People, Locations, Episodes

Benedict College (South Carolina) is Established

On this date in 1870, Benedict College was established in Columbia, S.C, one of over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America.

Allen University (South Carolina) is Founded

The founding in 1870 of Allen University in South Carolina is celebrated on this date. Allen University is one of more than 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States.

Established by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, Allen University is the oldest historically Black university in South Carolina. African Americans founded it with the express purpose of educating African Americans. It is a Christian Liberal Arts institution of higher education and has an illustrious history.

Charles Seifert, Historian born

On this date we celebrate the birth of Charles Seifert in 1871. He was an African American historian of African and African American history who was especially influential in the black arts community.

Edward C. Williams, Librarian born

*Edward Williams was born on this date in 1871. He was a Black librarian and educator. Edward Christopher Williams was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and was the only son of an interracial marriage between Daniel Williams and Mary (Kilary) Williams of Tipperary, Ireland. He received his primary and secondary education from the public schools of […]

Alcorn State University is Founded

On this date we mark the founding of Alcorn State University in 1871. It is one of over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in America.

Joseph S. Clark, Educator born

*Joseph Clark was born on this date in 1871.  He was a Black administrator and educator.  Joseph Samuel Clark was born in Sparta, an unincorporated town in Bienville Parish, LA, in 1871 to Philip and Jane Clark.   He studied at Coleman, Bishop College, and Leland College, graduating in 1901 with a bachelor’s degree. He […]

Selena Sloan Butler, Georgia Educator born

Selena Sloan Butler was born on this date in 1872. She was an African American educator and community leader.

William H. Davis, Government Administrator born.

*William H. Davis was born on this date in 1872. He was a Black educator, pharmacist, and American government official. William Henry Davis was born in Louisville, Kentucky, to former slaves Jerry and Susan Davis. He graduated from Louisville Colored High School in June 1888 at 16, second in his class of eighteen students. Davis […]

Bethune Cookman Institute is Founded

*The creation of Cookman Institute in 1872 is celebrated on this date. This was one of the first schools for Blacks that preceded America’s many Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Elizabeth Wright, Educator, and Administrator born

*On this date in 1872, Elizabeth Evelyn Wright. She was a Black educator and administrator. Elizabeth Evelyn Wright was born in rural Talbotton, Georgia. Her father, John Wesley Wright, was an African American carpenter. Her mother, Virginia Rolfe, was a Native American Cherokee woman. Wright went to a school held in a church basement. In 1888, she attended Tuskegee Institute as a night […]

Paul Quinn College is Founded

*On this date in 1872, Paul Quinn College (PQC) is a private Historically Black College (HBCU) in Dallas, Texas. The College is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). It is the oldest Historically Black College west of the Mississippi River and the nation’s first urban work college. The College was founded in Waco, Texas, by a small group of African Methodist Episcopal preachers at […]

Solomon Fuller, Physician born

*Solomon Fuller was born on this date in 1872.  He was a Black Liberian physician, psychiatrist, pathologist, and professor.  Solomon Carter Fuller was born in Monrovia, Liberia, to Americo-Liberian parents. His father, Solomon, had become a coffee planter and government official in Liberia. His mother, Anna Ursula James, was the daughter of physicians and medical […]

Edward Waters College is Founded

The founding of Edward Waters College (EWC) in Jacksonville FL, in 1872 is celebrated on this date. It is one of over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America.

Following the Civil War, the first bishop of Florida, Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, sent the Reverend Charles H. Pearce to Florida to establish another church. Pearce heeded the call to educate newly emancipated Blacks in the state and he raised funds to establish a school in 1866, which evolved as Edward Waters College, named after the third bishop.

Albert Meyzeek, Educator, and Activist born

*Albert Meyzeek was born on this date in 1872. He was a Black educator and activist. Albert Ernest Meyzeek was born in Toledo, Ohio, the son of John E. and Mary (Lott) Meyzeek. He spent his early childhood years in Toronto, Canada. His father, of Huguenot French ancestry, married Mary Lott, a Black woman, in […]

The University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff is Founded

*On this date, in 1873, The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) was founded.  This is a public Historically Black College and University (HBCU).   It is located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and is the second-oldest public institution in Arkansas. UAPB is a member school of the University of Arkansas System and Thurgood Marshall College Fund.  Authorized by the Reconstruction-era legislature as the Branch Normal College and […]