Eric Williams Quotes (1911-1981)

“Swanson was not segregated in the classroom or at the events he attended. Professor Leslie Buckler, the director of the graduate program, had Swanson to his home for meetings, just as the adviser did with white students. Law Librarian Frances Farmer hosted a faculty tea in Swanson’s honor. Among the students, he developed several close friends. Not all of his peers were welcoming, though. Swanson once overheard a casual conversation between students in which one said, “We should get that n---er out of the law school.” Referencing the UVA Honor System, Swanson addressed the incident in a personal correspondence: “To pledge not to steal, lie, cheat, etc. and yet be permitted under the same pledge to say humiliating things about another student puts the Honor System in question.” Years later, in a Sept. 1, 1958, Washington Post interview about his experiences, Swanson would state he “fully participated in classroom discussions and used all campus facilities — cafeterias, libraries. I just picked my classroom seat at random as everyone else did. I attended concerts, lectures and football games but never attempted to attend any social events.” Swanson, while at Howard, had been deeply involved in Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest black fraternity. He complained about his exclusion from UVA fraternities to President Colgate Darden, who stayed in routine communication with Swanson during his studies. Darden responded that fraternities were outside of the University’s oversight, but that he considered them overrated.”