Gregory H. Swanson 75th Anniversary Commemoration Collection

On September 15, 1950, Gregory H. Swanson enrolled in the University of Virginia's School of Law and became the first African American student to attend the University. Seventy-five years later (2025), the following institutions and organizations in Virginia's Charlottesville-Albemarle area collaborated to commemorate the anniversary of this event: Black Law Students Association at the University of Virginia, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP, Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association, County of Albemarle Government, City of Charlottesville Government, Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, University of Virginia School of Law, and the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center.

The commemoration included two events in Charlottesville, Virginia, that were free and open to the public. The first event was held on September 5, 2025, in the Swanson Room of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library's Central Branch. At that event, attendees listened to speakers talk about Swanson and his legacy. The speakers included Representative Jennifer McClellan, University of Virginia Law School Dean Leslie Kendrick, U.S. District Court Judge Jasmine Yoon, Derek Collins (President, Black Law Students Association at the University of Virginia), and Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP President, Lynn Boyd.

The second event, a walking tour, occurred on September 6, 2025. During that tour, participants were guided along Swanson's daily walk to class, highlighting five sites along the way that were significant to Swanson's tenure at the University of Virginia and in Charlottesville.

In addition to the live events, partners produced an online multimedia "Story Map" exhibit that served as a virtual version of the walking tour. Also, the commemoration partners made a video version of the walking tour that aired on a local public access television station.