Black History at Eastern

In celebration of Black History Month, Andrew Orioro and Rachel Weinberg, both student assistants with EWU’s University Relations team, recently delved into yearbooks and archival records to document Eastern’s steady march toward becoming a more equitable and diverse university.

Below are some of the important milestones in Black history that have shaped Eastern’s legacy:

1935: Marjorie Boyd (Wellington) became the first Black American to attend Eastern (then Cheney State Normal School), graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education. Denied the chance to work as a teacher because of her race, she was quoted saying, “I’m going to tell you there is going to be a day that there will be Black teachers in the state of Washington and city of Spokane…I’m just sorry you aren’t brave enough to give me a chance.” Today, Eastern’s Africana Studies program honors Marjorie Boyd Wellington with an award in her name.

1953: George Foster was EWU’s first Black football player. A standout multi-sport athlete, he earned the nickname “fleet-footed” as he became one of the Tri-Normal Conference’s most threatening breakaway runners.

1953: Fletcher Frazier was the first Black American basketball player for EWU.

1968: EWU’s Black Student Union was formed, led by student activists Jeff P. Guillory and Rudolph Martin Jr. Their demand for institutional equity led to the recruitment of Black faculty members and the integration of Black history into EWU’s curriculum. Their “Black America” seminar series became the foundation for today’s Africana Studies program.

1969: BSU students remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They led a horse-drawn casket procession to Showalter Hall to honor and remember King, just a year after his assassination. Around 500 people attended the procession, which stretched from the Student Union Building (now called the PUB) to Showalter Hall to commemorate MLK’s call for peace and justice.

1969: The Rev. Jesse Jackson visited Eastern’s campus as a guest speaker during the first ever “Black Week” in February 1969. The then-rising activist’s reception at Showalter Hall was full to capacity, according to The Easterner, which quoted an especially poignant moment from Jackson’s speech: “For some reason God has put us all here together, and we must live together as brothers or die together as fools.” Jackson received a standing ovation.

1971: Jerome Page was the first Black chairperson of EWU’s Board of Trustees. He was instrumental in implementing the name change of Eastern’s mascot name from “Savages” to “Eagles.”

1979: Eleanor Chase was the first Black woman to serve as chair of EWU’s Board of Trustees. The daughter of one of the first Black families to settle in Eastern Washington and the wife of former Spokane Mayor James Chase, her legacy is entwined with her family’s deep roots in the Pacific Northwest. (The Inlander published this story in honor of Eleanor Barrow Chase in 2023.)

1986: EWU joined the nation in celebrating its first Martin Luther King Jr. Day on campus. The milestone event was marked by campus-wide reflections on both King’s work and the university’s ongoing commitment to civil rights, activism and inclusivity. The EWU’s Spokane campus also hosted workshops that provided educators with resources about King and his teachings.

2001: The first Black fraternity was founded by EWU students Stacy King and Maki Jones. Their goal was to establish a space dedicated to Black male leadership that ran congruent with Black History Month, so as to better highlight and celebrate Black achievement. Their trailblazing effort paved the way for future multicultural and “Divine Nine” institutions at EWU.

2020: EWU alumnus Jay Day became Eastern’s first Black police chief. InsideEWU quoted Day after he was sworn in, saying, “I am excited and looking forward to leading our agency, as this is home for me and my family.”

2025: Dr. Lorenzo Smith became EWU’s first Black provost and vice president for academic affairs. Smith’s dedication to community-centered leadership and to enhancing the success of all students has positioned him to be an invaluable asset to future generations of Eagles.

**Story written by Rachel Weinberg.