Lucy Diggs Slowe Papers, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center
"Last night, February 24, at the meeting of the University Council in the course of your remarks, you said that a certain man had asked you if he should send his daughter to Howard University," wrote Dean Slowe in a 1932 letter to President Johnson; "you did not say what your answer to him was, but you did turn to several men near you and ask, “Would you send your daughter to Howard?" The crude remarks by others and Johnson's lack of a clear answer suggested a moral failure on the part of the women of Howard that Slowe deeply detested and demanded an appropriate change in tone and behavior.
Dean Slowe exemplified the high moral fiber she insisted her students exhibit as well as the people positioned to lead them. However, her insistence on proper treatment came at a steep cost. Sitting quietly on the grass, Lucy Diggs Slowe softly grins and hugs a young child who squints at the bright sun's glare. She looks content in one of the few photographs of Slowe experiencing rest and leisure in her tree-lined backyard that provided shade for her many students and guests.
However, in a 1933 special meeting, the Board of Trustees voted that Slowe must leave her home and move on campus despite her contract stating she was not required to ever live on campus. It is believed that because the former Baptist preacher had a particular "old-school" view of women and their roles in society, he sought to reorganize Slowe's role into the more traditional maternal watchdog of the female students. However, Slowe responded enlisting her allies at various newspapers and in the Howard alumni network to advocate on her behalf. Ultimately, the decision was reversed.