Up from Slavery by Richard E. van der Ross

He was the first black vice-chancellor of the University of the Western Cape. In 19, he completed his MA in Philosophy and BEd at the University of Cape Town. Van der Ross initially trained as a teacher at the University of Cape Town, then completed a BA degree through the University of South Africa in 1943. Professor Richard van der Ross, also known as Dicky or Dickie, was an author, teacher, anti-apartheid activist, and a Freeman of the City of Cape Town. See also works published as Dick van der Ross

He was also the first coloured person in South Africa to receive a doctorate (in philosophy), which he achieved at the University of Cape Town.

In 1975 he became rector of the University of the Western Cape.See also works published as Dick van der Ross Professor Richard van der Ross, also known as Dicky or Dickie, was an author, teacher, anti-apartheid activist, and a Freeman of the City of Cape Town. For a short period during 1969-1970 he was the first editor of the Cape Herald, a newspaper for Coloured people. He resigned in 1967 to become an assistant education planner in the Department of Coloured Affairs. In 1966 he took part in establishing and became the first president of the Labour Party of South Africa, which has contested elections for membership of the council. Later in the 1960s, discouraged by the futility of opposition to the basic direction of the government's policy, he argued that apartheid should be opposed and demands made within this framework.

The 'Malmesbury Convention' repudiated governmental bodies such as the Union Council for Coloured Affairs. Although accused by some critics of fearing African domination, he insisted that he favored contact with African groups while calling for organisation among Coloureds in order that they might be able to cooperate as respected allies. In 1961 he was one of the leaders of the Coloured 'convention' movement, which organised a widely representative meeting of Coloureds at Malmesbury near Cape Town. He became inactive in SACPO soon after its founding. For some years he was principal of a teacher training school. Richard Ernest Van der Ross was born in 1921, he studied at the University of Cape Town where he received M.A., B.Ed., and Ph.D.

Up from Slavery by Richard E. van der Ross