Desegregation of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Newspapers and Periodicals

Desegregation at UNC-Chapel Hill and the continuing struggle for civil rights at the University was covered extensively in newspapers across North Carolina and across the United States. Wilson Library has a large collection of North Carolina newspapers that can be accessed online and in the library's reading room.  The majority of newspapers housed in Wilson Library can be accessed on microfilm. This includes newspapers such as the Raleigh News & Observer and the Durham Herald and Sun papers. There are several additional ways to locate relevant newspaper articles. 

Newspapers.com: This is a subscription service available to users affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill and to patrons in the library buildings. The site contains digitized North Carolina newspapers and is full-text searchable. Most of the digitized newspaper issues date from the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century. Later issues can be accessed on microfilm. For those interested in University history, this site is particularly useful. Digitized editions of the UNC student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, are available from 1893 through 1992. 

DigitalNC: This site contains a wealth of useful resources from across North Carolina including community newspapers, student newspapers, and yearbooks. Black Ink, the newspaper of the Black Student Movement at UNC, is available here as are publications from HBCUs in North Carolina such as North Carolina Central University and St. Augustine's College. The UNC-Chapel Hill student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, is available on this site 1893-2008.

North Carolina People, Places, and Things Citation Search: This tool allows researchers to search citations for newspaper articles gathered by North Carolina Collection staff members. Bound volumes of clippings created by Wilson Library librarians many decades ago can be found in the North Carolina Collection Reading Room and are a great resource for finding information on people, places, and things in the state. Relevant clipping collections include North Carolina Biographical Clippings, North Carolina Subject Clippings, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Clippings.

The debate and the events surrounding desegregation at UNC- Chapel Hill have been discussed in both academic journals and more popular publications. Those listed below are just a few examples. Additional articles discussing desegregation at UNC-Chapel Hill and desegregation in American higher education can be located by using the library catalog or by searching databases such as JSTOR and America: History & Life. Campus-centered publications such as the Carolina Alumni Review, in publication since 1912, have also covered civil rights issues in Chapel Hill and copies can be found in the North Carolina Collection.

Burns, Augustus M.  "Graduate Education for Blacks in North Carolina, 1930-1951."  Journal of Southern History 46 no. 2 (May 1980), pp. 195-218.

Harris, Nelson H.   "Desegregation in North Carolina Institutions of Higher Learning."  The Journal of Negro Education 27 no. 3 (Summer 1958), 295-299.

Phillips, Cabell.  "Another Trial of Integration."  New York Times Magazine (March 4, 1956), pp. 14, 40, 42, 44, 46.  Discusses the experiences of African American students and campus reaction at UNC.  FCp378 UC2