Description
- Abstract:
- In this interview, recorded in 1982, Rosa Minkins, class of 1920, and Beatrice Minkins, class of 1936, share their memories of being some of the earliest Black women students at Brown University. Rosa and Beatrice Minkins recall a childhood largely insulated from overt racial awareness. They emphasize that they grew up in a white, middle-class neighborhood in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where the Black population was less than one percent and where they never felt different from their peers. They highlight the foundational role of their parents, particularly their father, John Carter Minkins, a prominent newspaper editor who prioritized providing a premium education for his daughters. Both sisters describe navigating a campus environment where they were frequently the only Black students in their respective classes. Rosa Minkins reflects deeply on her time at the university, highlighting her enthusiastic participation in the athletic program, including basketball, tennis, bowling, and gymnastics. Despite her love for college life, she recounts two jarring encounters with racial bias. First, she discusses receiving an unfair "D" grade in Latin from Dean Lyda Shaw King, who justified the mark by claiming Minkins wrote too much on her exams. Second, she recalls the emotional sting of receiving a note barring her from attending her junior prom. This incident prompted her father to publish articles exposing the university's discrimination, which caused a stir on campus among the students and the board of trustees. Minkins’ white classmates supported her and ultimately the administration reversed its decision. Beatrice Minkins contrasts her own college experience with Rosa's, noting that she entered during the Great Depression in 1932 and felt highly accepted by her peers. Beatrice recounts her own vibrant campus life as a language major and a successful athlete who captained multiple class sports teams. She also reflects on the limited social interactions between women and men on campus, explaining that much of her social life revolved around her local church. Beatrice details the lingering bitterness of their other sister, Carolyn, who faced institutional slights, such as being the only senior denied an incoming freshman "sister" and being barred from using the local swimming pool utilized by the college. The sisters conclude by addressing the realities of the job market for Black women during their respective eras, noting that career paths like teaching and journalism were largely closed to them in Rhode Island at the time of their graduation. Despite these systemic barriers, both Rosa and Beatrice express immense pride in their Ivy League educations. They reflect on how their degrees ultimately served as powerful tools to open professional doors, and they voice optimism regarding the expanded opportunities available to modern minority students at Brown University. Please note that this abstract was originally drafted by Gemini and reviewed and edited by an archivist.
- Notes:
- Biographical/historical note: Rosa and Beatrice Minkins grew up in a middle-class white neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island with three other sisters. Rosa Minkins entered Brown University in the fall of 1916. While she thoroughly enjoyed college life and participated in the athletic program, playing basketball, tennis, and bowling, her time on campus also included overt instances of racial bias. Minkins originally wanted to follow her father's path into journalism, but there were virtually no opportunities for women writers at the time. Instead, she took a role at the Pawtucket Public Library and eventually became a school librarian at West Senior High (now Shea High School), breaking barriers as one of the first Black teachers in the city. At age 80, she still actively substituted and served on the Executive Committee for the Rhode Island Library Association. She died on September 3, 1991, at the age of 92. Beatrice Minkins entered Brown University in 1932 the same year her sister, Carolyn, graduated. Like Rosa, Beatrice was an avid athlete, playing on various class teams, and eventually rising to become the captain of most of them. Minkins concentrated in languages, which fueled her lifelong love for extensive travel. During World War II, she secured a government role with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Afterwards she joined the Employment Service, where she worked on the Work Incentive Program for 37 years. She died on January 7, 2014, at the age of 101.
- Class year: 1920, 1936
- Rosa J. Minkins, class of 1920, and Beatrice Minkins, class of 1936, Brown University Library
- Digital object made available by: Brown University Library, John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts, Box A, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, U.S.A., (http://library.brown.edu/)
Citation
"Rosa J. Minkins, class of 1920, and Beatrice Minkins, class of 1936"
Pembroke Center Oral History Collection.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:838165/
Relations
Has Parts:
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Rosa J. Minkins, class of 1920, and Beatrice Minkins, class of 1936
- Type: Audio
- Order: 1
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Rosa J. Minkins, class of 1920, and Beatrice Minkins, class of 1936
- Type: Stream
- Order: 1
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Rosa J. Minkins, class of 1920, and Beatrice Minkins, class of 1936
- Type: Audio
- Order: 2
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Rosa J. Minkins, class of 1920, and Beatrice Minkins, class of 1936
- Type: Stream
- Order: 2
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Rosa J. Minkins, class of 1920, and Beatrice Minkins, class of 1936
- Type: Pdf
- Order: 3
Collection:
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Pembroke Center Oral History Collection
This collection contains oral history interviews with alumnae of Brown University, which admitted its first women students in 1891. The Women's College at Brown was renamed Pembroke College in 1928, and in 1971, Pembroke College merged with the Men's College …...