Wake Forest University's Afro-American Society was founded by Howard Stanback (1969) and Freeman Mark (1971) in 1969. The society was a self-help group for all black students on campus; it advocated for black studies and black faculty, and was active in celebrating African-American culture. It emerged as a presence on campus in the winter of 1970.
Despite slow response from the college, the Black Student Union continued to advocate for black faculty, and in 1974 faculty members Dr. Herman Eure and Dr. Dolly McPherson became the first black tenure-track professors. The Afro-American Society also worked to build positive relationships with other campus organizations. The Afro-American Society later became known as the Black Student Union, then the Black Student Alliance.
This collection contains information about author, poet, and professor Nikki Giovianni, who appeared at Black Awareness Week in 1978, from the American Program Bureau, a booklet about Black student life at Wake Forest, and an event program.
Student Organizations. Afro-American Society Records (RG8.21), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
This collection is open for use.
The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Related materials regarding the activities of the Afro-American Society can be found in the Intercultural Center Records (RG22.9), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives.