even kidding. Plus, a lot of my friends from high school are here or at close Universities, so I get to see them all on a regular basis. Also, I answered your question because you asked, but I’ve already gotten into this conversation with someone on another post and I don’t want to sound like a redundant bitch, so let’s just end it here, please.
Just sayin’.
gino–I never said I was “right”. I just expressed my opinion on the matter. If I go to hell for accepting gays, then so be it. At least I will have loved unconditionally which I’m pretty sure is the heart of the Bible.
Youre right K-N. Being gay isnt right, and you obviously know it. Otherwise you’d be open about it. But id do my best to ignore the gayness and accept the person. what do they say, “love the sinner but hate the sin?”
And about ‘me missing the point’, i may not directly talk back to the writer, or try and beat them with my response. Their article makes me think about a certain thing, and i type my response. Thats all it is. It may not be right on topic, which is fine by me, but i just speak my mind about what the article made me think.
Youre right K-N. Being gay isnt right, and you obviously know it. Otherwise you’d be open about it.
False.
I mean, that may be K-N’s case, I don’t know him, so I’m not going to speak for him, but I know gays who are perfectly comfortable and active in their sexuality but aren’t open about it due to the judgment they’d fear they’d have passed on them by others. There’s a lot more to coming out than just whether or not you think it’s right.
You can only be TOTALLY comfortable and active in their sexuality if youre ok talking about it. Its like christianity. You can be a christian, but if youre not 100% confident in your faith, its hard for you to admit it. But as soon as you become 100% in your faith, and know what you believe, you dont mind telling people and mind people criticizing you for it. Because you know what youre doing is ok, and being judged doesnt matter. That last bit, though, applies only to christianity.
I take it you don’t know may gays, Michael.
“May” is supposed to be “many.”
i dont. correct. i guess it must be hard to be one but still, its wrong.
“Youre right K-N. Being gay isnt right, and you obviously know it. Otherwise you’d be open about it. But id do my best to ignore the gayness and accept the person”
honestly, the last thing I need from a “christian” is for them to ignore my “gayness.” there isn’t much more that a christian could do to turn be further away from god. so, thanks for that. and now i’ll have another beer. goodnight.
Michael, the main thing that makes it hard is people like you.
Michael, do you really believe anyone is “100% in their faith”?
Jane, to your original comment that started down this gay path (descriptive, not pejorative) – I too think there is a parallel between civil rights and gay rights in broader society and also in churches.
It won’t happen anytime soon, but perhaps eventually. It won’t be our generation that accepts gay and lesbian students openly at places like Harding. It will be our generation, as the rich contributing alumni, holding the school back from acceptance for the next half century at least.
The most shocking thing about this whole situation – and the school in general – is how focused it is on money. They talk a lot about principles and academics, but in reality, both are utterly subservient to the financial needs of the school (rich alumni).
It truly is a shame that so many decisions at this university seemed to be made on a “call from donors” basis.
How about when the donors are flat wrong, the administration respond to them, “Well, we believe we are doing the right thing, and are sorry that you disagree.”
Look at the Heritage lobby and tell me that we are in as much of a pinch as we are led to believe.
OMG. I can’t walk through the Heritage without cringing.
1. No need for cussing. Just a personal preference…it is a little habit I am trying to eliminate.
2. Michael, I take it that is why you are so open about your Christianity when your across the pond in a pub?
3. Mr.Manes, I agree with you on the civil rights issue and the gay rights, does seem to be moving that way in a historical since.
4. Gino- Learn about the terms you use. Faggot-
fag·ot also fag·got (fāg’ət) Pronunciation Key
n.
A bundle of twigs, sticks, or branches bound together.
A bundle of pieces of iron or steel to be welded or hammered into bars.
tr.v. fag·ot·ed also fag·got·ed, fag·ot·ing also fag·got·ing, fag·ots also fag·gots
To bind into a fagot; bundle.
To decorate with fagoting.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Old Provençal, possibly from Vulgar Latin *facus, from Greek phakelos, bundle.]
In the middle ages homosexuals were considered to be no better than a bundle of sticks for burning. So what is the next rational thing people from the middle ages did? They burned homosexuals. The term is demeaning and vile in its very nature. So no I do not find it an acceptable term for another human being. Gino/ Michael I hope that one day someone that you love very much comes out to you. Maybe in that way you will have the human decency to love them regardless of the decisions they make, maybe you will not. God Help you, if you do not, and those that you hurt if you choose not to act compassionately.
David I would love to see your sources. I would like to see the petition that went around. I hope to find a few names.
I am glad this article was posted. We have to remember our past and learn from it. Hiding it will only increase pain, misunderstanding,and possible create an atmosphere that would let it happen again.
quick message for Wils. Im now talking to a guy that i met in the pub about christianity and how the big bang, which he believes in, doesnt really add up. But yeah, good comeback.
And the book of Genesis adds up brilliantly…
LOLOL, yes.
I take the whole 7 days to actually mean 7 periods of time rather than literal days. It really makes a lot of sense.
Michael Walker, how do you know that the big bang doesn’t add up?? If you believe God is all powerful, which I’m guessing you do, then why is the Big Bang not rational?? If you can show me somewhere Biblical where it says that the big bang didn’t happen I would enjoy that.
Also, about K-N you (as in Michael) are one of the reason’s that he isn’t open about it. Closed-minded people who have the “Christian” stereotype but don’t live it out, like you, are the reason that Christians are so disliked around the internationally and domestically. I’m glad I got out of the bubble.
WilS, I had heard whispers and rumors of this for a few years, but my primary source was an article “Why I Could Not be a Career Preacher” by William Floyd, which appears in the book Voices of Concern: Critical Studies in Church of Christism. It is at the HU library (286.6M576v), and I will return it there soon. It includes the full text of the attitude statement and the story of it written from Bill Floyd’s perspective, but it does not include the signatures.
There is a Bison story about it from November 14, 1957. I have it printed out from microfilm and I will scan it if I can get my scanner working, but it basically just includes the text of the statement.
I looked but did not find any further discussion of the issue between 1957 and 1965, even though the school integrated at some point in there. There may have been something that I missed, but I find it odd that it was not very obvious.
Ahhh, Voices of Concern. I found that in the HU library on accident way back in the day, as a freshman, and read nearly the whole thing in one sitting. It’s shocking and awesome that they allow that book to be there.
It is very concerning…
Actually, it is fascinating that many of the issues in the book are just as applicable today to the Christianist movement (as Kolby would call it).
Incidentally, if anoyone wanted to look at the source and just check it out, it seems you can access the entire book online at http://www.unity-in-diversity.org/Books/voc/
Cool! Thanks very much, Jenny!
This is a great piece; I would like to cross link it to my later as I too hope to address this topic on my campus; I think HU has come a long way; however, it must look to the future; bringing in black students should be a focus, but not its top goal; black teachers will have a great impact on the shaping of students’ minds; they will present lessons from a different lens that might in fact shape the plight of generations. I have less contact as a student with my peers compared to a teacher.
David, my mom read this and adored it. She now adores you.
Hi. I attended Harding for the 2002-2003 year. I was amazed at how much went on that this university is supossed to be against. I witnessed drug and alcohol abuse, and a lot of sexual behavior. Both hetero and homosexual. I know that these things happen in the’real world’ and you can’t live in a bubble forever, but when that is what you’re paying money to get away from and get a good education, it seems like a waste of time. I went to the dean and couselors about this and was basically told that they were aware that there were some problems but they couldn’t really do anything about it, basically unless they caught them.
I’m a white male who attended Harding from ’94-’98 and can attest, at least anecdotally, to the continuation of the previously stated racial and ethical misconduct of the university. As an institution which openly leverages Christianity to market itself, I found it reprehensible at the time, as I do now. I didn’t criticize from afar, either. For example, I personally met with Dr. Burks, in his office, to share with him an instance of sexual assault by a male RA. His words and response to me were shocking and indefensible. Harding was, in my experience, concerned people only to the point where it is financially advantageous. I wish Harding would issue a formal apology to African Americans for the wrongs that it committed. When I do something wrong, an apology is the first place I start. Oh…and it’s Biblical.
Did Burks defend the RA?
Just last weekend I spoke at the WINGS conference on the subject of Tolerance. I stressed the need for humility and the idea that we should recognize the dignity of every human being and treat them with respect, irregardless of “who” or “what” they are. One example I used was Abilene Christian’s Christ-like reception of Soulforce in 2006.
After the lesson, (which was well-received overall) an older lady came up to me and said, “You know what one lady in our church said about those homos?” “Those homos?” I thought. Didn’t I just spend 45 minutes talking about tolerance?
He didn’t directly defend the RA. He just totally side-stepped the fact I was talking about a sexual assault. He completely disengaged himself from the situation, saying I needed to be talking to someone else (NOT the police, btw) and that he didn’t need to hear any more. He all but told me not to let the door hit me on the way out. There was no interest, humanity or even a hint of sadness shown. He seemed irritated that I would bring it to him. It seemed like he was looking for a reason not to believe me, in fact. It was bizarre; not what I expected, actually. Looking back, it seems a lot like how the Catholic Church has been found to handle things of this nature. I don’t think Burks is a horrible person. I just think he was just running his business…errrr, “ministry”. I can get really confused between the two. Man, money really clouds judgment.
Whom did he encourage you to speak with? The esteemed Harding counseling office?
Your description of him sounds like a conservative coC Stepford wife. As long as the cleaning gets done, nothing else really matters.
Actually, yes! That’s EXACTLY what he said. He said that he was not a person to talk to about such things; that it was a job for the Harding counseling office. I guess he figured his ignorance of the situation absolved him of responsibility.