[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 563 Introduced in House (IH)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 563
Honoring the accomplishments of the 9 historically Black colleges and
universities that celebrated their sesquicentennial the week of
September 24, 2017.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 10, 2017
Ms. Adams (for herself, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Brown of Maryland,
Ms. Plaskett, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Ms. Norton, Ms. Kelly
of Illinois, Mr. Byrne, Ms. Lee, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mrs.
Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Evans, Ms. Hanabusa, Mrs. Beatty,
Ms. DeGette, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Pallone, Mr.
Higgins of New York, Mr. Meeks, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. David Scott of
Georgia, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Hastings,
Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Westerman, Mr. Lewis of Georgia,
Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr. Lawson of Florida, Ms. Clark of
Massachusetts, Mr. Costa, Ms. Sewell of Alabama, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr.
Crist, Ms. Maxine Waters of California, Mr. Ellison, Ms. Bonamici, Mr.
Norcross, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Fudge,
Mr. Al Green of Texas, Ms. Bass, Mr. Walker, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr.
Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. McEachin,
Mr. Richmond, Mr. Hill, Ms. Jayapal, and Mrs. Demings) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education
and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the accomplishments of the 9 historically Black colleges and
universities that celebrated their sesquicentennial the week of
September 24, 2017.
Whereas in 1867, 9 historically Black colleges and universities were established
in 4 southern States, Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, and North Carolina, as
well as the District of Columbia, the largest number of historically
Black Colleges and Universities founded in any single year before or
after;
Whereas the 9 historically Black colleges and universities that celebrated their
sesquicentennial the week of September 24, 2017, trace their founding to
rather modest beginnings, but, in the course of a century and a half,
have established records of significant achievement and legacies of
devotion to academic excellence;
Whereas the 9 institutions celebrating their sesquicentennial anniversaries
include Alabama State University in Marion, Alabama; Barber-Scotia
College in Concord, North Carolina; Fayetteville State University in
Fayetteville, North Carolina; Howard University in Washington, DC;
Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina; Morehouse
College in Atlanta, Georgia; Morgan State University in Baltimore,
Maryland; St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina; and
Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama;
Whereas in the case of Alabama State University, on July 17, 1867, 9 freed
slaves incorporated Lincoln Normal School in Marion, Alabama, to educate
Black children;
Whereas Lincoln Normal School was founded with $500 used to purchase the land
and lay the foundation;
Whereas Lincoln Normal School was converted from a junior college into a four-
year college in 1928;
Whereas in 1969, the former Lincoln Normal School was formally granted a name
change by the Alabama State Board of Education, becoming Alabama State
University;
Whereas notable figures of the civil rights era attended and graduated from
Alabama State University, including the Reverend Ralph David Abernathy,
attorney Fred Gray and the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth;
Whereas in the case of Barber-Scotia College, Scotia Seminary was founded in
Concord, North Carolina, by the Reverend Luke Dorland in 1867 and
chartered in 1870 to educate newly freed female slaves;
Whereas Scotia Seminary was the first historically Black female institution of
higher education established in the United States;
Whereas Scotia Seminary was renamed as Scotia Women's College in 1916, and
merged with Barber Memorial College in 1930 to become Barber-Scotia
Junior College for women;
Whereas Barber-Scotia became a 4-year women's college in 1946 and a
coeducational institution in 1954;
Whereas one of the distinguished graduates of Barber-Scotia College was Mary
McCleod Bethune, the founder of Bethune-Cookman College;
Whereas in the case of Fayetteville State University, on November 29, 1867, 7
African-American men formed the Howard School by paying $136 for 2 lots
on Gillespie Street in Fayetteville, North Carolina;
Whereas the Howard School would be formally renamed Fayetteville State
University in 1969;
Whereas Fayetteville State University holds the distinction of being the second
oldest public school in North Carolina;
Whereas in the case of Howard University, the institution was chartered by
Congress on March 2, 1867, in Washington, DC;
Whereas Howard University stands today as the most comprehensive historically
Black college and university in the Nation in terms of undergraduate and
graduate programs of study;
Whereas Howard University has produced numerous Rhodes scholars, Truman
scholars, Fulbright scholars, Picking Fellows, and a Marshall scholar
throughout its history;
Whereas Howard University has graduated some of the most accomplished African
Americans in history--including, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood
Marshall, author Toni Morrison, and United States Ambassador Andrew
Young;
Whereas 5 current Members of Congress are graduates of Howard University;
Whereas in the case of Johnson C. Smith University, the institution was
established on April 7, 1867, as the Biddle Memorial Institute by
Reverend S.C. Alexander and Reverend W.L. Miller in Charlotte, North
Carolina;
Whereas the first football game with African-American players was played at the
Biddle University in 1892--in what today is called the Commemorative
Classic;
Whereas Johnson C. Smith is the first historically Black college and university
in the South to offer professional courses in education;
Whereas Johnson C. Smith University has produced numerous politicians including,
but not limited to, Eva Clayton, the first African American to represent
North Carolina in the House of Representatives since the 19th century;
Whereas in the case of Morehouse College, the institution was founded by the
Reverend William Jefferson White in Augusta, Georgia, in 1867;
Whereas Morehouse College was moved from Augusta, Georgia, to its current
location in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1879;
Whereas Morehouse College is the largest men's college in the United States,
enrolling over 2,000 students;
Whereas Morehouse is 1 of only 2 historically Black colleges and universities to
produce a Rhodes scholar;
Whereas Morehouse has graduated a number of African-American luminaries--
including Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, film director Spike Lee, and
the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.;
Whereas 2 Members of Congress are graduates of Morehouse College;
Whereas in the case of Morgan State University, the institution was founded in
Baltimore, Maryland, as the Centenary Biblical Institute in 1867 to
train former slaves and freedmen for the Methodist ministry;
Whereas becoming co-ed in 1874 and changing its name to Morgan College in 1890,
in honor of one of its board members, the institution was purchased by
the State of Maryland in 1939 to provide more academic opportunities for
Black students and was renamed Morgan State College;
Whereas Morgan State College distinguished itself as a liberal arts college and,
in 1975, was granted university status and has been designated as
Maryland's preeminent public research university, as well as a National
Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation;
Whereas the Morgan State Choir, in 2004, was named ``The Nation's Best College
Choir'' by Readers Digest, and has performed for audiences on four
continents;
Whereas Morgan State University has graduated a great number of prominent
African-American leaders in politics, law, entertainment and science and
has a list of alumni that includes Congressmen Parren J. Mitchell and
Kweisi Mfume, Maryland Chief Justice Robert M. Bell, novelist Zora Neale
Hurston, and Pulitzer Prize winner James Alan McPherson;
Whereas in the case of St. Augustine's University, in 1867, the institution was
founded as the St. Augustine's Normal School by prominent Episcopal
clergy for the education of freed slaves in Raleigh, North Carolina;
Whereas St. Agnes Hospital and Training School for Nurses, the first school of
nursing for African-American students in the State of North Carolina,
was established by St. Augustine's Normal School in 1895;
Whereas St. Agnes was the only hospital in North Carolina that served African
Americans until 1960;
Whereas St. Augustine's University was the first historically Black college and
university to own an on-campus commercial radio and television station;
Whereas in the case of Talladega College, the institution was founded by 3
former slaves in Talladega, Alabama, in 1867;
Whereas Talladega College is the State of Alabama's oldest, private historically
Black college and university;
Whereas Talladega College was the first institution in the State of Alabama to
admit qualified persons of any race or ethnicity; and
Whereas Talladega College has produced several African-American ``firsts'',
including Wynona Lipman, the first African-American woman elected to the
New Jersey Senate and Reverend Dr. Paul Smith, the first African-
American minister at the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors the accomplishments of the 9 historically Black
colleges and universities that celebrated their
sesquicentennial the week of September 24, 2017, and of
historically Black colleges and universities, in general;
(2) celebrates the 150th anniversary of these 9
institutions, and encourages Congress and the citizens they
represent to recognize the beneficial impact historically Black
colleges and universities have had on the United States; and
(3) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to
make available 5 enrolled copies of this resolution to each
institution's Office of the President or Chancellor.
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