South Carolina State University (SCSU) was founded in 1896 by an act of the South Carolina General Assembly and remains the state’s sole public college for African American youth. It was established in Orangeburg, South Carolina as a land grant institution that focused mainly on … Read MoreSouth Carolina State University (1896- )
Claflin University, located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, was founded in 1869 by Alonzo Webster (1818-1887), a Vermont minister. Webster came to South Carolina to teach at the Baker Bible Institute in Charleston training African American ministers for the Methodist Episcopal Church (today the United Methodist … Read MoreClaflin University (1869- )
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, located near Cheyney, Pennsylvania, was founded on February 25, 1837, making it the oldest predominantly African American institution of higher education in the United States. It was originally known as the African Institute was renamed the Institute of Colored Youth in … Read MoreCheyney University of Pennsylvania (1837- )
Saint Paul’s College of Virginia is a private college located in Lawrenceville, Virginia. The college was founded on September 24, 1888, by James Solomon Russell, a newly-ordained deacon in the Protestant Episcopal Church. He became the first principal of the institution, which in 1890 was … Read MoreSaint Paul’s College of Virginia (1888- )
Political activist and journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 24, 1954. Born Wesley Cook, he took the name Mumia (“Prince”) in high school while taking a class on African cultures. In 1971, he added Abu-Jamal (“father of Jamal”) after the birth … Read MoreMumia Abu-Jamal (1954- )
American soprano Kathleen Battle was born on August 13, 1948 in Portsmouth, Ohio. Battle’s father was a steelworker and her mother was an active participant in the gospel choir at the family’s local African Methodist Episcopal Church. Battle attended Portsmouth High School and upon graduation … Read MoreKathleen Battle (1948- )
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff was created by the Arkansas Legislative Act of 1873. The University was established for the “convenience and well-being of the poorer classes” which meant African Americans in the state. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is the … Read MoreUniversity of Arkansas Pine Bluff (1873- )
The University of District of Columbia was founded as a school for African American girls in 1851. The school was established by Myrtilla Miner and was initially called the Miner Normal School. In 1879 it became part of the District of Columbia public school system. … Read MoreUniversity of District of Columbia (1851- )
Yelena Khanga is a journalist and writer who was born in 1962 in Moscow, Russia. She is the daughter of Abdulla Khanga, who was the onetime vice president of Zanzibar, and Lily Golden, a Russian woman who was a historian and educator. She was also … Read MoreYelena Khanga (1962- )
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer and actress. She was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 26, 1944 to Fred and Ernestine Ross, who lived in the low-income Brewster Housing Project. Growing up, Diana, who was referred to as “Diane,” studied design and … Read MoreDiana Ross (1944- )
