Davidson College Janitors and Building Grounds Employees During Jim Crow
Following the Civil War and the destruction of slavery, Davidson College continued to rely on the labor of African Americans. While no longer enslaved, African American employees continued to perform many of the duties and roles as they had done on the antebellum campus. They now received wages.
During the Jim Crow era, African American men, women, and children worked on campus as janitors, building grounds workers, and laundresses. Initially called “servants” as had been used under slavery, all earned low wages in comparison to white campus employees. Some, like Enoch Donaldson, saw the transition in their official titles from servant to janitor. Some secured positions for other family members, spouses, and neighbors. As such, student publications and local newspapers occasionally published biographical sketches of these employees whose interactions shaped the entire campus community.
On the eve of desegregation, The Davidsonian and other local newspapers published a series of articles recognizing several men who worked on campus. Attached are some of the profiles collected and placed in a D-File. Students and I engage with this history in Southern Black Education History and other campus history courses.
Pdf scan of the File:black_jim_crow_employees.pdf
During the Jim Crow era, African American men, women, and children worked on campus as janitors, building grounds workers, and laundresses. Initially called “servants” as had been used under slavery, all earned low wages in comparison to white campus employees. Some, like Enoch Donaldson, saw the transition in their official titles from servant to janitor. Some secured positions for other family members, spouses, and neighbors. As such, student publications and local newspapers occasionally published biographical sketches of these employees whose interactions shaped the entire campus community.
On the eve of desegregation, The Davidsonian and other local newspapers published a series of articles recognizing several men who worked on campus. Attached are some of the profiles collected and placed in a D-File. Students and I engage with this history in Southern Black Education History and other campus history courses.
Pdf scan of the File:black_jim_crow_employees.pdf