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The contributions of five alumni are being recognized by Baldwin Wallace University during Black History Month. These alumni are a few of the many generations of BW graduates who have made a mark in their professions as well as in the lives of others.
Having graduated from Baldwin University, Shaw is BW's first known Black graduate. He became a prominent clergyman and writer. He earned a Doctor of Divinity degree and was on the faculty of Howard University. The story of his mother, Harriet Shaw, was featured in the book and film "12 Years a Slave."
She was one of the first Black women admitted to the practice of law in the state of Ohio. Later, she found her calling in education and eventually became the first Black principal in the Cleveland Public Schools. Walker is also attributed to naming Karamu House, where she was a member and actress.
He won four Olympic gold medals in track and field, was named the nation's top amateur athlete, and became a charter member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. BW's Harrison Dillard Track in the Lou Higgins Recreation Center is named in his honor. A bronze statue of Dillard stands outside of BW's George Finnie Stadium.
She is nationally recognized for her social work in Cleveland. She founded the Phillis Wheatley Association, a Cleveland settlement house for poor, single women who migrated north for work — which became a model for organizations nationwide. Her credits include nurse, attorney, author, and social justice advocate.
As a minister who trained many activists in nonviolent resistance, Lawson made critical contributions to the American Civil Rights movement. He was a leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and an adviser to Martin Luther King, Jr.
