Shaping the future: ABHMS, HBCUs, and Black excellence
VALLEY FORGE, PA (02/26/2025)—This Black History Month, ABHMS celebrates all those who have contributed to the founding and functioning of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In 1862, only an estimated 10 percent of enslaved African Americans were literate, the prohibition of the enslaved learning to read and write being one of slavery’s cruelest tools of oppression. After the Emancipation, it became clear that the formerly enslaved needed education if they were to achieve freedom and protection from exploitation. Yet Congress repeatedly rejected proposals to create “common schools” that would educate all children, regardless of race; states often withheld funding for Black schools.
These conditions made it necessary for grassroots support. Black communities, the Freedmen’s Bureau, some state governments, and religious and philanthropic organizations stepped in. American Baptist Home Mission Society was among them; it helped establish 27 higher education institutions for freed people. Other Christian philanthropic organizations committed to creating HBCUs included the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the American Missionary Association. Raymond Hylton, professor of history and political science at Virginia Union University said in the documentary “The Promise of Freedom” that the role of organizations like ABHMS is generally underestimated: “They played a crucial role. Contrary to popular myth, the Freedmen’s Bureau and the federal government had very little to do with it [the founding of HBCUs]. It was the American Baptist Home Mission Society that actually founded these institutions.”
The first HBCUs were founded long before Emancipation. Cheyney University in Pennsylvania, originally called the Institute for Colored Youth, was established in 1837. The first HBCU to grant degrees was Lincoln University, also in Pennsylvania, founded in 1854. However, the real explosion of new HBCUs occurred after the Civil War. Among the schools which precursors of today’s ABHMS helped found are Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., with its most famous graduate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga.; Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va.; Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C.; and Jackson State University (JSU) in Jackson, Miss.
ABHMS provided financial backing for faculty salaries, scholarships, and the construction of buildings. ABHMS sent many early administrators and teachers to these institutions. When William S. Shallenberger filed the Annual Report in 1904, the American Baptist Home Mission Society reported spending over $130,000 on Black college instructors’ wages, comparable to $4.6 million in 2025. “I think it was their dedication, their faith, this was religion to them, this was faith, this was belief, this was a mission,” said Hylton of Virginia Union.
Being a Baptist organization, ABHMS placed a strong emphasis on moral growth in addition to intellectual pursuits. This ethos still defines HBCUs today. “When a student graduates from Morehouse, he is expected to take away more than a degree; we put a great deal of emphasis on being a person of ethics, morality, and integrity; and as the chairman of our board, Reverend Moss often stresses, we hope they leave with some sense of spirituality,“ said Dr. Walter Massey, who served as president of Morehouse College in 1995-2007, in “The Promise of Freedom.” Massey also commented that Morehouse’s success and longevity is due to “dedication of people … who have believed in the mission of Morehouse College over the years.”
Some Morehouse students featured in “The Promise of Freedom” said:
“I want to be a leader for my community, and that’s why I chose to come here.”
“I personally decided to come to Morehouse [due to its legacy] of producing outstanding African American leaders but [also] the environment of the Black college as a whole.”
“Black colleges are definitely necessary because they provide a very nurturing environment, especially for kids coming from all different walks of life.”
“Every day you learn something new; it’s a new experience, you actually see what you can do and what you can achieve.”
“To see a positive image of Black people is very important.”
“Morehouse is simply helping Black America build and empower itself inside of America and that’s a beautiful thing!”
Since 1837, 99 HBCUs have been founded, creating a strong academic and intellectual legacy in Black America. ABHMS’ precursors’ efforts have had a lasting and transformative impact on African American education, social mobility, and civil rights. Today, in the spirit of Proverbs 18:15: “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge,” ABHMS is proud to have played a key role in laying the foundation for many HBCUs, ensuring higher education for Black Americans at a time when they faced widespread exploitation, discrimination, and limited access to schooling.
ABHMS-supported schools trained Black ministers, teachers, doctors, and business leaders, equipping them to uplift their communities. Many HBCU graduates became civil rights activists, educators, and political leaders who fought for justice and equality. Today, HBCUs remain vital for fostering Black excellence, leadership, and cultural heritage, proving that ABHMS’s investment was impactful in the past and continues to shape the future.
By Rev. Dr. Anna Piela, ABHMS senior writer and associate editor of The Christian Citizen
Further reading:
- Christopher Brown II, T. Elon Dancy II (eds.), “Black Colleges Across the Diaspora Global Perspectives on Race and Stratification in Postsecondary Education,” Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Ltd., 2017.
Deondra Rose, “The Power of Black Excellence,” New York: Oxford University Press, 2024.
Heather Andrea Williams, “Self-Taught African American Education in Slavery and Freedom,” Durham, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2009.
