The Office of Equal Employment Opportunity celebrated and reflected on the life of African-American novelist Ralph Waldo Ellison as part of the Black History Month series on Feb. 12.
Faculty and students assembled to watch an autobiography of the historical writer
They discussed the many achievements and struggles Ellison faced in a society that did not support African-Americans at the time.
According to the tribute Ellison was born March 1, 1914 in Oklahoma City, Okla. As a child, Ellison’s parents encouraged education and raised their children to the best of their ability.
After high school, Ellison won a scholarship to attend Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute where he studied music. In order to complete his final year at the institute, Ellison moved to New York City to earn money for his tuition.
Years later he was awarded New York City College’s Langston Hughes Medallion.