W. Miller Barbour ’32
Elizabethtown College recognized and celebrated the 2025-26 Educate For Service: Service To Humanity Award recipient, the late W. Miller Barbour ’32, at the institution’s annual Return to the Nest Luncheon on June 3 in the Susquehanna Room, Myer Hall.
The award was posthumously accepted by Barbour’s family, who were in attendance at the event.
“W. Miller Barbour’s impact on the pursuit of justice and human dignity is both profound and enduring,” Elizabethtown College President Betty Rider said. “Through his leadership and service, he embodied our Educate for Service motto. We are proud to recognize his enduring contributions and the meaningful difference he made in both our Etown community and the world.”
An influential civil rights activist, Barbour’s (1908 to 1957) remarkable life and legacy are being brought to life in the recent documentary, “The Prospect for Freedom: W. Miller Barbour’s Human Rights Journey,” which explores Barbour’s enduring commitment to human rights and his groundbreaking contributions to the early foundations of the Civil Rights Movement.
View a trailer of the documentary.
The film was created by Jean-Paul Benowitz, Director of Prestigious Scholarships and Public Heritage Studies at Elizabethtown College, in collaboration with students Mechelle Johnson-Reeves ’28 and Ava Skye Barton ’27, as part of a Summer Creative Arts and Research Project (SCARP). Benowitz, who delivered the keynote address at the luncheon, has also helped further document Barbour’s legacy through the recently released scholarly biography, “William Wilbur Miller Barbour: A Faith Full Witness for Human Rights.”
About W. Miller Barbour ’32
Barbour was the first African American to graduate from Middletown High School and the second African American graduate of Elizabethtown College. During his time at Etown, he was mentored by College President Rev. Dr. Ralph W. Schlosser ’07 and Director of Athletics Ira R. Herr ’16, P’62, whose guidance helped shape his path and introduced him to the Anabaptist values of social justice and peacemaking.
Following his time at Etown, Barbour began his career as a social worker, addressing African American gang violence in north Philadelphia in the 1930s.
Barbour served as the first executive secretary for the National Urban League in Denver, Colo., as well as the first director of the National Urban League Western Field Office in Los Angeles, Calif. He had a profound impact on the Civil Rights Movement during the 1940s, as the movement’s focus on achieving racial economic justice through nonviolent direct action can be traced to his leadership.
Presented annually since 1966, the Educate for Service Awards recognize alumni who exemplify the foundation of the Elizabethtown College spirit and legacy of education. The awards are categorized into three unique areas: Service Through Professional Achievement, Service to Humanity, and Service to the College. Learn more about Elizabethtown College’s Educate For Service Awards.