Browse Items (191 total)

This poem by a white student describes two "bums," one black and one white, who ultimately realize that, despite their differences and the oppressive attitudes of the white person towards the black person, each is the only friend that the other has.

This poem from the 1954 Messenger addresses a bumpy city bus that the narrator rides, urging it to pay attention to the people that ride it. This narrator speculates about the lives and personalities of some assumedly white riders before listing off…

This poem by a white student tells of the race dynamics of a public bus. It contrasts young students from St. Catherine's with black riders as the bus enters a poorer section of the city. The narrator claims that she is the only one who acknowledges…

In this poem, freshman J. Isaiah Bailey expresses his deep frustrations with being Black and attending the University of Richmond. He describes it as “being imprisoned with rich kids in a system.” He goes on to list numerous aspects about…

The narrator of this poem expresses his identity as part of a "colossal being" of black people, preferring the collective 'we' to the singular 'I.' He explores slavery as "the torture that was endured for years and still / Silently exists today"…

This collage features a photo of Dick Gregory in the top middle. Dick Gregory, a black comedian, author, actor, activist, and civil rights leader, came to speak on campus a second time as part of a lecture series in 1973. His speech in 1970 received…

In this document, found in the collection of F.W. Boatwrights correspondences, is a public apology given to the university community for the recent racist manner in which Mr. Russell Jones had been treated. When Mr. Jones had visited, on invitation,…

The photo in the middle (left) features two black men. The two black men seem like workers at the University of Richmond based on their outfits and tools. This photograph is just one of many snapshots that displayed Richmond College men's activities.…

This page is drawn from the sophomore class section of the 1920 yearbook and includes names, photos, and descriptions of the students who were part of the sophomore class. This page includes a photograph of Cheng Yeung Hui, the only sophomore Chinese…

The character that is drawn on the top-left corner of the "Senior-Her Book" is a representation of a black woman working as a maid. This drawing of the black woman is drawn in a "blackface" manner based on her facial features, which highlight the…