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Envisioning Black Colleges

A History of the United Negro College Fund

Marybeth Gasman
foreword by John R. Thelin

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The multifaceted story of the UNCF.

Winner of the 2008 Outstanding Publication Award given by the American Educational Research Association Division J.

Etched into America's consciousness is the United Negro College Fund's phrase "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." This book tells the story of the organization's efforts on behalf of black colleges against the backdrop of the cold war and the civil rights movement.

Founded during the post–World War II period as a successor to white philanthropic efforts, the UNCF nevertheless retained vestiges of outside control. In its early years, the...

The multifaceted story of the UNCF.

Winner of the 2008 Outstanding Publication Award given by the American Educational Research Association Division J.

Etched into America's consciousness is the United Negro College Fund's phrase "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." This book tells the story of the organization's efforts on behalf of black colleges against the backdrop of the cold war and the civil rights movement.

Founded during the post–World War II period as a successor to white philanthropic efforts, the UNCF nevertheless retained vestiges of outside control. In its early years, the organization was restrained in its critique of segregation and reluctant to lodge a challenge against institutional and cultural racism. Through cogent analysis of written and oral histories, archival documents, and the group's outreach and advertising campaigns, historian Marybeth Gasman examines the UNCF’s struggle to create an identity apart from white benefactors and to evolve into a vehicle for black empowerment.

The first history of the UNCF, Envisioning Black Colleges draws attention to the significance of black colleges in higher education and the role they played in Americans’ struggle for equality.

Reviews

Reviews

A vivid and comprehensive account of the history of the United Negro College Fund.

Reveals the multifaceted story of the organization's effort on behalf of black colleges.

So many issues are imbedded in the intersection of race and philanthropy, yet so few researchers have tried to probe them. Gasman is to be admired for being bold enough to examine the 'double consciousness' that existed for both Blacks and Whites in leading and supporting the UNCF.

A thoughtful, incisive history of the UNCF.

A solid basis for continued consideration of the intersections of race, philanthropy, and higher education.

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About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
5.5
x
8.5
Pages
288
ISBN
9781421425146
Illustration Description
26 halftones, 3 line drawings
Table of Contents

Foreword, by John R. Thelin
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Black Colleges and the Origins of the United Negro College Fund
2. Bringing the Millionaires on Board
3. Flirting with Social Equality
4. A Stigma

Foreword, by John R. Thelin
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Black Colleges and the Origins of the United Negro College Fund
2. Bringing the Millionaires on Board
3. Flirting with Social Equality
4. A Stigma of Inferiority
5. Responding to the Black Consciousness Movement
6. Speaking Out on Behalf of Black Colleges
7. "A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste"
Conclusion
Appendixes
A. Pittsburgh Courier Letter to Black College Presidents
B. Member Colleges, 1944 to Present
C. Executive Directors and Presidents, 1944 to Present
D. National Campaign Chairmen, 1944 to 1979
E. Archives and Oral History Collections
F. Oral History Interviews
Notes
Index

Author Bio
Marybeth Gasman
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Marybeth Gasman

Marybeth Gasman (PHILADELPHIA, PA)is the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair and a Distinguished University Professor at Rutgers University. She is the author of Doing the Right Thing: How Colleges and Universities Can Undo Systemic Racism in Faculty Hiring and the coauthor of Making Black Scientists: A Call to Action.
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