To celebrate this year’s Black History Month we look at two Historically Black Colleges & Universities. HBCUs are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving African American students. Most of these institutions were founded during the Reconstruction era and are concentrated in the Southern United States. During the period of racial segregation in the United States, the majority of American institutions of higher education served predominantly white students, and disqualified or limited black American enrollment.
Howard University
Howard University is a private, nonprofit school in the urban setting of Washington, DC. Howard University was founded in 1867 and the school enrolls around 12,065 students per year, which includes 8,964 undergraduate students. Howard University ensures housing for up to 5,230 students. The majority of students live on campus, and first year-students are required to live in campus housing.
NOTABLE ALUMNI
- Kamala Harris, 49th Vice President of the United States
- Thurgood Marshall, United States Supreme Court Justice
- Mike Espy, 25th United States Secretary of Agriculture
- Elijah Cummings, United States Representative
- Toni Morrison, Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize Winning Novelist
- Zora Neale Hurston, Author and Anthropologist
- Chadwick Boseman, Actor
- Phylicia Rashad, Actress
- Taraji P. Henson, Actress
- Roberta Flack, Grammy Winning Singer
- Debbie Allen, Actress
- Nick Cannon, Comedian, Rapper, and TV Host
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, nonprofit school in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Morehouse College was founded in 1867 and the school presently has around 2,554 students a year, including 2,554 undergraduate students. Morehouse College ensures housing for up to 1,545 students. Most students live in off campus housing.
NOTABLE ALUMNI
- Martin Luther King Jr, Baptist Minister & Civil Rights Leader
- Samuel L Jackson, Actor
- Spike Lee, Filmmaker
- Raphael Warnock, United States Senator
- Herman Cain, Businessman and former Presidential candidate
- Edwin Moses, 400m Olympic gold medalist
- Donn Clendenon, Major League basketball player