His arrival came just four months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional.
“I left my hometown of Portsmouth, Ohio, for Cedarville because I wanted to study the Bible,” Parker said. “I was not worried about racial problems because it was a Christian college.”
The college only had 100 students at the time. Parker said he didn’t experience a lot of overt racism. However, some of his classmates went to the administration to complain about him. That’s when the school’s president intervened.
“President James T. Jeremiah informed current students that Parker would be attending Cedarville,” current Cedarville President Dr. Thomas White said. “He said any student who opposed it could withdraw from the university.”
During his speech, Parker encouraged the student body to avoid getting pulled into racism and prejudice.
“We have to start caring about people regardless of the color of our skin,” he said. “We are all God’s people.”
After hearing Parker share his experiences, current students said they couldn’t imagine a campus that didn’t have any African Americans.
“I don’t even think about the difference between a black or white student,” said Luke Vincett, who is a freshman at Cedarville studying mechanical engineering. “It is hard to believe that was considered to be odd back then.”
Parker didn’t graduate from Cedarville University until 1964. His family’s house caught on fire and he was forced to return home to assist them. However, he promised himself that he would eventually return and compete his courses.
“I believe God meant for me to go to college,” he said.
After spending decades in the ministry, Parker now spends his time as an instructor at the Central Baptist Institute in Syracuse, N.Y., an outreach of Central Baptist Church where his son-in-law, Rev. Milton Kornegay, serves as pastor.
Today Cedarville has more than 3,000 students and offers more than 100 majors. Parker said he prayed during his freshman year that the school would become more diverse and train people to help end racism in the United States.
“It is a heart thing,” he said. “We have to give our hearts to God and let him change them.”
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