This website was created as part of the Inclusive History project’s “Howard Thurman, Blackness, and Vassar College” class. Its purpose is to document the history of Vassar through Black voices. I chose to compile and analyze articles from Black owned newspapers that relate to Vassar because I believe it is important to highlight the Black perspective when talking about the school’s history.
by Maya Winter ’26
The first African American owned newspaper, Freedom’s Journal, started printing in 1827. Many other Black presses started to publish papers during the next century. These publishers served as a way to advocate for freedom and equality. This website contains articles from these papers that are written about Vassar and its relationship with the Black community from the early to mid-20th century. In 1940, Vassar was the last of the Seven Sister Schools to accept Black students. However, Vassar invited Black Americans such as Howard Thurman to speak on campus before the school integrated. I believe that the Black perspective reveals a tremendous amount of information on Vassar’s treatment of non-white people throughout history. These articles give insight into a white institution through the Black gaze. It reveals that a small liberal art school was important to the Black community. By looking at Vassar through the Black press, we are offered a very race centered perspective. Even today, our college would benefit from a deeper understanding of how we operated in the past. The Black press gives an extremely focused and intimate account on how change related to race happened on this campus. I hope this website sheds some light on this history and can serve to educate our community.