First African American Woman To Enroll At UNC-Chapel Hill Honored

Gwendolyn Harrison Smith applied and was accepted to Carolina in 1951 as a doctoral student in Spanish. She had already earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Spelman College, a master’s degree in Spanish from the University of California, and was a professor at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte. However, University officials did not realize she was Black when she applied and told her she would not be allowed to live in the dorm or register for classes at Carolina. After Smith filed a federal lawsuit, the University backed down and allowed her to enroll.

https://www.unc.edu/posts/2021/11/03/honoring-gwendolyn-harrison-smith/