As we conclude Black History Month, it’s a great time to reflect on the incredible contributions that Black scholars, leaders, students and alumni have made within and beyond our University of Washington community. Their achievements and resilience offer a powerful lens through which we can understand and celebrate our shared history. The importance of expanding our knowledge and awareness of Black stories, achievements and legacies is not only about acknowledging one individual’s experience but in seeing a microcosm of the collective story of our nation. It’s an opportunity to recognize the ways in which Black history is our university’s, our community’s and our nation’s history.
Our UW alumni include celebrated leaders and icons like Seattle’s first Black mayor, Norman Rice, our current mayor, Bruce Harrell and NBA great Isaiah Thomas. But there are many more Black alumni, as well as faculty and staff, whose stories and achievements are fascinating, if not as well known. They include Hamilton Greene, a law student who was also the UW’s first Black football player. He competed in the 1924 Rose Bowl at time when only a handful of Black athletes were welcomed on integrated teams.
In 1936, Maxine Haynes enrolled in the UW intending to study nursing. At that time, fewer than two dozen Black students attended the UW, and she faced significant hurdles, including a rejection from the nursing school because of her race. But elsewhere in the University, she found encouragement and support, earning her bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1941. Incredibly, she returned to the UW School of Nursing as a faculty member decades later.
In 1960, Seattle native Charles Mitchell was recruited to the UW as a running back for the Huskies, playing in two Rose Bowls. At that time, the UW had no formal organizations for Black students, so his home became a de facto gathering space. The community that formed around him helped him succeed academically, and he went on to become the president of Seattle Central Community College and eventually the chancellor of the Seattle Community Colleges District.
Four years later, Robert Flennaugh became the first Black student to graduate from the UW School of Dentistry, a major achievement considering he himself had never even known a Black dentist. He went on to join the UW Dentistry faculty and later became the first Black member of the UW Board of Regents in the 1970s.
Across every discipline, the contributions of Black UW students and alumni are too numerous to list. In research, innovation, teaching and entrepreneurship, Black Huskies have been pivotal in expanding knowledge, improving their communities and serving the public. Their achievements are a reminder that diversity and access go hand in hand with progress and excellence in every facet of society, which is why Black History Month is as much about looking forward as reflecting on the past. It’s a time to consider how we can continue to build a world that values the contributions and voices of all people. At the University of Washington, we are committed to ensuring that our campuses are places where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and succeed and where the next generation of Black leaders will prepare for lives and careers of purpose and impact that will benefit us all.