Clara Belle Williams

February 6, 2024 4:06 PM

Clara Belle Williams was born in Plum, TX in October 1885 [!]. She attended undergrad in Prairie View TX, graduating in 1908. After a marriage, three sons, and a widowing, she enrolled at University Of Chicato and finally at New Mexico College of Agriculture in 1928. Clara Belle Williams was [what is now known as] New Mexico State University's first black graduate [nmsu.edu link, primary text link], graduating in 1937 with a degree in English at the age of 51. She was the Las Cruces School System's first black school teacher, and she forged a path into a community that had very little black population during a time long before it was expected. Here is an interview with Clara Belle Williams and her family from 1980 [1h31m. VHS transfer, long but amazing]

When I went to elementary school in Las Cruces, the population of my elementary school was 65% Latino, and there were maybe 3 black kids in the entire school. That this woman lived well before my life in that city is something I didn't know about until today, and I'm grateful to know about her. And also, the interview.. if you have the time.. it's great.

[Ed. note: the author of this post was 12 years old and in the Las Cruces Public School System when this interview was conducted. He was clueless about this interview and any of the issues possibly raised in it at the time of the interview.]

posted by hippybear (5 comments total)

Note: This poster graduated from NMSU in 1980. Went to Zia Jr. High when I was 12.

A lot of accomplishment in the Williams family.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 4:53 PM on February 6 [1 favorite]

I also went to Zia, but a lot later than you.. Mesilla Park, too.
posted by hippybear at 4:55 PM on February 6

My granny was born in east (not central) Texas about ten years after this lady with the given names Clara Belle. I had a moment there until I actually read the rest of the post, and now need to go off and read the links.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 5:20 PM on February 6 [1 favorite]

born in Plum, TX

Well, actually, it was a shack outside La Grange.
[I'm sorry to poke fun--it's a good & worthwhile post, hippybear.]
posted by neuron at 2:47 PM on February 7

So, you went to Zia, Jr. High later. Do you remember whether Ms. Contreras (Social Studies) or Mr. Hawkins (Math -- and a touchstone in my memory of bad teachers) still working there? (These are the only two teachers I remember the names of. Maybe Sosa, Biology.)
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:27 AM on February 8