Born in Loris, South Carolina, Dr. Dean Floyd studied pre-medicine at Clemson. In this interview, he discusses his coursework, the incoming freshmen class of 1968, the challenges he faced and how he responded to those challenges.
Dr. Floyd enrolled at Clemson in Fall 1968. He was one of 21 Black students entering that school year and he recalls being treated fairly in most of his classes. He speaks of professors that were helpful and discusses the courses he took. Like other Black students, however, he faced challenges. In one instance, Dr. Floyd said he talked to Clemson’s basketball coach about playing but was told he could not try out. This occurred, he said, under the administration of an athletic director and former football coach who declared there would never be a Black football player on his field. In another incident, he remembered both the University of Alabama and Clemson bands battled back and forth playing Dixie. It “seemed like they were having a confederate convention,” he said.
Such incidents hurt, but Floyd said he understood the times – and, in fact, expected such things. Black students, he said, didn’t expect anyone to give them anything and he references a James Brown song, “I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door I'll Get It Myself).”
To overcome the slights they faced, Dr. Floyd said he and other Black students turned to one another because they were important to one another. They created groups such as the Student League for Black Identity (SBLI), had a “Black table” in the cafeteria where they sat together, and looked out for one another. Beyond this, they formed relationships with the Black communities in Clemson and Seneca.