June 7, 1937: Edith Renfrow makes college history
Over her four years of study, Mrs. Renfrow Smith was the only Black student on campus, and her graduation was historic. On Monday, June 7, 1937, almost a century (91 years) after Grinnell College was founded, she became the 11th Black alumnus and the first Black alumna. Mrs. Renfrow Smith earned her bachelor's degree with a major in psychology and minors in economics and sociology.
To record and preserve Edith Renfrow’s groundbreaking accomplishment, her mother arranged for a local photographer to take a picture of her standing proudly in her regalia.
Professor Milton Wittler, who had employed Edith Renfrow as a secretary, penned an article for the August 1937 edition of The Crisis, the journal of the civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP]. The feature article included a photo of Edith Renfrow and Professor Wittler emphasized her perseverance:
“On commencement day this year at Grinnell College this girl, slight of figure and lithe of gait, received from President John Scholte Nollen the degree which marks the culmination of four hard years of struggle during which she earned her entire way through college, stood well above average in scholarship, and overcame a prejudice as common and widespread as our country itself.”