Cook, a Trustee Emeritus, was the first black professor at Duke. TV's Tiffany Webber caught up with the political scientist, scholar and civil rights advocate who later went on to serve as president of Dillard University.
What was it like, as the lone black professor, teaching in the 1960s at Duke, when a great majority of the students were white?
Duke students are very special. From the very beginning, they took great interest in my classes-one of the ironies. Invariably, my students would bring in parents, grandparents in some situations, their girlfriends or boyfriends because they had never encountered a black professor. They just wanted [them] to see a black professor.
What was it like for the handful of black students on campus then?
There were only a few token black students. That was always a challenge to identify with them and try to encourage them and to be supportive of them in particular. I remember one of the students said he appreciated my identifying with them.
What challenges do black students and professors face at predominantly white institutions today?
Although being black is always a challenge in American culture, there's a special burden of being black in this country. My dear friend of more than 50 years, Dr. John Hope Franklin, he talks about it in his autobiography, about the perpetuation of racism in this country. [W.E.B. Dubois] said the problem of the color line would be the problem of the 20th century, but John Hope said it would be for the 21st century as well. So it's still there, this racial divide in this country-it's a sad and tragic reality.
What advice would you give black students and professors at Duke?
Do your best. They are expected to perform, and they will perform. When I was first interviewed in 1966 I was asked, "What advice would you give black students?" and I would say, "Have a vision of excellence and work like hell and be productive."
How do the Feb. 21 Cook awards benefit Duke in light of the commitment to the American Dream?
It's a reminder of Duke's own moral tradition-Duke's own tradition of civility and decency. That's one of the great goals of Duke. Duke had the courage to hire me in 1966, whereas other Southern colleges and universities did not break the barrier.
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