The First of its Kind

On February 25, 1837, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania became the nation’s first Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The University was established through the bequest of Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist who bequeathed $10,000 — one-tenth of his estate — to design and establish a school to educate people of African descent and prepare them as teachers.

First known as the African Institute, the school was soon renamed the Institute for Colored Youth. In its early years, it provided training in trades and agriculture, which were the predominant skills needed in the general economy.

Well-known alumni include:

· Ed Bradley, Correspondent for the CBS program “60 Minutes;”

· Pedro Rivera, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education;

· Robert W. Bogle, Publisher and CEO of the Philadelphia Tribune, the oldest newspaper continuously owned and operated by an African American;

· Dr. Audrey F. Bronson, Member of the PA State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors, ordained minister and retired educator;

· Dr. Gladys Styles Johnston, former Chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Kearney; Thaddeus Kirkland, State Representative and Mayor of Chester, PA;

· Bayard Rustin, Prominent civil rights activist.

Source: Cheyney University