LAS CRUCES, N.M. –– A diverse crowd gathered at New Mexico State University’s Branson Library last week to dive into NMSU’s Black history archives, an opportunity made possible by the dedication of a former graduate student.
Lauretta King worked as an administrative assistant for Black Programs when inspiration sparked for a project. She noticed the amount of unaccounted-for documents while relocating the Black Programs offices from Garcia Center to Corbett Center Student Union. She decided to dedicate her master’s studies to archiving its history.
The history largely covered African American participation in athletics, but not much else, King realized.
When she started her work, only one small box of paperwork containing the history of Black Programs existed. After three years of collecting and sorting, the archives now have over 20 boxes covering nearly 60 years of history.
“This is not Black history, this is NMSU history,” King said.
The exhibit, “Launching of a Legacy: Black Programs and Community” has been on display since last June. Originally scheduled for 30 days, NMSU Library Archives & Special Collections extended it for nine months to ensure maximum exposure.
King mingled with visitors, providing insight and answering questions about the flyers, yearbooks, newspapers and handwritten notes around the room.
The documents dated back to the 1960s, a time of cultural change in the United States due to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
According to National Archives, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the act into law, allowing integration and prohibiting discrimination in public places, including universities.
“There’s always a story behind a story.”
– Lauretta King
“I know the challenges of coming from an impoverished public school system into an environment where you are expected to be college ready, and you are not,” King said, reflecting on her life in the ’60s. “How do you elevate or maintain your self-esteem while your worth [is] constantly being challenged?”
The NMSU Black studies program, established in 1971, aimed to answer that question.
Through the Black studies program, the small black student population was able to not only fight for visibility and acceptance, but curate events that celebrated their culture.
Although the transition was difficult, King admired the non-black students on campus who rallied to promote inclusivity as well as the university’s willingness to listen.
One surprising discovery she made was about Clara Belle Williams, the first black student to graduate from NMSU.
Williams, who studied at NMSU while segregation laws were still intact, was excluded from class and forced to study in the hallway.
“I learned through interviews with Williams that after she mentioned this unfortunate situation to the dean, she was admitted into the classroom,” King stated in a blog. “I was impressed with this because the law was clear, but the university accommodated her request.”
Years later, NMSU honored Williams and even named the old English building after her.
NMSU Archives took down King’s exhibit last week, but the faculty encourage students to view any of their collections upon request.
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