Black 14 Social Justice Summer Institute

The Black 14 Social Justice Summer Institute is a catalyst for the changemakers of our future. We invite you to join us in supporting that future.

The Legacy

On October 17, 1969, fourteen Black University of Wyoming football players wanted to ask Head Coach Lloyd Eaton permission to join a national movement to protest the policy prohibiting African Americans from joining the priesthood in the Mormon Church by wearing black armbands. The armbands were to be worn during a game against BYU, a university operated by the church, symbolizing their stand against racism, oppression, and social injustice. Upon meeting with Head Coach Eaton, the players were immediately suspended from the UW football team and were denied the opportunity even to ask their question. Their lives were forever changed. 

Today, these fourteen UW football players are known as the Black 14. Their names are Jay "Jerry" Berry, Tony Gibson, John Griffin, Lionel Grimes, Mel Hamilton, Ron Hill, Guillermo "Willie" Hysaw, Jim Issac, Earl Lee, Tony McGee, Don Meadows, Ivie Moore, Joe Williams, and Ted Williams. On September 13, 2019, verbal and written official university apologies were given to the Black 14.

“The events that transpired during the fall of October 1969 will forever be part of our state and institutional history," says Lidia Berhe, UW student and institute attendee. "Creating the Black 14 Social Justice Summer Institute is a way for the stories of each member of the Black 14 to be known and understood. Their individual and collective experiences are part of their legacy now and for generations to come.”

In honor of the Black 14 legacy, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Social Justice Research Center have created a summer program for students interested in individual freedom of expression, civil rights and social justice, and exploration of diversity, equity, and inclusion principles.

The Black 14 Social Justice Summer Institute

The institute preserves the legacy of the Black 14 by promoting the success of Black students and helping them develop leadership skills, confidence, student identity, and personal ethics and values. It promotes social justice understanding and action through students' creativity, imagination, and nuanced opinion-building so that they can explore new solutions to social problems. They develop their skills in listening, advocacy, community-building, and self-care. It promotes students’ understanding of the historical context that has influenced present injustices and systems. Last but not least, it supports cultural understanding, humility, and intersectionality through a sense of community across diverse groups, empathy and respect, autonomy and consensus decision-making, self-reflection, and safety.

During the 2023 Black 14 Social Justice Summer Institute, students learned from lectures, activities, guest speakers, their peer mentors, and from each other. They created a Photovoice project to share what they learned over the week. Photovoice is a process in which people—usually those with limited power due to poverty, language barriers, race, class, ethnicity, gender, culture, or other circumstances—use video and/or photo images to capture aspects of their environment and experiences and share them with others. The pictures can then be used, usually with captions composed by the photographers, to bring the realities of the photographers’ lives home to the public and policy makers in order to spur change.

“This institute has a huge impact on me," says Jonét Jennings, institute peer mentor. "Because I’ve been a part of this university and have done so much work both in and out of the classroom with social justice in mind, it means so much to me to be able to come back and be a part of this institute. I think of it as giving back to the community and university that gave so much to me. My hopes for the future of the Black 14 Social Justice Summer Institute are that it continues every year. And with each passing year, the number of attendees grow.”

The Vision for the Future

The collective action of these fourteen gentlemen stands as a catalyst for the changemakers of our future. Through the Black 14 Social Justice Summer Institute, students foster a toolbox of skills to use within their communities and upcoming academic ventures. The opportunity for scholarships, bridge programs for students, and publishing of the institute's framework and student projects are all ripe grounds for continued investment and advancement. Above all, the increased agency and critical thinking skills made possible by attending the institute will shine through as a true continuation of the Black 14 protest in 1969.

“The richness of this program is constantly growing because of the university and the support of the community,” says Zebadiah Hall, University of Wyoming Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.