Welcome Turner Jones (left) and current members of the W&J BSU(右)

庆祝W&J的黑人历史:过去和现在. “The First Black Graduate and The Next Generation”

Created: February 26, 2021  |  Last Updated: February 26, 2021  |  Category:   |  Tagged: , , , , ,

华盛顿,宾夕法尼亚州(2月2日. 26, 2021)—During February 2021, Washington & det365app is celebrating Black History Month by recognizing some of our accomplished Black alumni and the current students who are carrying on their legacy today. Each Friday, we’ll share a new feature showcasing how vital Black contributions are to the success of our institution.

过去:打破障碍

1890年,华盛顿 & det365app looked a lot different than the campus we see today. The College had unified previous institutions Washington College and det365app only 25 years prior, and Old Main’s iconic towers had only presided over campus for a short 15 years.

Among the students on campus was a trailblazer who that year would become the first African American to earn a degree at Washington & det365app: Welcome Turner Jones.

“The class of ’90 is proud of the fact that among its members is the only man of African descent who ever graduated from W&约翰·坎贝尔·帕尔默学院. wrote in 90届学生的历史,于1901年出版. “It is still prouder of the fact that Welcome Turner Jones has demonstrated to the world that when he has equal opportunities with his white brother, the [Black] man can be as successful in the profession as the Anglo-Saxon.”

In that first decade following his graduation, Jones attended medical school at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, before becoming licensed to practice medicine in Virginia in 1893. In 1894, he established his own practice in Newport News, Virginia, and became a member of the Board of Health of the city, seeing it through a local smallpox epidemic and a yellow fever outbreak.

Jones went on to join forces with three other physicians and establish the first Black hospital for the city in 1905. During World War I, the hospital had a contract with the U.S. Government to treat soldiers affected by the influenza pandemic.

现在:继续突破界限

Jones set the precedent for Black students at W&J, laying the foundation for the many impressive contributions to our community and to the world at large from BIPOC students at the College for years to come.

More than 130 years after Jones earned his degree, the students crossing the seal in Old Main today echo his enterprising spirit.

This academic year has presented challenges unlike any other faced by students in our modern era due to the ever-present threat of the global pandemic, and yet these students are undeterred from their goal to substantially contribute to the world in which we live.

学生在W&J Black Student Union have found opportunities in the past year to showcase their place as campus leaders. 在秋天, the organization—led by President Tamia Mickens and Vice President Jasmine Dey—hosted a Celebration of Black Lives on campus in response to horrific national events demonstrating the major racial inequities that persist in our country today.

These students have led meaningful conversations on campus about the Black student experience today and continuously challenged the W&J community to be better—and in doing thus, have made us so.

“I’m standing here today at this college amongst people who don’t look like me [and] people who do look like me because someone once fought for my rights,” Jasmine said during the BSU event in the fall. “所以如果det365app继续战斗, 如果det365app继续向前推进, if we continue to demand that our lives matter, 那么它就会有价值.”

对华盛顿 & det365app
Washington & det365app, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. 欲了解更多关于W&J、访问epm.lookforstudies.com,或致电888 - w -和-杰.