Writer: Gabriela Enamorado
2 min read February 2023 — Black History Month is in full swing, and Atlanta, known as “the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement”, is home to some of the top Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the country. These institutions have, and continue to remain, committed to uplifting and educating the Black community.
In remaining committed and collaborative in their approach to educating the Black community, Atlanta’s HBCUs are joined together in the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUC Consortium). This consortium consists of the HBCUs in southwest Atlanta including Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Morehouse School of Medicine.
One of the institutions that continues to reinvest in its offerings is Spelman College, the oldest HBCU for women in the country. This private women’s college is often cited as being the best HBCU in the country. Spelman has a mission to “empower the whole person to engage the many cultures of the world and inspire a commitment to positive social change,” according to their website. Spelman’s history dates back to 1881, when it was founded under the name Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary and was located in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church.
Today, Spelman continues to be a global leader in providing education for women of African descent. The graduation rate is at 72%, according to the Spelman website, which is among the highest rates for HBCUs.
Spelman’s continued innovation and excellence at providing education for Black women, can be attributed to their hands-on and personal approach, Dr. Helene Gayle, president of the college, told Focus:.
“We provide a very hands-on teaching experience,” Dr. Gayle told Focus:. “We not only teach but also mentor young women. We also provide courses that help young women of African descent appreciate their culture and learn about the contribution of Black women in this country and around the world. Our course, African Diaspora and the World is a required course. It helps students to understand the global contributions of the African Diaspora.”
Other ways Spelman achieves its mission is through its Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM, offering study abroad programs and first-generation scholars programs.
“We’re able to expose young women to a broad array of experiences here,” said Dr. Gayle. “We have exchange programs. We provide global and international programs. Most importantly, we give young women a sense of pride in who they are and a belief in themselves. They feel very grounded in a sense of themselves and their identity as Black women.”
Another school driving forward the mission of uplifting the Black community is Clark Atlanta University (CAU), a private Methodist HBCU established in 1865. It was the first college in the nation to offer graduate degrees to African-American students. Today, CAU has a population of over 4,000 students, making it the largest in the AUC Consortium.
Recently, CAU was chosen to be the site of the new PROPEL center, a global headquarters in innovation. The hope for this center is to create a strong Black talent pipeline and bring innovative and unprecedented leadership opportunities to future Black leaders.
Morehouse College and Morehouse College of Medicine are the two other schools that make up the AUC Consortium. Morehouse College of Medicine used to be a part of Morehouse College, but became independent in 1981, and is currently ranked #1 in fulfilling its social mission of health equity.
Morehouse College has been around for 150 years, and has alumni that were leaders in the Civil Rights Movement, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Today, Morehouse continues to be committed to bringing Black male excellence and creating “The Morehouse Man.”
A Morehouse Man is described as “an academic, intellectual, and professional success. Inspired by strong, intelligent, critical, and supportive brothers and teachers, a Morehouse Man endeavors to do the same.” Morehouse has over 2,000 students and is ranked the #4 HBCU for men and #1 HBCU for men for innovation.
