Lincoln Society

The Lincoln Society was formed in 1947 with a membership of about twenty men committed to its purpose as a social organization to promote interracial and interreligious understanding on the campus and in the community. At first open only to men, the society later opened its membership to Pembroke students. The activities of the society included social events, community service, and daily coffee hours. In the community, the society sponsored radio broadcasts and plays, helped local service units, and worked with the Rhode Island Council on Human Rights. The coffee hours featured informal discussions in which students, faculty members, and community leaders participated. In 1949 the Lincoln Society affiliated with the Student Committee on Educational Democracy, described in Bear Facts as “a loose federation of college organizations acting as ‘a clearing house for ideas.’” Its last year as a student organization was 1951-52.