Browse Items (63 total)

After Reginald Stewart presented his report, the Board of Trustees discussed his statement on the acceptance of African-American students. They agreed with most of his proposals, but appointed a committee to decide whether to accept African-American…

In his report to be presented to the Peabody Board of Trustees at their June 1954 meeting, Reginald Stewart included this lengthy statement on the acceptance of African-American students to the Institute.

In a time of indecision and indifference towards changing discriminatory policies at the Peabody Preparatory, Reginald Stewart received this letter from Eugene D. Byrd, DDS on March 24, 1953. Byrd’s letter demands that Peabody stop their…

In January of 1954, Reginald Stewart mentioned the idea of opening a branch of the Conservatory at Douglass High School for African-American students. Peabody President William Marbury, Preparatory Dean Leah Thorpe, and Baltimore City School…

Paul A. Brent, the first African-American student to enroll at the Peabody Conservatory, graduated with a Teacher’s Certificate in Piano in the class of 1953. In this photo, he is second from the right on the back row.

The Peabody Conservatory student body submitted this 20-page document to the administration following the firing of a beloved faculty member, Madame Renée Longy. It includes many complaints and incidents that were contributing to a negative…

In May of 1951, Institute President William L. Marbury sent this letter to Conservatory Director Reginald Stewart addressing the issue of distrust of the administration in the student body.

In 1952, Conservatory Dean Virginia Carty received a letter from Walter E. Hager, President of Wilson Teachers College in Washington, D.C., as a follow up to a 1950 Regional Conference on Discrimination in College Administration. Hager asked for a…

In 1943, the Baltimore Adult Activities Council held a roundtable discussion at the Enoch Pratt Library, addressing the topic of racial prejudice and how to teach children in a way that would lead to better race relations.

In 1936, young pianist Ellis Larkins performed this recital at the Phipps Auditorium (likely at Johns Hopkins Hospital) for the benefit of the Peabody Institute. Larkins was used to raise funds for Peabody despite their refusal to accept him to the…