By:  Amy Ensley, M.S., Wilson College

Wilson College did not become racially integrated until 1951 – long after the Seven Sisters colleges. Using materials from the Boyd Archives, this talk traces the efforts by black Presbyterian ministers, Wilson students and alumnae, and even James Farmer to draw attention to, and overcome the opposition of the administration.  This event is in conjunction with Women's History Month and is co-sponsored by the Hankey Center and Women's Studies.

Amy Ensley is Director of the Hankey Center at Wilson College. Her research focuses on the history of women’s education and how education influenced women’s roles in work and society. Her article “Wilson College Students and Their Fight for Civil Rights in Chambersburg 1960 - 1961” was recently published in the Journal of Franklin County History.