By Clara Belle Williams: The First Black Graduate From New Mexico University
Clara Belle Drisdale Williams was the first African-American graduate of New Mexico State University, and one of the first female African-American graduates from a University in the US.
Many of her professors refused to permit her entry into the classroom, forcing her to take notes from the corridor.
She was also barred from walking with her class to receive her diploma. In 1917, she married Jasper Williams.
Their three sons pursued careers as doctors, while Clara became an exceptional teacher, educating Black students during the day and teaching home economics to their parents, many of whom were formerly enslaved, by night.
In 1961, New Mexico State University honored Clara Williams by naming a street on its campus after her.
In 2005, the university renamed the English department building to Clara Bell Williams Hall in her honor.
In 1980, Williams was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Law degree by NMSU, along with an official apology for the discrimination she endured as a student.
She passed away at the age of 108.
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