Our Historical Black Colleges & Universities

 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) are college degree institutions of higher education in the United States, that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, with the intention of serving African American students. 

Their original purpose was to provide education for Original African Americans in an era when most colleges and universities in the United States did not allow Black people to enroll. 

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania was the first HBCU established during the pre-civil war date of 1837, while the first HBCU established after the Civil War was Shaw University of Raleigh, NC in 1865.

Notable HBCU'S exclusively owned and operated by African-Americans or our organizations include Wilberforce University (1856), Edward Waters University (1866), Alabama State University (1867), Paul Quinn College (1872), Arkansas Baptist College (1884), Morris Brown College (1881), and Voorhees University (1897). 

Most HBCU's are located in the Southern United States and were founded during the Reconstruction era (1865–1877) following the American Civil War, and the abolishment of slavery. 

They still exist today, and are respected, accredited institutions of higher learning in America.

Original African Americans © 2025 by Nayima Sharif