First admission of Black UVA Law student is honored for 75th anniversary

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – It was a case that opened doors for many. Seventy-five years ago, Gregory Swanson broke barriers as the first Black student admitted to UVA’s School of Law.

On Friday, September 5, people in the community honored his legacy in the same building where his case was heard, at the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library.

The room where Gregory Swanson made history was filled again today.

This time with his family, NAACP leaders, and UVA alumni, all to celebrate the path he paved for people of color.

“To say I’m gonna put my life on the line, because he did and say I’m gonna press on so that the future generations can benefit and experience the promise of justice and liberty for all,” Virginia Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan said.

In the Swanson room, named after him, at the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, history was made.

That is where Gregory Swanson fought and won his case against UVA, opening the doors to the School of Law in 1950.

Friday’s ceremony brought his legacy back into focus, in the same room where it happened.

Camilla Swanson, his daughter, says there’s still much to learn to this day.

“He was a very humble man. and he thought that justice should always prevail and that it was the right thing to do,” Swanson said. “We still have a lot of challenges.”

From the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP to UVA law leaders, many say his courage changed the future of the university.

Virginia Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan says, Swanson’s push put her where she is today.

“Because of him, I would get the training that has served me so well as a state legislator and a member of Congress,” Virginia Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan said.

Derek Collins, UVA’s president of the Black Law Student’s Association, says the case is a lesson in how change begins.

“It’s a testament to the truth that change is not always rolling in like a blazing fire,” Collins said. “Sometimes it begins with a single flame.”

75 years later, the message is still the same, that the struggle for justice isn’t over.

“We fight for justice and equality, we will continue to do that, always,” Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP Lynn Boyd said.

Through the weekend, Gregory is being honored with a walking tour starting at the Jefferson School City Center.

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