Beginning in 1865 literally days after the Civil War ended , six historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) began to rise: Clark Atlanta University(1865), Morehouse College(1867), Spelman College (1881), Morris Brown College (1881), the Interdenominational Theological Center(1958) & Morehouse School of Medicine (1975).
In a symbiotic relationship closely intertwined with Sweet Auburn these learning institutions generated knowledge and information to help create early Sweet Auburn’s professional class with it’s huge capacity to self-organize and prosper. Eventually both the AUC and Sweet Auburn, as places where people were born, educated, lived and prospered, played a central role during the Civil Rights Movement. MLK and others moved between them, assimilating an evolved world view that is with us now.
In the 1960’s the HBCUs set the stage for the Atlanta student movement, helping to desegregate the city through business boycotts, marches, sit ins and more.
WEBSITE: Here is Atlanta University Center website: https://aucenter.edu/
ATLANTA STUDENT MOVEMENT: In this video from The Travel Show, the BBC’s flagship travel programme, Reese Parkinson discusses the importance and recognition of HBCUs with founding members of the Atlanta Student Movement:
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0lcqj2y/watch-an-emotional-rendition-of-we-shall-overcome