First of all, please allow me to set the record straight. Cheyney is the oldest Black institution of higher learning in America and is therefore the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in America. However, there are actually four “first” HBCUs and they all are absolutely remarkable schools. Allow me to explain:

Cheyney University 1837 (Pennsylvania)- the first Black institution of higher learning in America (i.e., a Black institution whose founding trustees required rigorous academic courses followed by grueling oral and written exams in the fields of calculus, geometry, algebra, chemistry, science, mechanical engineering, agricultural engineering, Latin, English literature, etc. before awarding an official Pennsylvania certification that was required to become a licensed teacher).

Lincoln University 1854 (Pennsylvania)- the first Black degree-granting institution in America.

Wilberforce University 1856 (Ohio)- the first completely Black-owned and operated degree-granting institution in America.

Shaw University 1865 (North Carolina)- the first Black degree-granting institution in America’s blatantly and brutally racist Deep South.

These four HBCUs, along with the other 103 HBCUs totaling 107 with more than 228,000 students in 19 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are great schools for Black students as evidenced by the fact that- despite representing less than three percent of this country’s colleges and universities- they have produced the following:

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