Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, in west-central Alabama. The population was 7,162 at the 2020 census.
Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. Central State University, also in Wilberforce, Ohio, began as a department of Wilberforce University. The college was founded in 1856 to provide classical education and teacher training for black youth. It was named for the English statesman William Wilberforce, who achieved the end of the slave trade in the British Empire.
Tuskegee University is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on July 4th in 1881 by the Alabama Legislature.
Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama, United States. It was founded by Baptists in 1841 as Howard College and located until 1887 in Marion, Alabama. In the fall of 2024, the university enrolled 6,101 students from 45 states, 1 U.S. territory, and 16 countries.
The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (C.M.E.C.) is a Methodist denomination that is based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology. Though historically a part of the black church, the Christian Methodist Episcopal church membership has evolved to include all racial backgrounds.
Stillman College is a private historically black Presbyterian college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awards Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 22 programs housed within three academic schools. The college has an average enrollment of 728 students and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Arthur George Gaston was an American entrepreneur who established businesses in Birmingham, Alabama. He had a significant role in the movement to remove legal barriers to integration in Birmingham in 1963. In his lifetime, Gaston's companies were some of the most prominent African-American businesses in the American South.
Birmingham–Southern College (BSC) was a private liberal arts college in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1856, the college was affiliated with the United Methodist Church and was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The college's student body was approximately 975 students when it closed at the end of the 2023–24 school year after years of financial trouble.
Claflin University is a private historically black university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1869 after the American Civil War by northern missionaries for the education of freedmen and their children, it offers bachelor's and master's degrees.
Allen University is a private historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. It has more than 600 students and still serves a predominantly Black constituency. The campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Allen University Historic District.
Edward Waters University is a private Christian historically Black university in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1866 by members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church as a school to educate freedmen and their children. It was the first independent institution of higher education and the first historically black college in the State of Florida. It continues to be affiliated with the AME Church and is a member of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida.
The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a consortium of five predominantly African-American denominational Christian seminaries in Atlanta, Georgia, operating together as a professional graduate school of theology. It is the largest free-standing African-American theological school in the United States.
Wallace Augustus Rayfield (1874–1941), was an American architect and educator. He was the second formally educated practicing African American architect in the United States.
Paine College is a private, historically black Methodist college in Augusta, Georgia. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Paine College offers undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts, business administration, and education through residential, commuter, and off-site programs. The college is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS).
Daniel Payne College, also known as the Payne Institute, Payne University and Greater Payne University, was a historically black college in Birmingham, Alabama from 1889 to 1979. It was associated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The college was named in honor of Daniel Payne, the sixth bishop of the AME Church and the first black president of a college in the United States.
Lucius Hosley Pitts Sr. was an American minister, theologian, educator, and academic administrator. He served as the president of Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama from 1961 to 1970, and became the first African American president of Paine College in 1971. He was active in Birmingham, Alabama during the Civil Rights movement, and was a leader within black educational institutions for many years.
William Augustus Bell (1882–1961) was an American businessman, educator, academic administrator, and university president. He served two terms as president of Miles College, a private historically black college in Fairfield, Alabama.
Rev. James Albert Bray (1870–1944) was an American bishop, educator, academic administrator, and college president. He was the 18th bishop of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1934. Bray served as president of Lane College, and Miles Memorial College, two private historically black colleges affiliated with the CME Church.
Bobbie Knight is an American businessperson, academic administrator and college president. She is the 15th president of Miles College a HBCU in Fairfield, Alabama. Knight, who had been a trustee of Miles College since July 2017, was appointed interim president of the school in August 2019, following the resignation of George French Jr. and she was selected as the permanent president six months later.
