TO THE EDITOR:
Congratulations on the fine coverage of the Campus Y’s 150th anniversary (Sept. 28). The Y deserves every accolade it receives.
The UNC YMCA was a leader in the movement for racial justice as early as 1929. That year, the first student interracial conference in the South, sponsored by the Southern Regional Student YMCAs, was held at Blue Ridge Conference Center. Our own Dr. Frank Graham was very much involved in that initiative.
In 1948, the first interracial, coeducational conference of Student YMCA’s and YWCA’s was held at Berea College. The Carolina Y was among a narrow majority of southern student Y’s which voted to hold the conference. Many college Y’s withdrew from the Southern Area Student Council of YMCAs, including N.C. State, in protest of that decision. I was privileged to be Carolina’s representative when that decision was made in 1947.
In those days it was difficult to accomplish much in the way of racial justice on campus, so we turned to the southern region to bring college students together, regardless of race or gender. Happily, UNC is now open to all those who want to get an education and are willing to work for it, and the gatherings we fought for 60 years ago or more are now unexceptional.
Sam Magill
President, ’49-’50
UNC YMCA
