UTrailblazers: Blazing the Trail, Building the Dream

Through the culmination of years of archival research, outreach, leadership and support from dedicated alumni, administrators, and community partners, the Black Alumni Society established the First Black Graduates Project. This project acknowledged those who blazed the trail in breaking the color barrier at UM in the 1960s and '70s – the “UTrailblazers.”

To honor their courage, successes and contributions to the University community, the Black Alumni Society proudly hosted a signature event on the Coral Gables campus February 24-25, 2017. Alumni of all ages returned to celebrate, share personal stories and to support the newly created First Black Graduates Endowed Scholarship, so that all future trailblazers have access to excellence at the U.

In this video series, alumni of the 1960s and '70s, as well as those who came after, tell their personal stories about attending UM.

Listen to Judith D. Trimble, B.Ed. ’72, discuss how “we are all standing on somebody’s shoulders, and we need to acknowledge those shoulders we stand on while they are here.”

Michael J. Caldwell, B.M. ’71, M.M. ’73, M.M. ’74. “The University of Miami, was for me, the icing on the cake. I stayed here, got my master’s degree and it was really like a surrogate parent for me. I learned so much about living in the world.”

Bonita Adams, A.B. ’83, shares that because of her experience at the U, she “feels free and motivated to go anywhere.” For her, UM is “an enclave of different nationalities.” She also expounds on the importance of “experiencing one another as human beings that all want the same things in life.” Learn about the special award Adams achieved while here at the U and hear more stories from the UTrailblazers.