Georgia Tech Sees ‘Room for Progress’ After Half Century of Integration

Georgia Tech Sees ‘Room for Progress’ After Half Century of Integration: Half a century ago, 17-year-old Ralph A. Long Jr. made history as one of the first Black students to integrate the Atlanta-based Georgia Institute of Technology.

Today, the technology specialist, now 68, can’t help but reflect on the 125-year-old school’s evolution from being one of the last bastions of White privilege to becoming an institutional leader in the number of engineering degrees conferred upon Black students.

“Georgia Tech was non-existent,” Long recalls of the school’s former inaccessibility to Black students. Faced with numerous obstacles at the school, Long transferred. “But now,” he says, “you have thousands of students who have graduated from there. Georgia Tech has proven for Black kids to become part of their educational mainstream.”