Their Time at the University of Chicago

Eva and Julian were students together at the University of Chicago. They were a part of the same social circles, played tennis together, and were members of the Divine Nine, the nine Black Greek-letter sororities and fraternities that comprise the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Their legacy and importance in the University of Chicago's history should not be understated. While the University became a hub for Black intellectuals due to its urban location and early integration policies, during the 1910s, the University of Chicago had only granted 9 African American students undergraduate degrees and 5 graduate degrees. Eva and Julian were among the first African American students to receive degrees from the University. Others among them were Cora B. Jackson (1896), Richard Robert Wright, Jr. (1901), Carter G. Woodson (1908), and Georgiana Simpson (1911).