History News Network Column

When the History News Network asked for an op-ed based on an aspect of Strong Inside, I chose to write about Perry Wallace’s ultimate reason for attending Vanderbilt. It wasn’t to make history as the first African American basketball player in the  Southeastern Conference, it was for the opportunity to play big-time basketball while also receiving an outstanding education. The valedictorian of his high school class, Wallace earned degrees in electrical engineering and engineering math at Vanderbilt, and later graduated from the prestigious Columbia University Law School. He is now a professor of law at American University in Washington, D.C.