THE EVOLUTION OF HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES

The Evolution Of Historically Black Colleges: Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

The Evolution Of Historically Black Colleges: Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Introduction

Historically Black Colleges and Universities were established beginning in the late 1800s to educate and transition African Americans into the society upon the end of slavery. Blacks, who then were primarily slaves, had been deprived of access to virtually every level of formal learning. HBCUs were born on the eve of the Civil War as "the race problem" boiled at the core of the nation's moral consciousness. Prior to these schools being established, the opportunity for an African American to receive higher education was rare. (Stephen 2004)This was because that in the minds of most whites, blacks were considered either subhuman or, at best, inferior in terms of intellectual and moral capacity. Few blacks were allowed the opportunity to obtain a college education in the "free" more liberal north, and it was virtually impossible in the violently oppressive south. This changed after the Civil War. (Minor 2008)

Cheyney University Of Pennsylvania History

According to the Higher Education of Act of 1965, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are defined as, "any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation." (Cohen 2007)

Among American presidents, several have improved upon the Act to make education more equal and accessible to black students. In 1981 President Reagan signed an executive order called the White House Initiative on HBCUs, which called for strengthening the member schools. In 1993 President Clinton signed another executive order to manage the oversight of implementation. In 2002 President Bush transferred Reagan's White House Initiative into the office of the Secretary of the US Department of Education. Therefore, HBCUs have had a significant impact on education in current history. (Minor 2008)

Discussion

Founded in 1837 as the Institute for Colored Youth, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is the oldest of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America. The founding of Cheyney University was made possible by Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist who bequeathed $10,000, one tenth of his estate, to design and establish a school to educate the descendents of the African race. (Stephen 2004)

Born on a plantation in the West Indies, Richard Humphreys came to Philadelphia in 1764. Having witnessed the struggles of African Americans competing unsuccessfully for jobs due to the influx of immigrants, he became interested in their plight. In 1829, race riots heightened and it was that year Richard Humphreys wrote his will and charged thirteen fellow Quakers to design an institution: "...to instruct the descendents of the African Race in school learning, in the various branches of the mechanic Arts, trades and Agriculture, in order to prepare and fit and ...