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==== Racial justice (Manhattanville Resolutions) ====
In the 1930s, the Manhattanville student body consisted of approximately 200 female students. Though small, the college made headlines across the country for taking a strong position promoting racial equality decades before the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s, into the 1960s and 1970s. In May 1933, students created the "Manhattanville Resolutions" a document that pledged an active student commitment to racial justice. This commitment was tested when the first Negro woman student was admitted to the college in 1938.
Alumnae response to a racially integrated but all-female student body was mixed and somewhat controversial for a time. While the vast majority of letters praised Manhattanville for its courageous action, college president Grace Dammann viewed the negative responses as an opportunity to open hearts and minds. At the annual Class Day reunion on May 31, 1938, she delivered a passionate speech entitled "Principles Versus Prejudices." …
