"Shades of Color at OAC 1916-1921: The Untold Story of Palmer Patton"

In this lecture, Larry Landis (Director of OSU’s Special Collections and Archives Research Center) and Dwaine Plaza (Professor of Sociology) presented together at the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center to unveil the story of Palmer Patton. Patton attended Oregon Agricultural College from 1916-1920 as an African American male who "passed" throughout his student life as a white male. Patton ultimately graduated from OAC with a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the School of Agriculture and served as a faculty member in agriculture during the 1920-1921 academic year. For more information see the event blog post: Shades of Color at OAC 1916-1921: The Untold Story of Palmer Patton

Please be aware that some of the contents of this presentation may be disturbing or activating. In particular, the presenters display visuals that depict violence against African Americans and that, more broadly, reflect a culture of racism and white supremacy, as well as the use of racist, derogatory language.