Lone black student graduates from Gonzaga Law

Monday, May 12, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

For the past three years, black law students have received threatening letters, telephone calls and other harassment.

The letters were signed "Law Students for a Pure America," and warned that none of the black students would graduate. Some of the letters had racial slurs.

Three black law students transferred as a result of the campaign.

Clinton, 24, said the incidents made him scared and angry. But on Saturday, he became the only black among the 160 law school graduates.

"I am extremely happy and proud," said Clinton, who will go to work for a district attorney in the Las Vegas area. "I have achieved something I've wanted to do since the fourth grade."

"I've always taught him to endure," said his mother, Mary-Etta Clinton. "This isn't the worst thing that will happen to him."

"He stuck it out," said his grandmother, Lovey Sayles, 78. "He won the victory."

Gonzaga, a private Catholic school, has only a few blacks in its student body.

At graduation ceremonies for the general student body on Sunday, the school gave an honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Vernon Baker, a black Medal of Honor winner.

Baker, of St. Maries, Idaho, was denied the nation's highest military honor for more than 40 years because of prejudice in the World War II military.

After a concerted effort by supporters, Baker finally received the medal earlier this year, becoming the only living black recipient of the award for World War II duty.

Clinton, a Las Vegas native, said he had never before faced such overt racism as he had at Gonzaga.

The latest incident occurred last month, when students received more threatening phone calls and a racist letter was slipped into the backpack of a black student in the library.

Authorities, including the FBI, have investigated the incidents, but have not identified a suspect.

Law School dean John Clute has said he believes the culprit is another law school student. The university is offering a $25,000 reward.