The Enduring Legacy of First Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) stand as vital institutions in American higher education, with a rich history rooted in the struggle for educational equity. These institutions were founded to provide educational opportunities to African Americans at a time when they were largely excluded from mainstream colleges and universities. Their impact extends far beyond providing access to education; HBCUs have played a pivotal role in shaping social movements, fostering Black leadership, and contributing to the cultural and intellectual landscape of the United States.
Early Foundations: Pioneering Institutions
The establishment of the first HBCUs was a direct response to the systemic racism and segregation prevalent in American society. These early institutions emerged through the dedication of philanthropists, religious organizations, and the efforts of free Black communities.
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania: On February 25, 1837, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania became the nation’s first HBCU. Originally known as the African Institute, it was founded through a \$10,000 endowment from Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist. The school was soon renamed the Institute for Colored Youth. In its early years, the Institute focused on providing vocational training in trades and agriculture. In 1902, the Institute was relocated to George Cheyney’s farm, a 275-acre property just 25 miles west of Philadelphia. In 1914, it was renamed the Cheyney Training School for Teachers and began awarding degrees as an institution of higher learning. Today, Cheyney University welcomes students from diverse backgrounds and offers a wide range of programs. Cheyney graduates still become teachers, but our alumni also enter careers such as journalism, medicine, business, science/technology, law, communications, and government service. Cheyney University boasts more than 30,000 graduates.
Lincoln University: Founded in Pennsylvania on April 29, 1854, Lincoln University was the first institution to offer college degrees to Black students. Initially chartered as the Ashmun Institute, it was renamed Lincoln University in 1866 in honor of President Abraham Lincoln. John Miller Dickey and his wife, Sarah Emlen Cresson, played a crucial role in its establishment. Dickey proposed that the school expand into a full-fledged university and to enroll students of “every clime and complexion.” Law, medical, pedagogical, and theological schools were planned in addition to the College of Liberal Arts. Lincoln University has produced many notable alumni, including civil rights lawyer and Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, and Harlem Renaissance poet and activist Langston Hughes, to name a few. Its graduates also include Kwame Nkrumah, first prime minister of independent Ghana, and Nnamdi Azikiwe, first president of independent Nigeria.
Wilberforce University: Established in Ohio in 1856, Wilberforce University holds the distinction of being the first HBCU owned and operated by African Americans. It was founded by the Cincinnati Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) to provide classical education and teacher training for Black youth. In 1863 - after a year-long closing during the Civil War - AME Bishop Daniel A. Wilberforce University was named after the 18th century abolitionist William Wilberforce.
Read also: Your Guide to Nursing Internships
Shaw University: Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University holds the distinction of being the first HBCU in the American South. Established as the Raleigh Theological Institute by the American Baptist Home Missionary Society, Shaw was incorporated ten years later. Shaw boasts many “firsts”: the first college in the nation to offer a four-year medical program, the first historically Black college in the nation to open its doors to women, and the first historically Black college in North Carolina to be granted an “A” rating by the State Department of Public Instruction. Notable graduates include Ella Baker, 'The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement', and Wille E. Gary, on of America's leading trial attorneys.
Growth and Expansion After the Civil War
The period following the Civil War and Reconstruction witnessed a significant increase in the number of HBCUs. The Freedmen’s Bureau and Black churches and missionary organizations, such as the American Missionary Association, played a crucial role in establishing these institutions. The Second Morrill Act of 1890 further propelled the growth of HBCUs by requiring states, particularly former Confederate states, to provide land-grants for Black institutions if admission was not allowed elsewhere.
Atlanta University - now Clark Atlanta University - was founded on September 19, 1865, as the first HBCU in the Southern United States. Atlanta University was the first graduate institution to award degrees to African Americans in the nation and the first to award bachelor's degrees to African Americans in the South; Clark College (1869) was the nation's first four-year liberal arts college to serve African-American students. The two consolidated in 1988 to form Clark Atlanta University.
Between 1861 and 1900, more than 90 institutions of higher learning were established for African Americans. These institutions provided crucial educational opportunities during a time when access to higher education was severely limited for Black people.
HBCUs and the Civil Rights Movement
HBCUs have been at the forefront of the American Civil Rights Movement, serving as incubators for activism and intellectual discourse. Many prominent civil rights leaders and activists were educated at HBCUs, and these institutions played a vital role in shaping the strategies and ideologies of the movement.
Read also: The Return of College Football Gaming
Shaw was one of the first homes of the American Civil Rights Movement. The SNCC, known as ‘Snik,’ formed at Shaw in 1960 after activist and 1927 graduate Ella Baker organized a political gathering here. The grassroots group got out the Black vote and attended sit-ins and peaceful protests.
Notable academics like Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois, both HBCU alumni, used their respective universities to advance discussions about overcoming racial prejudice and uplifting the African American community. Great leaders of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement-Stokely Carmichael, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. W. E. B.
Contributions to American Society
HBCUs have made significant contributions to American society across various fields, including education, science, arts, and politics.
Education: By 1900, Shaw University had trained more than 30,000 teachers of color. In their early decades, students challenged the school for its all-white faculty. Lincoln hired its first Black professor in 1933 and its first Black president in 1945. In 1953, it began admitting women.
Civil Rights: Lincoln University has produced many notable alumni, including civil rights lawyer and Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, and Harlem Renaissance poet and activist Langston Hughes, to name a few. Its graduates also include Kwame Nkrumah, first prime minister of independent Ghana, and Nnamdi Azikiwe, first president of independent Nigeria.
Read also: Transfer pathways after community college
Politics: Shaw’s former students include members of Congress and college presidents, pastors, lawyers, hip-hop legends, and even a United Nations General Assembly president. An international student from Liberia, Brooks applied to Shaw as a divorced mother of two and graduated in 1949.
Arts and Culture: The Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes graduated from Lincoln in 1929. The legendary and influential soul and jazz poet, musician, and author Gil-Scott-Heron attended Lincoln in the late 1960s.
Science: Shaw researchers studied Medal of Honor recipients and the African-American soldiers who fought beside them in World War II. They questioned why the military hadn’t awarded the medal to any of the Black servicemen. In 1997, the researchers presented a list to the Pentagon of ten Black veterans they believed had demonstrated exceptional valor. Shaw’s Institute for Health, Social, and Community Research used a \$4.3 million National Institutes of Health grant to fund the University’s National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
Unique Aspects of HBCU Culture
HBCUs foster a unique cultural environment that celebrates Black identity, promotes community engagement, and instills a sense of pride and belonging.
Homecoming: Homecoming is a tradition at almost every American college and university, however homecoming has a more unique meaning at HBCUs. Homecoming plays a significant role in the culture and identity of HBCUs. The level of pageantry and local black community involvement (parade participation, business vendors, etc.) helps make HBCU homecomings more distinctive. Due to higher campus traffic and activity, classes at HBCUs are usually cancelled on Friday and Saturday of homecoming. Millions of alumni, students, celebrity guests, and visitors attend HBCU homecomings every year. In addition to being a highly cherished tradition and festive week, homecomings generate strong revenue for many black owned businesses and HBCUs.
The Yard: Whether it’s called the Hill, Quad, Block, or other nicknames, the center or main part of a campus often is affectionately known as the Yard. It’s the site for plenty of activities-many formal and informal gatherings.
Sports and Marching Bands: Sports and marching bands are two distinctive and celebrated features of many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Beginning in the 1940s, HBCU bands began to break from the traditions of military-inspired marching bands by incorporating dancing and upbeat music into halftime shows. The band is one of the most celebrated groups at an HBCU.
Greek Life: The impact of Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) fraternities and sororities cannot be overstated for undergraduates, graduates, and alumni. Stepping, a ritual dance performance based on synchronized movements and linked to African cultural traditions, originated among Black fraternities in the mid-1900s.
Challenges and Contemporary Issues
Despite their rich history and significant contributions, HBCUs face ongoing challenges, including funding disparities, declining enrollment, and competition from predominantly White institutions.
In 2023, the average HBCU 6-year undergraduate graduation rate was 35% while the national average was 64%. In 2015, the share of Black students attending HBCUs had dropped to 9% of the total number of Black students enrolled in degree-granting institutions nationwide. This figure is a decline from the 13% of Black students who enrolled in an HBCU in 2000 and 17% who enrolled in 1980. The percentages of bachelor's and master's degrees awarded to Black students by HBCUs has decreased over time. HBCUs awarded 35% of the bachelor's degrees and 21% of the master's degrees earned by Black students in 1976-77, compared with the 14% and 6% respectively of bachelor's and master's degrees earned by Black students in 2014-15.
HBCUS may struggle to complete with predominantly White schools in recruiting high-achieving Black students. In an attempt to correct for racial disparities, many predominantly White institutions actively seek out and court high-achieving students of color.
The Future of HBCUs
HBCUs remain essential institutions for Black students and the broader community. They continue to evolve and adapt to meet the changing needs of society, offering innovative programs and fostering a supportive environment for students to thrive.
Today, students can prepare at Shaw for careers in emerging fields like digital technology and cybersecurity. Our Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center works with students and local aspiring small business owners who want to become successful Black entrepreneurs. We’re extend our connections with the Raleigh community, offering educational options to adult learners with career dreams to incarcerated men and women who want to learn while in prison.
Starting in 2001, directors of libraries of several HBCUs began discussions about ways to pool their resources and work collaboratively. HBCU libraries have formed the HBCU Library Alliance. Together with Cornell University, the alliance has a joint program to digitize HBCU collections. Additionally, more historically Black colleges and universities are offering online education programs.
