Video: Local HBCU Grads Share Their Experience

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – We continue our Black History Month series “Made By History” with a look at the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Created after the Civil War, HBCUs were established all across the South to educate freed slaves. Today they continue to be a nurturing environment for higher education for many African-American students.

Dr. Walter Conley, a retired school superintendent, attended Tougaloo College, a small private institution in Jackson. He recalls a sense of family on campus. He says, “Teachers were very caring. They knew your name in a lot of cases and they were really concerned. It was quite nurturing.”

Nadia Colom, Chief Operating Officer of the Golden Triangle Boys and Girls Club, is a proud graduate of Jackson State University. She had a similar experience. Colom says, “It felt like family. That was the main thing. Everybody seemed just so familiar with each other. People say it all the time, but it was really true. You’re not just one of the numbers.”

There are currently 101 HBCUs in the United States. There are five in the state of Mississippi. In addition to Jackson State and Tougaloo College, there is Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State, and Rust College.