University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 5-2013 "And So We Moved Quietly": Southern Methodist University and Desegregation, 1950-1970 Scott A. Cashion University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the African American Studies Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Cashion, Scott A., ""And So We Moved Quietly": Southern Methodist University and Desegregation, 1950-1970" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 739. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/739 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. “AND SO WE MOVED QUIETLY”: SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY AND DESEGREGATION, 1950-1970 “AND SO WE MOVED QUIETLY”: SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY AND DESEGREGATION, 1950-1970 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History By Scott Alan Cashion Hendrix College Bachelor of Arts in History, 2002 University of Arkansas Master of Arts in History, 2006 May 2013 University of Arkansas ABSTRACT Southern Methodist University was the first Methodist institution in the South to open its doors to African Americans in the early 1950s. There were several factors that contributed to SMU pushing for desegregation when it did. When SMU started the process of desegregation in the fall of 1950, two schools in the Southwest Conference had already admitted at least one black graduate student. University officials, namely then President Umphrey Lee, realized that because other schools had desegregated, it would not be long before SMU would have to do the same.