Toni Morrison, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Thurgood Marshall, Katherine Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson and Megan Thee Stallion are just some of the notable people who shifted culture and attended historically black colleges and universities.
Data also credits HBCUs for producing 80% of Black judges, 50% of Black lawyers, 40% of Black engineers, and almost 13% of Black CEOs.
The first African Institute, which would later become Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, was founded in 1837. Then, following the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, several more schools were established. Nearly 200 years after the first HBCU, there are just over 100 colleges and universities across the country. In that time, these historically Black institutions have served students of all races and cultural backgrounds.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
