Black & White on Bluestone Hill: JMU’s Racial History in the Archives

Welcome to the digital home for materials from the JMU Special Collections exhibit, Black & White on Bluestone Hill: JMU’s Racial History in the Archives.

Curated by Austin Shifflett (English MA ‘18), this exhibit explores the complex and often fraught history of black and white race relations at JMU. From the school’s founding as the State Normal and Industrial School for (white) Women in 1908, to its integration in 1966, and to its official designation as James Madison University in 1977, “Bluestone Hill” has and continues to be a staging ground for the challenges of diversity and inclusion. Black & White on Bluestone Hill gathers together archival materials from JMU Special Collections that confront the painful racism of JMU’s past, as well as the efforts of black and white students, faculty, and administrators to make JMU a more inclusive place.

This project does not intend to be comprehensive; rather, it represents a beginning for a fuller narrative of JMU’s history.

The physical exhibit will be on display outside the Special Collections reading room in Carrier Library through the end of August 2018.

This WordPress site was created by Kirsten Mlodynia, Digital Project Specialist, and Kevin Hegg, Director of Digital Projects & Innovation Services. The text was written by Austin Shifflett.

Special thanks to Dr. Margaret Mulrooney, Professor of History and Associate Vice Provost for University Programs; Dr. Mollie Godfrey, Assistant Professor in English; Dr. Joanne Gabbin, professor of English and Founder and Executive Director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center; Lauren K. Alleyne, Assistant Director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center; and the Digital and Special Collections staff for their invaluable guidance with this project.