The Faith of the Dreamer

Gwendolyn entered Mercer University (Macon, Georgia, USA) in the Fall of 1968 as a freshman and one of about 55 African Americans on a campus of about 5,000 students. The head of the art department, Dr. Marshall Daugherty, told her that, as an African American, she was not smart enough to receive a degree from his department. He refused to allow Gwendolyn's art portfolio into the 1972 senior exhibit because he deemed her portfolio (which included “The ReBirth of Colored Folk”) “too controversial”- depriving her of her right to an art degree. In 2013, the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts said that Gwendolyn would have to complete 32 more hours of study which she did not think was correct. A chance meeting with Mercer History Professor Dr Sarah Gardner in 2019, gave Gwendolyn hope of obtaining her degree. The current Dean of the School of Liberal Arts, Dr. Anita Gustafson confirmed that she had completed the necessary courses and asked if she would satisfy the requirement of a senior exhibit if given the opportunity. Gwendolyn gladly accepted and received confirmation of her Major in Fine Arts from Mercer University on 25 September 2020.