To Drink from the Well: The Struggle for Racial Equality at the Nation’s Oldest Public University

by Geeta N. Kapur, William J. Barber II (Foreword)

Law professor and civil rights activist Geeta N. Kapur provides analysis and commentary on the story of systemic racism in leadership, scholarship, and organizational foundations at the University of North Carolina.

The University of North Carolina is the oldest public university in the US, with the cornerstone for the first dormitory, Old East, laid in 1793. At that ceremony, the enslaved people who would literally build that structure were not acknowledged; they were not even present. In fact, 158 years passed before Black students were admitted to this university in Chapel Hill, and it was another 66 years after that before students forcibly removed the long-criticized Confederate “Silent Sam” monument. Indeed, this university, revered in the state and the nation, has been entwined with white supremacy and institutional racism throughout its history—and the struggle continues today.

To Drink from the Well: The Struggle for Racial Equality at the Nation's Oldest Public University explores the history of UNC by exposing the plain and uncomfortable truth behind the storied brick walkways, “historic” statuary, and picturesque covered well, the icon of the campus.

Law professor and civil rights activist Geeta N. Kapur chronicles the racism within the university and traces its insidious effects on students, faculty, and even the venerable Tarheel sports programs. Kapur tells this story not as a historian, but as a citizen speaking to her fellow citizens. She relies on the historical record to tell her story, and where that record is lacking, she elaborates on that record, augmenting and deconstructing the standard chronology. Kapur explores both the Chapel Hill campus and a parallel movement in nearby Durham, where a growing Black middle class helped to create North Carolina Central University, a historically Black public university.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Education, American History

456 pages, Paperback

Published September 21, 2021

Reviews

[Lauren Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting book, definitely something I’d recommend all unc students read. It’s devastating to read about the racist past/present of Chapel Hill when I’ve never heard 90% of this before even as a student. Definitely a very dense book but absolutely worth the time and effort it took to read.
She also just provides information about every historical event she’s discussing so I never felt like I was missing information which was so helpful.

[Alexandra Hitson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s truly sad how many names of white supremacists in this book I recognized as names of buildings on campus. A must read for UNC students past and present.

[Sam Timmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents a telling tale of UNC’s complicated history. I enjoyed Kapur including the parallel story of Durham, as it was integral in the push for desegregation at Chapel Hill. A must-read for people interested in North Carolina history, and for UNC alumni.

[Elisa Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that should be required reading for all past, present, and future UNC students. I wish I knew all of the history that is detailed here while I was a student at UNC.

[Adam Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Drink from the Well: The Struggle for Racial Equality at the Nation’s Oldest Public University” is a book that belongs in every private library—especially for those of us who call North Carolina home. As someone who has experienced UNC’s proud traditions, I believe this book fills in crucial gaps in both the university’s and the state’s historical narrative.

Geeta N. Kapur has done an extraordinary job uncovering and presenting the often-overlooked contributions and struggles of Black North Carolinians at UNC. I truly hope she receives her flowers for bringing this story into the light. After reading it, I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for my time at UNC and a renewed commitment to honor—not squander—the legacy of the first Black students who paved the way for me to attend and graduate. Their courage and perseverance made my experience possible, and for that, I am forever grateful.

[Miri · Rating 5 out of 5]

the UNC BoT always having been filled with fascists representing fascist interests...who else is surprised

must read for all north carolinians and anyone who has, is, and will ever pass through the university

[Melinda Manning · Rating 2 out of 5]

While every UNC student and alum need to know this history, I wish this had been better written. The book was filled with (probably) manufactured quotes, run-on sentences, non sequiturs, and grossly overplayed phrases. I wanted to like this book, but I found her lack of any sense of objectivity as a historian problematic. You can write about racism and white supremacy and let the facts to speak for themselves without beating the reader over the head repeatedly in order to draw certain conclusions.

[Ray Metz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve worked at 7 universities (Great Lakes states) and each one has its first black student or graduate they feature/celebrate. This book while focused on UNC tells a story from the other side that applies to many/most universities - the many students told “no” before a first “yes” and what life was like after that first “yes”. UNC and probably and most universities probably have more to be ashamed about these times than to celebrate. And if you don’t think there is much to be ashamed of, please read the decades of documents and speeches given that make clear how white supremacy played out in higher education then and for decades after.

If I had my way, every university administrator and trustee would read this book to better understand where we’ve been. Preparing us for where we’re going.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a lot of difficulty attempting to determine what rating to give this work. On one hand, it provides necessary information that fills in some gaps in the University’s history. It is a worthwhile read from this perspective. On the other hand, it needed better editing that would have found historical errors along the way. These errors might seem minor but they added up and cast a poor shadow on the overall work. Additionally, the author’s passion for her subject is evident and resonates. However, it resonates at times to the detriment of the overall work. I believe this is a book that should be read by every student and alum of the University. These are facts we need to know. I simply wish they had been better delivered.

[Mollee · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a UNC grad and Carolina fan my whole life, I had a lot of reckoning to do with the history of this institution that I received through reading To Drink From the Well. While most of Kapur's research is focused on the university itself, she also includes cultural moments in history you won't find in most mainstream academic texts, such as Black Wall Street in Durham. It's a scholarly work that spans centuries, but it reads like narrative nonfiction -- really intriguing stories that she brings to light. One of my favorite YA reads in a long time is Tracy Deonn's Legendborn, set at UNC-Chapel Hill and examines some of this same history - the two would make a good pairing.

[Trey Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a lifelong Tar Heel (resident and alumnus) this book was deeply difficult to read. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone interested in UNC, and racial segregation at educational institutions throughout the South. While UNC has long been viewed as an epicenter for liberal and progressive thought, history would dictate that view isn’t exactly accurate. The University has been forced to be more tolerant by courts and protest from students, faculty and community members. It is important to read books like this (especially about places we love, like Carolina) to continue striving for a better world for everyone.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geeta Kapur has done us and posterity a great service to bring together the story of the University of North Carolina in such well-researched depth. University leaders fought integration so hard for so long that it's a wonder, to me at least, that it has been able to enjoy the reputation as a liberal light that attracted generations of new students to the hill (including me). Yonni Chapman, Dan Pollitt, and Joe Straley--to name just three I personally knew who fought the good fight and have gone on--would be very proud.

[Paulatics · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a triumphant historical and scholarly work. The writing style is powerful and accessible. When my experience caught up with the history, and I knew some of the heroes and villains in this heart-wrenching story, I was often sad and angry. Perhaps the most frustrating reality is that the oldest public university in the United States still struggles with racism, political interference, and governance by people who mostly know nothing about higher education.

[Michelle Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this should be required reading. UNC has hidden the racism and injustice they inflicted (and inflict) under a pretense of liberal treatment. They are still treating BIPOC as second class citizens to this day.

This is a very dense book. But please push through. "To know better is to do better."

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book presents such rich racial history of UNC, it reads as such an emblazoned narrative piece of art. Kapur leaves no stone unturned in telling the story of the “Nations Oldest Public University.” All North Carolinians will feel a piece of their own lives in this novel.

[sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredibly impactful especially as a current unc student in helping me understand the structural racism at the university. a must-read for all carolina fans, faculty, and students

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What is it that binds us to this place as no other? It is not the well or the bell or the stone walls...our love for this place is based on the fact that it is as it was meant to be, the university of the people." I have heard those beautiful and poetic words of UNC alumnus Charles Kuralt so many times, I not only know them by heart but I believed them for a long time. Even as I attended UNC (class of '92) and witnessed the fight for the Black Cultural Center, passed Silent Sam daily without a second thought as to its provenance, and read about the unfair employment practices concerning university housekeepers in the Daily Tar Heel, I lived in my priveleged little bubble thinking we were all on equal footing. Oh how ignorant I was. And complicit, obviously. In the last few years, between the university's abhorrent handling of the Silent Sam deal with the local Sons of Confederate Veterans and the debacle surrounding the tenure vote of celebrated scholar/author Nikole Hannah-Jones, reality was starting to chip away at my shiny happy image of my alma mater to show the darkness at its core. This meticulously researched book reveals it all, from being financed and built by the sale and labor of enslaved people to the bitter fights put up by the trustees holding tight to their entrenched ideals of white supremacy and segregation to modern-day plantation-style employment practices. The ugly truth of racism and hate at America's oldest public university laid bare. Doesn't sound much like a university of the people to me.

[Moriah Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Drink from the Well is a must-read for any Carolina alumni, students, or fans. In my four years at the university, I saw campus protests for racial justice, buildings bearing the names of white supremacists given bland placeholders ("Carolina Hall"), and clashes between protesters and counter-protesters at the Confederate statue on campus. I thought I knew the historical racial injustices on which the university was built, but Kapur digs deep into the history of North Carolina and the university to show how insidious and far-reaching the effects of racism and white supremacy were, are, and continue to be. I loved my time at the university, but as Kapur so clearly emphasizes, the university does not love all of its children equally.