University of Houston is currently ranked the second most diverse university by the U.S. News & World.
Some people may hear that fact and conclude that Mizzou must be at the footstool of that list regarding the current incidents that are happenings.
I don’t know where or if Mizzou falls on that list, but I do know one thing for sure. UH didn’t become number two by crossing its fingers and hoping for change. UH became number two by forcing the change and making conscious efforts in increasing diversity.
There is a deeper history to this university that few are aware of and few care to seek out. UH was not formed with diversity as its forefront. Diversity was actually the opposite of what UH was when it was founded.
In 1927, Houston Independent School District formed two colleges with different names as we know it today. TSU was once Houston Colored Junior College, which hence the name was for black students. UH was once Houston Junior College, which was intended for students of any other race but black.
The two universities did not end up across the street from one another by accident. This is a classic “separate but equal” example. They only cared to uphold the Brown v. Board of Education case. In order for them to make a school for whites, they had to make one for blacks too.
At that point in history diversity meant everyone is allowed…but blacks. That didn’t stop the applications from blacks flowing into the UH admissions office. Just as easily as the applications flowed in, the rejections of admission flew right back out.
It wasn’t until 1962 when UH integrated and admitted Charles P. Rinehart, its first black student. UH President Philip G. Hoffman quietly integrated the school in order to avoid the publicity and issues that he knew would come along with it. This occurred in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement and race tensions were still high.
Although UH had integrated by this time, the athletics program still excluded blacks until 1964. Coach Guy V. Lewis, the head basketball coach, integrated basketball by recruiting Don Chaney and Elvin Hayes. Coach Bill Yeoman, the head football coach, integrated football by recruiting Warren McVea. Both coaches saw the athletes’ talent beyond their color and didn’t let the backlash stop them.
UH has honored both coaches in their own way. The basketball court at Hofheinz is named after Coach Guy V. Lewis. Just a few months ago a statue of Coach Bill Yeoman was unveiled at the Legends Plaza of TDECU Stadium.
Lynn Eusan is more than just the name of a park by Cougar Village. Lynn Eusan was a trailblazer for African-Americans at UH and a very involved student. She was UH’s first black homecoming queen in 1968. She was also in the marching band and was a charter member of the Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. at UH.
In addition to her campus involvements, Eusan also fought along with campus activists Gene Locke and Dwight Allen to combat segregation and racism at UH. One of her many accomplishments is organizing Afro-Americans for Black Liberation (AABL), which sponsored her winning homecoming campaign.
Knowing this history is imperative in building a strong diverse foundation here at the University of Houston. Student organizations such as NAACP, Collegiate 100, and Black Student Union made sure that in the midst of the incident in Mizzou, UH did its part to open discussion and stand by the university.
Just recently, the NAACP UH held a prayer circle in front of the library to unite students as they prayed for and supported the black students of Mizzou.
UH Collegiate 100 publicly voiced their stance on supporting Mizzou and joined with the other black organizations in their efforts.
Just yesterday, Black Student Union held “Town Hall: Unity @ UH” where African-American students, faculty and staff discussed the occurrences at Mizzou and the importance of black student activism on campus.
Although, the healthy dialogue that took place between the student and faculty in that room was beneficial, the question about UH truly being diverse still remained a conflicted issue.
The Programming Director for UH Collegiate 100, Debreka Young, feels that the campus environment doesn’t backup the proclaimed diversity of UH. “When I walk around the University of Houston campus you can see the different groups. When you say diverse that means we are supposed to be mixed in and unified, but that’s not necessarily the case. You see the Indians over here, the Asians over here, you see the black people over here. I don’t think that is necessarily diverse. I think that is still segregated.”
With some students feeling that the UH campus is not actually diverse, the next step is to call on administration to see how they can aid in reversing those feelings.
According to the Vice President of the Black Student Union, Brandon Williams, President Renu Khator did not wait for them to call on her for help. She reached out to the black organizations on campus to hold a meeting with her this Friday. “We didn’t call her. We didn’t really have the time to think about it before she initiated the meeting. She wants to find out what is going on with our community and how we can help and how she can help as an administrator. I am extremely happy and I am extremely proud of her” Williams said.
President Khator is a trailblazer that has overcome many obstacles. Khator is the UH System’s first female chancellor. She is UH’s first president that was born in another country. She is also the first Indian immigrant to lead a comprehensive research university in the nation.
As a female black college student, sometimes all we want is to be heard, and I am thankful that I attend a campus where people do listen.
The students at Mizzou just wanted to be heard.
Now the world is listening. Mizzou we hear you. Mizzou we stand with you.
Signed, #ConcernedStudents1962