Will W. Alexander
Encyclopedia
Will W. Alexander was chief executive officer of the Commission on Interracial Cooperation
(CIC) as well as the first president of Dillard University
. Alexander originally had no desire to become a college president; he was deeply committed to the CIC. However, he was persuaded to become acting president "during the preliminary stages of its development", and served in 1935–36. In 1926 he was the first ever winner of the of the prestigious Gold medal for distinguished achievements in race relations of the Harmon Foundation awards
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Commission on Interracial Cooperation
The Commission on Interracial Cooperation was formed in the U.S. South in 1919 in the aftermath of violent race riots that occurred the previous year in several southern cities. The organization worked to oppose lynching, mob violence, and peonage and to educate white southerners concerning the...
(CIC) as well as the first president of Dillard University
Dillard University
Dillard University is a private, historically black liberal arts college in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 incorporating earlier institutions that went back to 1869, it is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church....
. Alexander originally had no desire to become a college president; he was deeply committed to the CIC. However, he was persuaded to become acting president "during the preliminary stages of its development", and served in 1935–36. In 1926 he was the first ever winner of the of the prestigious Gold medal for distinguished achievements in race relations of the Harmon Foundation awards
William E. Harmon Foundation award for distinguished achievement among Negroes
The William E. Harmon Foundation award for Distinguished Achievement among Negroes commonly referred to as the "Harmon award" or "Harmon foundation award", was a philanthropic and cultural award created in 1926 by William E. Harmon and administered by the Harmon Foundation...
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