Article 4: Blacks in Crimson and Blue: The Educational Experiences of Ex-Slaves at the University of Kansas from the 1870s-1920s

Langston Hughes, in his autobiography The Big Sea, described spending his Saturdays watching University of Kansas football games and stated that he “heard the students yelling Walk-Chalk, Jayhawk, KU!” and that he “felt bad” if Nebraska or Missouri beat his team (Hughes 1938, 15). Leaving aside the fact that the young Hughes misunderstood the University of Kansas cheer (it is actually Rock-Chalk, Jayhawk, KU!), the point is that Hughes, like so many other African Americans in Lawrence, Kansas, at the turn of the twentieth century, felt a connection to this university that opened its doors to them and, actually, Hughes’ own mother attended. Indeed, at a time when most other institutions of higher education in the country excluded ex-slaves from admission, the University of Kansas conferred degrees upon sixty African Americans by 1910 (African American Jayhawks). However, while the university did allow ex-slaves to matriculate, these students still experienced a degree of exclusion and encountered barriers of racial segregation on campus. Thus, it is noteworthy and impressive that they were able to navigate a system that suggested educational opportunity and advancement but that also limited their access to certain experiences. This article outlines the educational experiences of African American students at the university from the 1870s to the 1920s and includes a discussion on the racial and social tensions in Lawrence, Kansas, and at the university during the years under study, a view of campus life for African Americans, and profiles of several students. The questions become: What drew these students to the university and how and why did they stay? What institutional and/or community support systems (if any) were in place? What was daily life like for them at this integrated institution? How did they overcome racial barriers? What becomes evident is that these early Jayhawks endured tremendous challenges in the pursuit of academic excellence and, indeed, they believed they had a right to the very same educational experiences as their white counterparts.