Wren Building - 50 Years of African Americans in Residence

William & Mary enslaved people from its inception. The enslaved were an integral part of the university's day-to-day operations. Additionally, the enslaved worked on Nottoway Plantation, owned by William & Mary for several years. The profits collected from the enslaved funded scholarships for the white male student body.

William & Mary also employed free people of African descent. George Greenhow worked as a janitor throughout the antebellum years. Greenhow called himself the "the only negro educated William & Mary" because he was taught how to read and write by a student.

Henry Billups worked for the university for over sixty years, in many capacities, including as a mentor to young white male students. He rang the Wren bell alongside President Benjamin Ewell and often procured alcohol for students and faculty during prohibition. William & Mary employed Billups from 1888-1952 - a time marked by Jim Crow, segregation, and - in the wake of Brown v. Board - the Massive Resistance from the Virginia government.

In 1914, formerly enslaved author and activist Booker T. Washington addressed the university community in the Wren Chapel.

During the Spring of 2018, William & Mary erected a plaque at the Wren Building to honor the first three African Americans in residence at the university: Lynn Briley, Janet Brown Strafer and Karen Ely.