Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Honor Students
Posted By Babs De Lay on May 18, 2022, 4:00 AM
It's graduation time! Utah is much more diverse than when I first moved here to attend Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, then the University of Utah and finally Westminster College for two bachelor's degrees.
The minority students in my high school—from the Ute reservation, Thailand, Chicago and Gambia—were among the only people of color competing in Utah sports. And when my Black college roommate and I went to ZCMI to look at wedding dresses for her upcoming ceremony, they refused to help us because of her skin color.
It was hard then, but imagine what it was like 100 years ago, when the first Black woman in Utah graduated with a college degree. Mignon Barker Richmond was born in 1897 in Salt Lake City. Her dad, having been born into slavery, ran away and, at age 18, joined the Union Army in the Civil War. He was captured and returned to his owner. He must have been one determined man, as he escaped again and moved to Utah.
He met his wife here, and Mignon was one of three children born into the family. "Mignon" translates to "little flower of Africa," and she brought beauty and her father's determination to her world, making doll clothes and working as a housekeeper to pay for school. She graduated from West High, then attended Utah State Agricultural College (now Utah State University).
According to one biographer, Richmond was told by a professor, "You'll never get more than a 'C' from me because you're a Negro." She did graduate, but it took her over a year to be hired as a maid at the University of Utah. She volunteered for the YWCA, the Red Cross, her church and LDS Hospital, and she finally got permanent employment working in food services at the YWCA until she retired in 1962.
Even after saying goodbye to the 40-hour work week, she continued to volunteer for Calvary Baptist Church, the NAACP, the Utah Community Service Council and the Women's Legislative Council. In addition, she helped found the Nettie Gregory Community Center for minority youth groups.
Throughout her stellar work in the community, she continued to fight racism. Jane Edwards, former Salt Lake YWCA director, shared a story of Richmond being asked to use the servant's entrance at a community event. "Mignon quipped, 'I'm just like Marian Anderson!'" (Anderson had to use the freight elevator, like many other Blacks, at the Hotel Utah).
Huzzah to all the graduates of 2022, and thanks to Richmond for paving the way for so many successful minority students to graduate here in Utah! Incidentally, Richmond Park in Salt Lake City is named after her as well as a new community garden. Her legacy lives on in so many ways. CW
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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