Giving the Parker Sisters their homecoming
When sisters Frieda and Winifred Parker enrolled in Purdue in 1946, they could not live on campus.
Through determination and persistence, the sisters and their family led the successful campaign to integrate university housing.
In 1947 they moved into the Bunker Hill residences, initiating the end of segregated campus housing. In June of 2021, the Purdue Board of Trustees renamed the Griffin Residence Halls in their honor, making the Parker Residence Halls the first buildings named for Black Alumnae.
This distinct Purdue story resonates powerfully with Boilermakers past and present, inspiring storytelling across many platforms, including written stories, multiple documentary videos, graphic production and social media campaigns.
The Parker Sisters story
was recently republished on Black Enterprise.com in August, garnering a great response on their associated Facebook page:
730,000+
followers encountering the story
10,000+
likes for the Parker Sisters post