John Brandon, Ralph Frasier, Leroy Frasier

Brandon and the Frasier brothers were the first black undergraduates at Carolina, desegregating the University in 1955. All three ultimately decided to complete their studies elsewhere, citing an unwelcoming campus, but they opened the doors for future black students at Carolina.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has named existing grants and fellowships to honor courageous people who represent important “firsts” in the University’s history, including John L. Brandon, Ralph K. Frasier and LeRoy B. Frasier, Jr., the first black undergraduates.

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This is story number 149 in the Carolina Stories 225th Anniversary Edition magazine.