Desegregation of Florida's Universities - Gainesville, FL
N 29° 39.069 W 082° 20.442
17R E 370236 N 3280882
An historical marker about the desegregation of Florida's universities is located at Bryan Hall at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.
Waymark Code: WMC6CD
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/31/2011
Views: 2
The historical marker reads:
The NAACP legal campaign to desegregate Florida's universities began in April 1949, when the University of Florida denied Virgil Hawkins and five other African-Americans admission to the university because the Florida Constitution prohibited integrated education. During nine years of litigation, all applicants except Hawkins withdrew from the law suit. On June 17, 1958, Hawkins withdrew his application from UF in exchange for a court order desegregating UF's graduate and professional schools. On September 15, 1958, UF peacefully desegregated through the admission of George Starke to the College of Law, previously located in Bryan Hall. In June 1962, law student W. George Allen became the first African-American to graduate from the University of Florida.
Detailed information about desegregation pioneer Virgil Hawkins is available on the University of Florida website (
visit link)