Parallel Paths, Divided Opportunities: Race, Religion, and Morality at Two Women's Colleges in Richmond, Virginia, 1914–32

In the 19th century, a shift in education occurred as women in the US started to attend college. Though controversial, women’s colleges began to open nationwide. Many women’s colleges were reserved for the daughters of wealthy white men, which begs the question: what were Black women’s experiences like in women’s colleges? My research compares two women’s colleges founded and operated in the capital of the Confederacy: Richmond, Virginia. Examining the differences in instruction and regulations at these two schools provides local insight into the racialization of education in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In 1883 and 1915 respectively, Hartshorn Memorial College (HMC) and Westhampton College (WC) opened their doors in Richmond. Both schools were Baptist, and their campuses were just miles apart from each other. However, the schools were race-based institutions (HMC for Black students and WC for White students), and the students rarely if ever interacted with each other—despite the President of WC, Dr. Frederic Boatwright, being on HMC’s Board of Trustees. My research investigates the role that race, religion, and the teaching of morality played at these colleges as both schools’ curricula emphasized chastity and purity.

Analyzing 34 course catalogs from 1914-1932 (18 from WC and 16 from HMC) reveals significant differences. HMC had a greater curricular emphasis on religion, more religious clubs, and stricter rules. WC offered a greater variety of courses and higher-level degrees than HMC. Successful alumnae from HMC became deans of women at different colleges, opened their own schools for Black women, and worked on different Boards of Education. WC alumnae had more varied career opportunities as doctors, authors, and lawyers. Crucially, Black women at HMC faced far greater social limitations on if or when they go on dates, whom they could call on the phone if they could ride in streetcars, and what packages they could receive in the mail.

HMC’s more rigid social restrictions reflect the racialized differences in how religion and “hygiene” were taught at each school. By exploring the Jezebel stereotype of promiscuity often imposed on Black women, I argue that rigid standards of sexual purity, outlined in ultra-specific rules and regulations, not only constrained but also empowered Black women who attended HMC. The women at HMC felt proud of their purity as they believed that it ensured that they would become successful and, most importantly, well-respected. Purity culture became a tool for Black women to fight against stereotypes and shatter the low expectations others had for them.

Visually, my poster will include photographs that I found in the two colleges’ institutional archives, including portraits and candid photos of the students at school. Among the most compelling photos are of the HMC and WC women’s basketball teams, which look strikingly similar; however, because of racial segregation, they never competed against each other. My poster will also display images of original course catalogs, a spreadsheet comparing the catalogs, newspaper clippings about HMC, and essays written by students at both institutions.