Frances Harriet Williams, Mount Holyoke ‘19

When Williams’ mother forwarded her transcript to Mount Holyoke in 1916, she ”received a letter from the college stating that they did not believe her daughter would be happy at Mount Holyoke, to which she responded that she wasn’t sending her daughter to be happy but to receive an education. Williams, who had a light complexion, recalled that many of her fellow students would not sit with her at meals, although some were not concerned about her race. Williams held a double major in chemistry and economics, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1919. She then earned a master’s in political science from the University of Chicago.” (Linda Perkins, “Racial Integration at the Seven Sister Colleges,” The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education)