Author Phil White to Present ‘Trials and Triumphs: Black Americans at University of Wyoming’ Feb. 20

Laramie author Phil White will discuss his latest book, “Trials and Triumphs: Black Americans at the University of Wyoming,” at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, hosted by UW’s American Heritage Center.

The event will take place in the Centennial Complex Stock Growers Room. Refreshments will be available at 5 p.m., followed by White’s presentation. A question-and-answer session and book signing follow his talk. For those unable to attend in person, the event will be streamed live at https://uwyo.zoom.us/j/93806359366.

In “Trials and Triumphs,” White explores the experiences of Black students at UW, from the 1969 dismissal of the Black 14 football players for peacefully protesting racial injustice to the story of Bonnie Mae Fermon, UW’s first known Black graduate student, who earned her zoology degree in 1947.

Drawing from decades of research and personal interviews, White reveals a compelling history of resilience, activism and the ongoing fight for equality that shaped UW’s past and continues to inspire today.

About the Author

White is an attorney, journalist, historian and author with deep ties to UW. As editor of UW’s Branding Iron student newspaper in 1969, White witnessed, firsthand, the events surrounding the Black 14, sparking a lifelong interest in civil rights and social justice.

His career includes work with United Press International in San Francisco, Calif., and he has written multiple books, including “Wyoming in Mid-Century,” which examines protest, prejudice, the Vietnam War and the Black 14. White’s writing blends personal experience with historical research, offering powerful insights into Wyoming’s complex past.

Copies of “Trials and Triumphs” will be available for purchase at the event. His books also are available from the University Bookstore at UW or on Amazon.

For more information, call the American Heritage Center at (307) 766-3756 or email ahcref@uwyo.edu.