NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Being one of Vanderbilt University’s first female African American students was a mixed but ultimately rewarding experience for Dorothy Phillips.
“It was kind of lonely in a way,” said Phillips, who earned her chemistry degree in 1967 and today is director of strategic marketing for the Waters Corporation outside of Boston.
“It was an environment that was challenging academically and also in some of the attitudes I encountered. I learned about myself and what I can do against obstacles.”
Phillips will be among the alumnae honored at a 6 p.m. March 23 dinner at the Student Life Center on the Vanderbilt campus at 310 25th Ave. S. Several of the honorees will speak about their experiences of the early days of integration at Vanderbilt.
“When we talk about the history of blacks at Vanderbilt, we generally talk about the men, such as Perry Wallace and James Lawson,” said Frank Dobson, director of Vanderbilt’s Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. “It’s similar to the way history generally treats black women – rendering them invisible.”
“It’s time to hear the stories of these women and to honor their experiences.”
The dinner will mark only the second time Phillips – a Nashville native – has returned to campus.
“I finally came back to homecoming last year,” she said. “There’s a lot more road to be covered, but black students now have a voice. We didn’t have a voice back then.”
For information about attending the free dinner, telephone the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at (615) 322-2524.
Media contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu