On Thursday, May 8, the campus was buzzing with commencement celebrations and end-of-semester gatherings, but an intimate conversation in the Foust Building gave an honest glimpse at the ways UNC Greensboro has adapted to serve the needs of North Carolina students. 

UNCG’s Past and Present Convene at Foust 

Back in December 2024, a mural was installed in the Dean’s office suite at the College of Arts and Sciences featuring JoAnne Smart and Bettye Tillman, the first two African American students at UNCG, formerly known as the Woman’s College (WC). Their portraits share the painting with a current depiction of the Foust steps, crowded with students representing different backgrounds and fields of study and emblazoned with a quote from the late Fred Chappell: “Brighten the corner where you are.” 

When Joanne Smart Drane ‘60, the surviving alumna from the trailblazing duo, read a UNCG News story on the mural and the students who created it, she immediately reached out to the University with a request to meet them. This request led to a reception in her honor, which ended with a poignant conversation where artists Aminah Coppage ‘25, Jalani Maxwell ‘24, and Myles Wilder ‘25 were able to ask their famous predecessor the questions they pondered while creating the mural. 

Advice from a Trailblazer 

Aminah Coppage is the Studio Art major who is responsible for the portraits in the mural. She was the first to ask questions about Drane’s college experience and when she called her a “trailblazer” there was a gravity in her tone that underscored their connection. 

Coppage asked, “What advice would you give students like us as we embark on careers of our own?” and Drane’s advice led to memories of her own mindset when she applied to attend college at the all-white WC in 1956: 

Stick to your dream. You’re going to have some struggles, but don’t let those things deter you from what you really want to do, in your mind and in your heart. That’s the point of life and living. There’ll be times that you’ll think, ‘My goodness, how did I get here?’ and it’ll be a wonderful place to be.  

This is how I felt when I applied to this school. I did it on a whim. The Brown vs. Board of Education decision had been made, and we were told that any day now, our schools would be desegregated. Little did we know it would be years before the mandate was actually implemented. But in my innocence, I thought I could go to any school I wanted to. I saw glowing reports about Woman’s College (WC), but I didn’t know anyone who had ever been there. I read that it was a very strong school for women, and I wanted to be a strong woman, so I applied. 

I received a letter saying I must take a college entrance exam and if I met the academic requirements, I would be accepted. That’s where I met Bettye Tillman. She was from Wadesboro, North Carolina, but we both decided to take the test offered at North Carolina State University. As my husband says, we were the only two pieces of pepper in the salt, so it was easy to spot each other.  

At the first break in the test, we just gravitated to each other. We had lunch together that day, but we had no idea that we’d be the only Black students accepted to WC, or that we’d end up living together. Although we had similarities, we were also very different. She was almost 20 years old and was already married and had a child, but I was only 17 and felt so inexperienced compared to her. I wish she could be here to see this mural.  

We were assigned to Shaw dormitory the first year. Because ‘separate but equal’ was the rule, we had the entire first-floor wing of Shaw to ourselves with separate bathrooms. There were girls who didn’t want us to be here and made that known, but there were others who were interested in getting to know us and who would come over to our section of Shaw to talk and invite us to do things together. Life is that way. There are all kinds of people in the world and this was no different. 

The Wild Ride from Raleigh 

Myles Wilder, a Studio Art major who was anxious to meet Drane, was surprised to find out they grew up in the same neighborhood in Raleigh. He blushed when she called him “her homeboy,” but his question proved that he could put himself in her place all those years ago: “What did your family think when you were on your way to Greensboro from Raleigh by yourself to come to college?” 

I was an only child (and I must admit was very spoiled by my dad), so it was difficult for them to drop me off. I spoke to them almost daily from the pay phone in the hall.  

The support from my community was very strong but there were also people who didn’t understand why my parents would let me go. They asked questions like, “How are those people treating her?” or “What’s going on in Greensboro?” and I got all kinds of advice.  

“Questions from parents haven’t changed over time,” Drane laughed, before she went on to describe her arrival on campus: 

The car my dad drove at the time was as old as me. It was a Buick with one bench seat, but there was a lot of space behind the driver and passenger, so when the three of us went out together, we’d pull a chair from our kitchen for me to sit on. So, there I was sitting in the kitchen chair surrounded by everything I’d packed to go to school and a few blocks from campus, my dad’s car overheated. We were scared to stop for fear that it wouldn’t restart, so when we arrived, all this white smoke was billowing out from the hood of the car.  He parked right at the Foust steps to let my mom and I out so we could pay tuition and get registered. Fortunately, there were some men who worked in the building who helped my dad with the car, but I was so embarrassed. I certainly didn’t feel like a trailblazer! 

Witnessing Change 

Jalani Maxell ‘24 graduated with a double major in Art and African American and African Diaspora Studies about a month before he finished the mural. His focus was the architectural perspective of the Foust Building. Maxwell, who grew up in Greensboro, expressed his hope that the mural will inspire other students to know more about the African-American history that happened here. His question to Drane was simple: “What do you think of the University now?” 

It took me a long time to return to the University after my experience here. I did not have that same bond that many students feel when they graduate from college. I finally returned after 15 years when I was invited to speak at a Black alumni event, and I was pleasantly surprised by the transformation that had happened since I graduated.  

My bond with the university has grown through my service in alumni activities, including serving as vice president and on the Board of Trustees, which I never would have imagined as a freshman in Shaw. It has given me an opportunity to see the university grow. You can’t imagine my amazement when I learned that we had a Black chancellor. I was running through the house with Chancellor Gilliam’s picture, and my husband thought I had gone crazy. Coming from where I started at this university to now fills me with thanksgiving and pride to be associated with what I consider to be the greatest University in NC. 

Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Future 

This simple conversation was at once somber and hopeful, humorous and reverent, and altogether real, as it reminded all in attendance why this University continues to serve its mission of providing access to higher education. 

The young students relished the presence of their predecessor, and she was equally excited to get to know them. “It’s so special to have this chance to meet all three of you and hear about the hard work you put into this mural,” she told them. “Reading about your backgrounds just cheered my heart. I can’t tell you how much this mural means to me, and I know this is just the beginning of our paths together. Keep on keeping on and brighten the corner where you are.” 

Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications. 
Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications.