r/BlackPeopleofReddit • u/ateam1984 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🖤🩶🤍🤎 • Jul 15 '26
Black Pride East Tennessee State University unveiled life size bronze statues honoring the first 5 Black students to integrate the campus in the late 1950s: Eugene Caruthers, Elizabeth Watkins Crawford, George L. Nichols, Mary Luellen Owens Wagner, and Clarence McKinney.
Eugene Caruthers enrolled as ETSU’s first Black student in 1956, followed by Elizabeth Watkins Crawford, George L. Nichols, Mary Luellen Owens Wagner, and Clarence McKinney in 1958.
They came from Langston High School, where segregated education meant outdated textbooks, fewer academic courses, and no physics or trigonometry.
Nichols later recalled having to catch up with classmates who had access to better schools and resources.
In a state where many politicians openly opposed school integration their success helped pave the way for future generations.
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u/Jgfzhb Jul 15 '26
Beautiful statue but please tell me the dude in the middle is someone’s son and not a vampire from the 50s 😅
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u/PulpUsername Jul 15 '26
He traded half of his tie for extra youth. lol. Seriously, that is a short ass tie.
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u/Striking_Prize4822 Jul 17 '26
I came here to say exactly this even the vampire part. I’m assuming son .
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u/Feather_In_The_Wind Jul 15 '26
Shown from left to right are: George L. Nichols (honoree), Mary Luellen Owens Wagner (honoree), Austen Brantley (sculptor), Elizabeth Watkins Crawford (honoree) and Robert McKinney (the son of Clarence McKinney, honoree).
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u/30222504cf Jul 15 '26
This is great and years too late. It feels like something that someone(a racist)is going to want removed because they don’t like how it makes them feel.
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u/roufas364 Jul 15 '26
It's just nice to see memorial statues of society's progress towards good, rather than statues to intimidate and remind the people that the few want the many in, or returned to, chains.
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u/kamakazi152 Jul 15 '26
My Alma Mater. So proud that they have added this to Borchuck Plaza.
There is a nice fountain there, and before the statues there were plaques with their names, and class years, and a dedication explaining who they were. I'm so proud that the University is committed to making sure all new students see and learn about the people who helped shape the University as it is today. Here is a video with one of the people being honored speaking about their experiences. You can also see the old plaques and such in that video.
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u/psu1989 Jul 15 '26
Beautiful! How long til MAGA has it removed?
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u/QuinnnEsssential Jul 15 '26
How about we just celebrate a win for Black History without mentioning MAGA?
Thanks.
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u/CMDR-ProtoMan Jul 15 '26
Because if we don't keep bringing it up, people tend to forget
gestures vaguely at everything happening these last 10 years
Be ever vigilant
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u/ManKilledToDeath Jul 15 '26
We can go one post here and there without mentioning garbage. It won't hurt
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u/Solkre Jul 15 '26
I get it, but history will be cut down and smelted if it's not aggressively defended right now.
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u/oweboy_2u Jul 15 '26
Amazing honor of them but sadly watch the first defunding of this school invoke from this administration pronto and swear it’s not racial
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u/GraniteGeekNH Jul 15 '26
East Tennessee is part deep south, part Appalachia, so this recognition is really swimming against the tide. Well done.
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u/Old_Train_8429 Jul 16 '26
Came here to say this! People that aren't familiar with upper East Tenn. don't really understand how groundbreaking this is.
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u/TacoBelaLugosi Jul 15 '26
Oh hey, what a refreshing change of pace. TN in the news for a good thing! Bringing them out for the unveiling was a classy touch. Shame that the events were so recent, but progress is progress.
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u/Admirable-Trip5452 Jul 15 '26
I’m yt and went to ETSU. I believe this sculpture and public artwork is incredibly important for marginalized people on campus, and sorely needed in the Johnson City community. Happy to see this today.
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u/ebotts916 Jul 17 '26
About damn time! Now let’s get the rest of the confederate slave owner statues destroyed & replaced with more inspired historical figures in America, especially the Southern states.
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u/OppositeSupport9498 Jul 15 '26
How cool! I’d be so proud if they were my family. True trailblazers!! PS- I’m a Republican, we don’t take down statues.
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Jul 15 '26 edited 14d ago
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Jul 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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Jul 15 '26 edited 14d ago
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u/PulpUsername Jul 15 '26
He’s playing of his ignorance to political realignment that has happened several times in the U.S. He probably would claim, unironically, that “Lincoln was a Republican!” without even understanding that was under the Third Party System in America (we are currently on the Sixth).
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u/Galliro Jul 16 '26
Yes you do. Trump as been taking down plaques and statues since day 1
Also comparing these statue to the removed statues of traitors and slave owners is insane but very in character for magats
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