The first black student admitted to UF will return to the university Monday - 50 years after he first set foot on campus.
George H. Starke Jr., who was admitted to UF in 1958, will visit to commemorate the university's 50 years of integration.
Starke will participate in two events Monday for the Black Student Union's BLACKLIGHT: Spotlight on an Untold History, a week in celebration of the anniversary.
"I wanted the opportunity to allow UF students to see their history in a way never portrayed before," said Naadira Renfroe, director of BLACKLIGHT week.
At noon on Monday, students will march from the Reitz Union to Tigert Hall to recreate Starke's arrival on campus in 1958.
Once students reach Tigert, Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan will present Starke with a proclamation for his contribution to the university and the city, Renfroe said.
"This event means so much to UF students past and present and to the Gainesville community," said Shanae Staples, a UF communication sciences and disorders senior.
"This shows everyone what change and progress looks like."
Beginning in 1949, Virgil D. Hawkins, a black man, applied to UF's law school and was denied for nine years, according to UF Levin College of Law Web site.
"The 50-year anniversary is a testament to the black students who applied before Starke and shows them that their struggles were not in vain," Staples said.
It was not until 1958, when Starke was admitted to the law school, that the first black student would be enrolled at UF.
"He is the reason for many black students being here," Renfroe said.
"That's the purpose of the week - to celebrate integration and what he did."
