{"625761":{"#nid":"625761","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Diversity Symposium Explores Experiences of Georgia Tech\u0027s African American Trailblazers ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA capacity crowd of students, faculty, staff, and alumni gathered at the Global Learning Center Wednesday morning to explore Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s racial diversity journey. Others tuned in to watch a live stream of the 11th Annual Diversity Symposium.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EArchie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity, welcomed guests to \u0026ldquo;Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Racial Diversity Journey: Recognizing Our Past, Acknowledging Our Present, and Charting our Future.\u0026rdquo; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to look back at where Georgia Tech was and to think about where we can be,\u0026rdquo; said Ervin.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026#39;s often said that the current generation is the beneficiary of the sacrifices of previous generations,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;This is especially appropriate today, for we are indeed standing on the shoulders of giants \u0026mdash; strong men and women whose courage to act nearly six decades ago has altered the course of Georgia Tech forever.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETech\u0026rsquo;s new president, \u0026Aacute;ngel Cabrera, then addressed the gathering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What is clear to me is that things don\u0026rsquo;t just change. They don\u0026rsquo;t just happen. They may seem inevitable after they happen. But it actually takes courageous acts of people who call out injustice and who take personal risks,\u0026rdquo; Cabrera said. \u0026ldquo;What is inspiring to me is that when those courageous leaders take action and they show us the way, they help us see the world differently.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne panel, facilitated by Jacqueline Royster, professor and former dean in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, featured Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s first three African American students: Ford C. Greene, Ralph A. Long Jr., and Lawrence Williams, and Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s first African American graduate: Ronald L. Yancey, EE 1965. Royster began by asking the panelists, \u0026ldquo;Why did you choose to come to Tech, and what did you bring with you?\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;All of us had outstanding academic achievements as well as sports and the arts,\u0026quot; said Long, who graduated from what was then Henry McNeal Turner High School. \u0026quot;My objective was to dispel several myths \u0026mdash; number one, that black kids could not withstand the academic rigors of Georgia Tech.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter applying several times, the three young men were accepted and began classes in 1961. Yancey enrolled a year later. They didn\u0026#39;t socialize or study together, but they knew each other\u0026rsquo;s schedules\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash; just in case.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe men shared stories of feeling isolated and unwelcome at Tech. But there were some bright moments along the way.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGreene spoke about being the only African American in the band, which traveled to the University of Georgia for a competition. On the way back to Atlanta the bus stopped at a restaurant.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;They wouldn\u0026#39;t take my order,\u0026rdquo; Greene said. \u0026ldquo;I was told to go to a little window outside to be served \u0026lsquo;because we can\u0026rsquo;t serve you here.\u0026rsquo;\u0026quot; The band director ordered everyone back on the bus. \u0026quot;It made me feel like I had a bunch of brothers who really cared about me. That was the first time I felt like I belonged in the group.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen the panelists were asked how their parents felt about sending their sons off to an all-white university, Yancey recalled, \u0026ldquo;My mother was terrified, but she never said it. My father asked what I was thinking, but they were both happy to see me get away from demonstrating in downtown Atlanta, so they felt I might be a little safer at Georgia Tech.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESculptures Dedication \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe afternoon brought the unveiling of sculptures honoring Greene, Long, Williams, and Yancey.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We are honored that all of these sculptures are dedicated today in Harrison Square, as they will be constant reminders of the trailblazers\u0026#39; courage in the face of adversity,\u0026rdquo; said Ervin.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPresident Cabrera thanked his predecessors G.P. \u0026ldquo;Bud\u0026rdquo; Peterson and G. Wayne Clough, for their support of the \u003Cem\u003ETrailblazers\u003C\/em\u003E sculptures and the arts in general. He then thanked the honorees for sharing their stories\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Those four stories are of unassuming but incredibly effective leadership. Stories of courage. Stories of people who really knew the moment,\u0026rdquo; Cabrera said. \u0026ldquo;It is thanks to their work and their courage that this place is a global example of inclusion, and the place where more African American engineers graduate. You own that story, and we thank you for it.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERafael L. Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, the K. Harrison Brown Family Chair, and a champion of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/arts.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EArts@Tech\u003C\/a\u003E, said, \u0026ldquo;These pieces have much to teach us. The journey of these four men, the trailblazers, is a part of our history that must not be forgotten.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFrancis S. \u0026ldquo;Bo\u0026rdquo; Godbold, IE 1965, a classmate of the trailblazers, was inspired by their courage. He and his wife Betsy provided the philanthropic support to make the sculptures possible.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I wasn\u0026rsquo;t prepared for how emotional the last 24 hours were,\u0026rdquo; Godbold said. \u0026ldquo;When I was talking to Ron Yancey\u0026rsquo;s son Jason early this morning I felt myself tearing up. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t even talk.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen they were students, Godbold sat in front of Ford Greene because students were seated alphabetically.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;These four guys are why I\u0026rsquo;m here and why I did this,\u0026rdquo; Godbold said. \u0026ldquo;I want to salute their bravery. I have thought long and hard about this. Would I have been brave enough to do this? And my answer is no. I just don\u0026rsquo;t think I would have had the courage to do what they did. I really appreciate you.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EExplaining his hopes for the impact of the scuptures, he told the crowd, \u0026ldquo;I would like today\u0026rsquo;s students, next year\u0026rsquo;s students, Ralph\u0026rsquo;s grandson, my grandson, their children, and their grandchildren to look at them someday and say, \u0026lsquo;What? Schools were segregated? Why? That\u0026rsquo;s really stupid. And wrong.\u0026#39;\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGodbold added, \u0026quot;I hope they will accomplish that, and we\u0026rsquo;ll continue to move forward, not backward.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA standing-room only crowd gathered at the Global Learning Center for the 11th Annual Diversity Symposium. LMC Professor and former dean Jacqueline Royster moderated a key panel with Georgia Tech\u0026#39;s first\u0026nbsp; African American students and first African American to earn a degree here.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A standing-room only crowd gathered at the Global Learning Center for the 11th Annual Diversity Symposium. LMC Professor Jacqueline Royster moderated a key panel."}],"uid":"27167","created_gmt":"2019-09-06 17:21:25","changed_gmt":"2019-09-06 18:12:11","author":"Rebecca Keane","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-09-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-09-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"625654":{"id":"625654","type":"image","title":"Trailblazers","body":null,"created":"1567691552","gmt_created":"2019-09-05 13:52:32","changed":"1567691564","gmt_changed":"2019-09-05 13:52:44","alt":"Trailblazers","file":{"fid":"238185","name":"DSC_4146.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC_4146.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC_4146.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":390258,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/DSC_4146.jpg?itok=MQSpSIxD"}},"625656":{"id":"625656","type":"image","title":"Trailblazers unveil sculptures ","body":null,"created":"1567691694","gmt_created":"2019-09-05 13:54:54","changed":"1567691725","gmt_changed":"2019-09-05 13:55:25","alt":"Trailblazers unveil sculptures","file":{"fid":"238186","name":"DSC_4584.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC_4584.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC_4584.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":772923,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/DSC_4584.jpg?itok=0uMO91GM"}},"625725":{"id":"625725","type":"image","title":"Trailblazers sculptures","body":null,"created":"1567734343","gmt_created":"2019-09-06 01:45:43","changed":"1567734481","gmt_changed":"2019-09-06 01:48:01","alt":"Trailblazers sculpture","file":{"fid":"238218","name":"DSC_4761.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC_4761.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC_4761.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":523501,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/DSC_4761.jpg?itok=kHhpEgE-"}},"625727":{"id":"625727","type":"image","title":"President \u00c1ngel Cabrera at the Trailblazers sculpture dedication.","body":null,"created":"1567735242","gmt_created":"2019-09-06 02:00:42","changed":"1567735316","gmt_changed":"2019-09-06 02:01:56","alt":"President \u00c1ngel Cabrera","file":{"fid":"238220","name":"DSC_4559.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC_4559.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC_4559.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":714701,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/DSC_4559.jpg?itok=OcFS4hYi"}},"625726":{"id":"625726","type":"image","title":"Bo Godbold, classmate of the Trailblazers","body":null,"created":"1567734849","gmt_created":"2019-09-06 01:54:09","changed":"1567734870","gmt_changed":"2019-09-06 01:54:30","alt":"Bo Godbold ","file":{"fid":"238219","name":"DSC01216.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC01216.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC01216.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":249324,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/DSC01216.jpg?itok=EIDeiwSs"}}},"media_ids":["625654","625656","625725","625727","625726"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/features\/trailblazers-struggle-and-promise","title":"Trailblazers: The Struggle and The Promise"},{"url":"https:\/\/diversity.gatech.edu\/","title":"Institute Diversity"}],"groups":[],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"9171","name":"institute diversity"},{"id":"14997","name":"trailblazers"},{"id":"171274","name":"sculptures"},{"id":"68651","name":"harrison square"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EVictor Rogers\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["victor.rogers@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}