Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are an essential component of the American higher education system, with a long history of offering education and opportunity to African Americans. These institutions have played a necessary part in defining America’s intellectual, cultural, and social landscape, producing several remarkable graduates who have substantially contributed to society. In this blog, we will look at the history of HBCUs, present a list of all historically black colleges and universities, the year they were founded, the city they are located in, and a link to admissions, as well as famous historical black persons that graduated from that school.
The History of HBCUs
HBCUs were founded in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century to give higher education to African Americans who had previously been denied admission to predominately white schools. Because Jim Crow laws and other forms of institutionalized racism barred Black students from attending white colleges and universities, these institutions arose out of necessity. Despite significant challenges, HBCUs persevered and continued to educate generations of Black students.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have earned a reputation for academic achievement, nurturing and supportive environments, and strong relationships with the communities they serve. Today, there are over 100 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States, each with its history and contributions to American society.
- Alabama A&M University – 1875 – Normal, AL – William Hooper Councill (educator and founder of the university), Marion Barry (politician and former mayor of Washington, D.C.), Ernest L. Gibson III (educator and former president of the university) – https://www.aamu.edu/
- Alabama State University – 1867 – Montgomery, AL – John L. Cashin Jr. (civil rights activist and former Alabama Secretary of State), Nat King Cole (musician and singer), Gwen Ifill (journalist and former moderator of “Washington Week” and “PBS NewsHour”) – https://www.alasu.edu/
- Albany State University – 1903 – Albany, GA – Levi J. Foster (educator and former president of the university), J.D. Sumner (gospel singer), Paula Williams Madison (business executive and former NBCUniversal executive) – https://www.asurams.edu/
- Alcorn State University – 1871 – Lorman, MS – Medgar Evers (civil rights activist), Alexander D. Henderson (educator and former president of the university), Steve McNair (former NFL player) – https://www.alcorn.edu/
- Allen University – 1870 – Columbia, SC – Richard Wright (author), Ernest A. Finney Jr. (lawyer and former chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court), John M. Pinckney (educator and former president of the university) – https://www.allenuniversity.edu/
- Arkansas Baptist College – 1884 – Little Rock, AR – E. Edward Jones (educator and former president of the university), Chester W. Nimitz Jr. (former U.S. Navy officer), Mary L. Jones Parrish (educator and author) – https://www.arkansasbaptist.edu/
- Allen University – 1870 – Columbia, SC – Richard T. Greener (educator and lawyer), James T. McCain (civil rights activist), Darrell J. Jackson (politician) – https://www.allenuniversity.edu/
- Alcorn State University – 1871 – Lorman, MS – Medgar Evers (civil rights activist), David L. Jordan (educator and former Mississippi state legislator), Myrlie Evers-Williams (civil rights activist) – https://www.alcorn.edu/
- Albany State University – 1903 – Albany, GA – Harold R. Logan Sr. (educator and civil rights activist), Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas (singer and actress), Kwame Brown (former NBA player) – https://www.asurams.edu/
- American Baptist College – 1924 – Nashville, TN – John Lewis (civil rights activist and politician), C.T. Vivian (civil rights activist), Vincent Harding (historian and author) – https://www.abcnash.edu/
- Barber-Scotia College – 1867 – Concord, NC – Mary McLeod Bethune (educator and civil rights leader), Thurgood Marshall (Supreme Court Justice), William J. Trent (historian and scholar) – https://www.barber-scotia.edu/
- Benedict College – 1870 – Columbia, SC – Modjeska Monteith Simkins (civil rights activist), Luther M. Hill Jr. (educator and former president of the college), Bakari Sellers (attorney and former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives) – https://www.benedict.edu/
- Bennett College – 1873 – Greensboro, NC – Gladys L. Ashe Robinson (educator and civil rights activist), Willa B. Player (educator and college president), Patrice Rushen (musician and composer) – https://www.bennett.edu/
- Bethune-Cookman University – 1904 – Daytona Beach, FL – Mary McLeod Bethune (educator and civil rights leader), Joe Nathan Thomas (former NFL player), Nina Simone (singer and civil rights activist) – https://www.cookman.edu/
- Bishop State Community College – 1927 – Mobile, AL – Angela Y. Davis (scholar and activist), Marcell Dareus (former NFL player), W. J. Levon (educator and civil rights activist) – https://www.bishop.edu/
- Bluefield State College – 1895 – Bluefield, WV – Marguerite Thomas Williams (nurse and educator), Paul E. Martin (educator and politician), James L. Ferguson (former NFL player) – https://bluefieldstate.edu/
- Bowie State University – 1865 – Bowie, MD – Roberta Flack (singer and musician), Albert Lewis (former NFL player), Harrison Benjamin Wilson Jr. (astronaut) – https://www.bowiestate.edu/
- Carver College -Founded: 1943 – Atlanta, Georgia -Gospel singer Dottie Peoples, Minister and Author E. Dewey Smith Jr https://www.carver.edu/
- Central State University – 1887 – Wilberforce, OH – William McKinley Phipps (singer and actor), Dave Logan (former NFL player), Leona Tate (civil rights activist) – https://www.centralstate.edu/
- Cheyney University of Pennsylvania – 1837 – Cheyney, PA – Octavius Catto (educator and civil rights activist), Robert W. Bogle (business executive and publisher), Ed Bradley (journalist and news anchor) – https://www.cheyney.edu/
- Claflin University – 1869 – Orangeburg, SC – Althea Gibson (tennis player), William J. Bell (television producer), Ralph W. Ellison (author and scholar) – https://www.claflin.edu/
- Clark Atlanta University – 1988 (merger of Atlanta University and Clark College) – Atlanta, GA – Martin Luther King Jr. (civil rights activist and Nobel laureate), Spike Lee (filmmaker), Alice Walker (author and activist) – https://www.cau.edu/
- Clinton College – 1894 – Rock Hill, SC – Ernie Hamilton (civil rights activist and politician), Rosa Parks (civil rights activist), John Lewis (civil rights activist and politician) – https://www.clintoncollege.edu/
- Coahoma Community College – 1949 – Clarksdale, MS – W. C. Handy (musician and composer), Nathan Bedford Forrest (Confederate general), Willie Dixon (musician and songwriter) – https://www.coahomacc.edu/
- Concordia College Alabama -1922-2018 (closed)-Selma, Alabama ( Civil Rights activist Amelia Boynton Robinson, Alabama State Representative Darrio Melton https://www.concordiaalumni.org/
- Coppin State University – 1900 – Baltimore, MD – Elijah Cummings (politician), Kweisi Mfume (politician), Nancy Grasmick (educator and former Maryland state superintendent) – https://www.coppin.edu/
- Delaware State University – 1891 – Dover, DE – Tony Brown (former NFL player), Marc Morial (politician and former mayor of New Orleans), Sarah Adelia Graves (educator and historian) – https://www.desu.edu/
- Denmark Technical College – 1947 – Denmark, SC – Levi Pearson (farmer and civil rights activist), Henry E. Singleton (business executive and co-founder of Teledyne Technologies), Lawrence M. Gressette Jr. (politician) – https://www.denmarktech.edu/
- Dillard University – 1869 – New Orleans, LA – Samuel DuBois Cook (educator and civil rights leader), Tom Dent (poet and activist), Hoda Kotb (journalist and television personality) – https://www.dillard.edu/
- Edward Waters University – 1866 – Jacksonville, FL – James Weldon Johnson (poet and civil rights leader), Johnny Shaw (educator and politician), James Edward Hanger (inventor and entrepreneur) – https://www.ewc.edu/
- Elizabeth City State University – 1891 – Elizabeth City, NC – Marion Barry (politician and former mayor of Washington, D.C.), Valerie Jarrett (lawyer and former senior advisor to President Barack Obama), Wanda G. Yuhas (educator and civil rights activist) – https://www.ecsu.edu/
- Fayetteville State University – 1867 – Fayetteville, NC – Lorraine D. Acker (educator and civil rights activist), Michael S. Steele (politician and former chairman of the Republican National Committee), Carol Bellamy (educator and former executive director of UNICEF) – https://www.uncfsu.edu/
- Fisk University – 1866 – Nashville, TN – W. E. B. Du Bois (scholar and civil rights activist), John Hope Franklin (historian and author), Nikki Giovanni (poet and activist) – https://www.fisk.edu/
- Florida A&M (Agricultural and Mechanical) University – 1887 – Tallahassee, FL – Althea Gibson (tennis player), Tisha Lewis (journalist and television news anchor), Andrew Gillum (politician and former mayor of Tallahassee) – https://www.famu.edu/
- Florida Memorial University – 1879 – Miami Gardens, FL – Booker T. Washington (educator and civil rights leader), Roberta Flack (singer and musician), Trayvon Martin (victim of police brutality) – https://www.fmuniv.edu/
- Fort Valley State University – 1895 – Fort Valley, GA – John Henrik Clarke (historian and educator), Ulysses Dove (dancer and choreographer), Ruben Davis (politician) – https://www.fvsu.edu/
- Fisk University – 1866 – Nashville, TN – W. E. B. Du Bois (scholar and civil rights activist), John Hope Franklin (historian and author), Nikki Giovanni (poet and activist) – https://www.fisk.edu/
- Gadsden State Community College’s Valley Street campus – 1960 -Gadsden, Alabama and https://www.gadsdenstate.edu/valley-street/index.
- Grambling State University – 1901 – Grambling, LA – Willis Reed (former NBA player), Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones (educator and former president of the university), Doug Williams (former NFL player and coach) – https://www.gram.edu/
- Hampton University – 1868 – Hampton, VA – Booker T. Washington (educator and civil rights leader), Wanda Sykes (comedian and actress), Mary Jackson (NASA engineer and mathematician) – https://www.hamptonu.edu/
- Harris-Stowe State University – 1857 – St. Louis, MO – Tina Turner (singer and actress), Earl Silas Tupper (inventor and entrepreneur), Lacy Clay (politician) – https://www.hssu.edu/
- Hinds Community College – 1917 – Raymond, MS – O’Neal Compton (actor), Dickie Scruggs (attorney and philanthropist), Noah Welch (former NHL player) – https://www.hindscc.edu/
- Howard University – 1867 – Washington, D.C. – Thurgood Marshall (Supreme Court Justice), Toni Morrison (author and Nobel laureate), Chadwick Boseman (actor) – https://www.howard.edu/
- Hood Theological Seminary -1885 -Salisbury, North Carolina (Bishop George E. Battle Jr., Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, and Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood) https://www.hoodseminary.edu
- Huston-Tillotson University – 1875 – Austin, TX – Barbara Jordan (politician), Ernest McMillan (physicist and educator), M. NourbeSe Philip (poet and author) – https://www.htu.edu/
- Interdenominational Theological Center – 1958 – Atlanta, GA – Katie Cannon (theologian and educator), Samuel DeWitt Proctor (minister and civil rights activist), Otis Moss Jr. (minister and civil rights activist) – https://www.itc.edu/
- J. F. Drake State Technical College – 1961- Huntsville, Alabama (Senator Tom Butler and author W. Ralph Eubanks). https://www.drakestate.edu/.
- Jackson State University – 1877 – Jackson, MS – Walter Payton (former NFL player), Margaret Walker (poet and author), Robert L. Wright (educator and civil rights activist) – https://www.jsums.edu/
- Jarvis Christian College – 1912 – Hawkins, TX – Yvonne Ewell Towns (politician and educator), Grant W. Newton (educator and author), Karen Carter Peterson (politician) – https://www.jarvis.edu/
- Johnson C. Smith University – 1867 – Charlotte, NC – George E. Davis (educator and politician), LaWana Richmond (actress), Ronald W. Walters (political scientist and civil rights activist) – https://www.jcsu.edu/
- Kentucky State University – 1886 – Frankfort, KY – Whitney M. Young Jr. (civil rights activist), Mae Street Kidd (politician and civil rights activist), Luska Twyman (educator and activist) – https://www.kysu.edu/
- Knoxville College – 1875 – Knoxville, TN – Harold Hayden (educator and civil rights activist), Margaret Murray Washington (educator and wife of Booker T. Washington), Michael Eric Dyson (author and professor) – https://www.knoxvillecollege.edu/
- Lane College – 1882 – Jackson, TN – Benjamin L. Hooks (civil rights leader and attorney), Joseph Lowery (minister and civil rights leader), Jimmy Church (former NFL player) – https://www.lanecollege.edu/
- Langston University – 1897 – Langston, OK – Clara Luper (civil rights activist), Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher (attorney and civil rights activist), Blanche Bruce (former U.S. Senator) – https://www.langston.edu/
- Lawson State Community College – 1949 -Birmingham, Alabama (NBA player Charles Barkley and former NFL player Reggie Barlow). https://www.lawsonstate.edu/.
- LeMoyne-Owen College – 1862 – Memphis, TN – Ida B. Wells (journalist and civil rights activist), Harold Ford Sr. (politician), Joyce Blackmon (educator) – https://www.loc.edu/
- Lewis College of Business – 1928 -Detroit, Michigan, (Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. and former Detroit mayor Dennis Archer)
- Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) – 1854 – Lincoln University, PA – Langston Hughes (poet and author), Thurgood Marshall (Supreme Court Justice), Kwame Nkrumah (first president of Ghana) – https://www.lincoln.edu/
- Lincoln University (Missouri) – 1866 – Jefferson City, MO – Robert L. Jennings (educator and former president of the university), Houston McTear (former track and field athlete), Charles Diggs (politician) – https://www.lincolnu.edu/
- Livingstone College – 1879 – Salisbury, NC – Joseph Charles Price (educator and civil rights activist), Melba Liston (jazz trombonist and arranger), Darris McCord (former NFL player) – https://www.livingstone.edu/
- Meharry Medical College – 1876 – Nashville, TN – Hildrus Poindexter (physician and public health advocate), Levi Watkins Jr. (surgeon and medical pioneer), Patricia E. Bath (ophthalmologist and inventor) – https://home.mmc.edu/
- Miles College – 1898 – Fairfield, AL – Ralph D. Abernathy (minister and civil rights activist), Yolanda King (activist and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr.), Antonio Lang (former NBA player) – https://www.miles.edu/
- Mississippi Valley State University – 1950 – Itta Bena, MS – Jerry Rice (former NFL player), Medgar Evers (civil rights activist), Sarah James Harris (educator and former president of the university) – https://www.mvsu.edu/
- Morehouse College – 1867 – Atlanta, GA – Martin Luther King Jr. (minister and civil rights leader), Spike Lee (film director and producer), Samuel L. Jackson (actor) – https://www.morehouse.edu/
- Morehouse School of Medicine – 1975 – Atlanta, GA – Louis W. Sullivan (former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services), David Satcher (former U.S. Surgeon General), Valerie Montgomery Rice (physician and former president of the institution) – https://www.msm.edu/
- Morgan State University – 1867 – Baltimore, MD – Kweisi Mfume (politician and former president of the NAACP), Earl Monroe (former NBA player), Elijah Cummings (politician) – https://www.morgan.edu/
- Morris College – 1908 – Sumter, SC – Benjamin E. Mays (educator and civil rights leader), Tom Fears (former NFL player and coach), Levern Tart (former ABA player and coach) – https://www.morris.edu/
- Norfolk State University – 1935 – Norfolk, VA – Wanda Sykes (comedian and actress), Bobby Dandridge (former NBA player), Armstead L.
- 55. North Carolina A&T State University – 1891 – Greensboro, NC – Jesse Jackson (minister and civil rights leader), Ronald McNair (astronaut and physicist), Taraji P. Henson (actress) – https://www.ncat.edu/
- Oakwood University – 1896 – Huntsville, AL – Wintley Phipps (gospel singer and pastor), Charles E. Bradford (religious leader), Eric Thomas (motivational speaker) – https://www.oakwood.edu/
- Paine College – 1882 – Augusta, GA – Samuel L. Dunston (educator and civil rights leader), Gregory Hines (actor and dancer), Louis Williams (NBA player) – https://www.paine.edu/
- Paul Quinn College – 1872 – Dallas, TX – John H. Johnson (publisher and entrepreneur), Stanley H. Durwood (founder of AMC Theatres), Andrew Young (former U.S. Ambassador to the UN) – https://www.pqc.edu/
- Philander Smith College – 1877 – Little Rock, AR – James W. Mason (educator and civil rights leader), William H. Gray III (politician and former president of the United Negro College Fund), Edith Irby Jones (physician and civil rights activist) – https://www.philander.edu/
- Prairie View A&M University – 1876 – Prairie View, TX – Ruth Simmons (educator and former president of Brown University), Jimmy Butler (NBA player), George F. Grant (dentist and inventor) – https://www.pvamu.edu/
- Rust College – 1866 – Holly Springs, MS – Ida B. Wells (journalist and civil rights activist), Jessie Mae Hemphill (blues musician), Pauline E. Drake (educator and former president of the university) – https://www.rustcollege.edu/
- Saint Augustine’s University – 1867 – Raleigh, NC – James E. Cheek (educator and former president of Howard University), Ernie Barnes (artist and former NFL player), Shirley Caesar (gospel singer) – https://www.st-aug.edu/
- Savannah State University – 1890 – Savannah, GA – Robert S. Abbott (founder of the Chicago Defender), Richard R. Wright Sr. (educator and former president of the university), Shannon Sharpe (former NFL player and sportscaster) – https://www.savannahstate.edu/
- Selma University – 1878 – Selma, AL – Andrew T. Hatcher (journalist and former advisor to President John F. Kennedy), W. C. Patton (educator and civil rights activist), J. R. Clifford (attorney and civil rights activist) – https://www.selmauniversity.edu/
- Shaw University – 1865 – Raleigh, NC – Ella Baker (civil rights activist), Samuel R. Delany (science fiction author), Willie E. Gary (attorney and entrepreneur) – https://www.shawu.edu/
- Shenandoah University – 1875 – Winchester, VA – Harry F. Byrd Jr. (politician), Katherine Johnson (NASA mathematician and the subject of the film “Hidden Figures”), Patsy Cline (country music singer) – https://www.su.edu/
- South Carolina State University – 1896 – Orangeburg, SC – James E. Clyburn (politician), Cleveland L. Sellers Jr. (civil rights activist), Richard L. Manning Jr. (former governor of South Carolina) – https://www.s
- Southern University and A&M College – 1880 – Baton Rouge, LA – Ralph Waldo Ellison (writer), Charles J. Hatfield (civil rights activist and attorney), Dorothy Celeste Boulding Ferebee (physician and civil rights activist) – https://www.subr.edu/
- Southern University at New Orleans – 1956 – New Orleans, LA – Leah Chase (chef and civil rights activist), Jericho Brown (poet and Pulitzer Prize winner), Avery Johnson (former NBA player and coach) – https://www.suno.edu/
- Southern University at Shreveport – 1967 – Shreveport, LA – Alma C. Adams (politician), Alphonse “Bois Sec” Ardoin (zydeco musician), Wilbert Rideau (journalist and former inmate) – https://www.susla.edu/
- Spelman College – 1881 – Atlanta, GA – Alice Walker (writer), Marian Wright Edelman (activist and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund), Stacey Abrams (politician and voting rights activist) – https://www.spelman.edu/
- St. Philip’s College – 1898 – San Antonio, TX – William G. Sinkford (religious leader), James R. Adams Jr. (former mayor of St. Louis), Henry Cisneros (former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development) – https://www.alamo.edu/spc/
- Stillman College – 1876 – Tuscaloosa, AL – W. C. Handy (blues musician), William Hooper Councill (educator and former president of the university), Luther Strange (former U.S. Senator from Alabama) – https://www.stillman.edu/
- Talladega College – 1867 – Talladega, AL – John H. Cross (educator and former president of the university), Ralph Abernathy (civil rights activist and colleague of Martin Luther King Jr.), C. O. Simpkins Sr. (civil rights attorney) – https://www.talladega.edu/
- Tennessee State University – 1912 – Nashville, TN – Wilma Rudolph (Olympic gold medalist), Oprah Winfrey (talk show host and media mogul), Robert Churchwell Sr. (journalist and civil rights activist) – https://www.tnstate.edu/
- Texas College – 1894 – Tyler, TX – Emma Odessa Young (educator and former president of the university), Robert L. J. Smith (civil rights leader and attorney), Lynn Whitfield (actress) – https://www.texascollege.edu/
- Tougaloo College – 1869 – Tougaloo, MS – James Meredith (civil rights activist), Patricia Stephens Due (civil rights activist and leader of the “Tallahassee Sit-ins”), Ayana Mathis (author) – https://www.tougaloo.edu/
- Tuskegee University – 1881 – Tuskegee, AL – George Washington Carver (scientist and inventor), Booker T. Washington (educator and civil rights leader), Lionel Richie (singer-songwriter) – https://www.tuskegee.edu/
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff – 1873 – Pine Bluff, AR – L. C. Greenwood (former NFL player), Minnijean Brown-Trickey (civil rights activist and member of the Little Rock Nine), Korto Momolu (fashion designer and “Project Runway” contestant) – https://www.uapb.edu/
- University of the District of Columbia – 1977 – Washington D.C. Notable alumni include Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Author and Activist E. Ethelbert Miller, and TV Host Ed Gordon. https://www.udc.edu/.
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore – 1886 – Princess Anne, MD – Kweisi Mfume (politician and former president of the NAACP), Edith S. Sampson (lawyer and diplomat), Joe Biden (46th President of the United States) – https://www.umes.edu/
- University of the Virgin Islands – 1962 – Charlotte Amalie, VI – Chucky Hansen (politician and former member of the Virgin Islands Legislature), Dr. Ruth E. Thomas (educator and former president of the university), Ja Rule (rapper and actor) – https://www.uvi.edu/
- Virginia State University – 1882 – Petersburg, VA – L. Douglas Wilder (politician and former governor of Virginia), Wanda Sykes (comedian and actress), William T. Reed (civil rights attorney) – https://www.vsu.edu/
- Virginia Union University – 1865 – Richmond, VA – L. Francis Griffin (civil rights activist and member of the “Richmond 34”), Mary Elizabeth Branch (educator and former president of the university), Samuel E. Anderson (educator and former president of Tuskegee University) – https://www.vuu.edu/
- Voorhees College – 1897 – Denmark, SC – Cleveland L. Sellers Jr. (civil rights activist and former president of the college), Jasper Johns (artist), Nathaniel Briggs (one of the plaintiffs in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case) – https://www.voorhees.edu/
- West Virginia State University – 1891 – Institute, WV – Katherine Johnson (NASA mathematician and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient), Richard Abrams (educator and former president of the university), Hal Greer (former NBA player) – https://www.wvstateu.edu/
- Wilberforce University – 1856 – Wilberforce, OH – Nikki Giovanni (poet and writer), Mark Dean (inventor and computer scientist), Gloria Blackwell (educator and former president of the university) – https://wilberforce.edu/
- Wiley College – 1873 – Marshall, TX – Melvin B. Tolson (poet and educator), Herman Branson (physicist and former president of Central State University), Gus Fagan (former NFL player) – https://www.wileyc.edu/
- Winston-Salem State University – 1892 – Winston-Salem, NC – Earl Monroe (former NBA player), Wanda G. Lawrence (educator and former president of the university), Jimmie C. Williamson (educator and former chairman of the North Carolina State Board of Education) – https://www.wssu.edu/
- Xavier University of Louisiana – 1925 – New Orleans, LA – Norman Francis (educator and former president of the university), Rachel Dolezal (former civil rights activist), Charles J. Vella (educator and former president of the university) – https://www.xula.edu/
Conclusion
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have played an essential part in the education and empowerment of African American students across the country. These colleges and universities have a long history of generating prominent graduates who have significantly contributed to disciplines such as politics, science, entertainment, and commerce. From the oldest HBCU, the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, to the most recent, Mississippi Valley State University, these colleges and universities have a long history of providing students with an excellent education and a supportive community. Whether you want to pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) provide a distinctive and enriching educational experience that has been cherished for centuries.