![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2022\/08\/steve-oneill.jpg\")
<\/a>Dr. Steve O’Neill<\/p><\/div>\n
On Jan. 29, 1965, Joseph Vaughn became Furman University’s first African-American undergraduate student.\u00a0 That date marked the turning point in a debate that divided the campus for more than a decade and changed the university’s culture forever.<\/p>\n
Furman history professor Steve O\u2019Neill will look back at Furman\u2019s efforts to desegregate its student body and the challenges the university faced when he speaks at the university\u2019s High Noon fall lecture series Wednesday, Nov. 5 at the Upcountry History Museum-Furman.<\/p>\n
His lecture\u2014\u201cWho Speaks for Furman: The Struggle over Desegregation, 1955-1965\u201d\u2014begins at noon.<\/p>\n
Furman is commemorating the 50th anniversary of desegregation at the university throughout the school year.\u00a0 Dr. O\u2019Neill will talk about how tensions over race at Furman mirrored divisions in South Carolina and the nation, but also how the battle over desegregation raised questions about power and free speech within the university.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Neill\u2019s talk is the seventh of eight consecutive lectures presented by Furman professors during the fall.\u00a0 All lectures are free and begin at noon on Wednesdays.<\/p>\n
The Upcountry History Museum\/Furman is located at 540 Buncombe Street in downtown Greenville\u2019s Heritage Green area.<\/p>\n