It was an evening event that commemorated fifty years of integration at the University of Florida.  During Black History Month UF celebrated what they call the firsts of African Americans who received education collectively from the sixteen colleges of the university.
     A well deserved applause for some very specials honorees.  One by one, twenty of the earliest known African American degree recipients were called.  The university recognized these first as those who broke through the racial barriers of a time when it was hard for african americans to attend school in the south.
      UF Trustee and the gala host, J. Courtney Cunningham says," This is not just black history, but american history".
     One very humble recipient, Mrs. Johncyna Williams McRae.  A native from Bradenton FL, came to the university in 1962 and received her degree from the college of education in 1966.  Williams-McRae says," That as a student, she always felt very welcomed and the university made sure that her transition was a smooth one".
     These honorees paved the way for others to attend and today, the University of Florida has more than 12,000 African American Alumni in Gainesville.