NC State’s Black students, faculty and alumni have shaped the University as we know it today. In honor of Black History Month, here’s a look at some of the most influential Black figures in NC State’s history. 

Kevin Howell

NC State’s first Black student body president, Kevin Howell served from 1987-1988. 

Howell also served as NC State’s assistant to the chancellor for external affairs from 2006 to 2016 and vice chancellor for external affairs, partnerships and economic development from 2018-2024. He now serves as Chief External Affairs Officer for UNC Health. 

Augustus M. Witherspoon

Witherspoon was the second Black student to earn a Ph.D. at NC State. Alongside teaching botany, Witherspoon assisted in establishing the African American Cultural Center and served as assistant dean of the graduate school, associate provost and coordinator of African American Affairs. 

In 1995, the University board of directors unanimously voted to change the name of the Student Center Annex to Augustus Melver Witherspoon Student Center following Witherspoon’s death in 1994 — making Augustus Witherspoon the first Black person to have a building named after them at NC State.

Tony “X” Williamson

Founding editor-in-chief of The Nubian Message in 1992, Williamson aimed to “represent the African American community at NCSU totally, truthfully and faithfully.” Williamson tragically died in 1994 at the age of 22 while on vacation.

Irwin Holmes

As the first Black student at NC State to not only graduate with a bachelor’s degree, but play for Wolfpack Athletics and be named captain of a varsity sport at a southern college or university, Irwin Holmes left a legacy at the University. 

Holmes Hall, formerly known as University College Commons, was renamed in his honor in 2018. Holmes was inducted into the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020.

Mary Porterfield

A Technician staff writer, Mary Porterfield was the first Black woman at NC State to be crowned as homecoming queen, Miss Wolfpack, in 1970. After her coronation, however, Porterfield told Technician, “I think State is three years behind in the trend … [of] selecting Black homecoming queens. One of my white girl friends said, ‘Do you realize you made history?’ And I said yes, but not an emphatic yes that you would equate with the question.”

Marcus Martin

In 1967, Martin became the first Black player to join NC State’s varsity football team, though he quit two years later due to “disagreements with the coaching staff.” 

Martin was a founding member of the University’s Board of Visitors and recognized as the NC State College of Natural Resources’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2020. 

Martin served as Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity at the University of Virginia from 2011 until his retirement in 2019. 

Ellen McGuire

McGuire was one of NC State’s first Black female employees, though most students and alumni affectionately referred to her as Aunt Ellen. She started working for the University in 1889 in Pullen Hall as a dining worker before transferring to the College Infirmary in 1908 and ultimately retiring in 1939. 

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

The Mu Omicron chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., NC State’s first African-American sorority, was officially recognized in 1975, despite being formed in 1972. 

Justina Harris Williams

The first Black person to be hired as academic staff and the first Black person to be hired above the level of custodial staff at NC State in 1958, Williams worked in the Department of Genetics for over 30 years. Williams died in 2003.

Dwuan June

June became the first Black editor-in-chief at Technician in 1989. Prior to his role, he served as assistant news editor in 1986, assistant managing editor in 1987 and managing editor in 1988. June is currently the art director at The Washington Post.