By Gene Hall Youth Minister Providence M. B. Church Contributor
“For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God” (Hebrew 3:4).
I was at a luncheon the other day and overheard people talking about Black History Month. Someone quipped that it would be good for us to learn more about negroes who were involved in the development of our oldest colleges. Another person replied that would be impossible since colored folk were not permitted to enter those classrooms back in the 1600s and 1700s as were their Caucasian counterparts.
After digging through innumerable manuscripts, podcasts and blogs, I was able to determine black folks were very much involved in the construction and operation of our most prestigious colleges from the very beginning. Although most college bylaws and state constitutions prohibited colored folks from formally attending our oldest institutions as pupils, they played an integral role in other ways. Among the many roles they played were construction and engineering technicians, brick masons, coppersmiths, stevedores, cooks/chefs, laborers and security personnel.
Listed below are a few ivy league and other colleges that were benefactors of black folks' sweat equity:
1. College of William and Mary, The Sir Christopher Wren Building
The Wren Building's completion dates back to 1700, but it began construction in 1695, just two years after College of William and Mary's foundation.
2. Harvard University, Massachusetts Hall
Massachusetts Hall at Harvard University allows students to do something amazing. They have the opportunity to live in the same space as many of the founding fathers of the United States. John Adams, John Hancock and Samuel Adams are just a few of the people who once resided in this building. After further investigation, I found out John Hancock, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, owned negro slaves.
3. Moravian College, Gemein House
The Moravian denomination believes all people should be educated. That means it had the first girls' boarding school in America. It started out life in 1742 as the college's central place of worship. Their prudent action reminds me of this scripture: “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20).
4. Yale University, Connecticut Hall
Connecticut Hall (1752) is the only surviving building from the Old Brick Row.
5. Princeton University, Nassau Hall
Not only is Nassau Hall Princeton University's oldest building, but it's also an important historic landmark of America. That's because it was the venue for American Congress's meetings for several months. Prior to this, the building was completed in 1756, for the College of New Jersey. At this time, it was the largest stone building in all of America. During the Revolutionary War, the land around Nassau Hall was the scene of a bloody battle, which caused significant damage to the structure. In fact, the Battle of Princeton was a major turning point of the war, with George Washington triumphing over the British occupying Nassau Hall.
6. Brown University, University Hall Constructed at Rhode Island in 1770, Brown has stood the test of time. It played a role in the Revolutionary War by housing American troops and acting as a hospital for the French.
7. College of Charleston, President's House
The President's House at the College of Charleston has changed only slightly in its function over the last three centuries. In 1770, it was constructed to house the reverend of St. Philip's Church.
8. Dartmouth College, Webster Cottage
Webster Cottage has a large amount of the college's history stored in its walls. It was built in 1780 and was the home of the daughter of the founder of the college. It has also housed many famous students, including the politician Daniel Webster, whom the cottage is now named after.
9. Salem College, Single Sisters House
This is the oldest surviving building of the "oldest school in the country dedicated to the education of women." The college itself was established in 1772 and the building was built in 1785.
10. Saint John's College, McDowell Hall
McDowell Hall is Saint John's College’s oldest building, being finished in 1789. George Washington himself even praised the building and all that it inspired.
11. Georgetown University, Old North
Old North was completed in 1795. In the more than 200 years of its existence, the building has seen many illustrious visitors including Presidents George Washington, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. In fact, more than half of America's presidents have been to the site.
12. University of South Carolina, Rutledge College Building
Like many of the early structures on campus, Rutledge College was constructed by slave labor in 1805. During the Civil War, the building was transformed from an academic institution to a hospital for Confederate soldiers.
Following the aftermath of the George Floyd, Ahmad Arbery, Breonna Taylor and other related incidents, a plethora of American colleges are investigating their historic ties to the slave trade, and debating how to atone.
According to widespread reports I was privileged to review, I learned profits from slavery and related industries funded some of our most prestigious schools as the aforementioned list shows.
"The story of the American college is largely the story of the rise of the slave economy in the Atlantic world,” portends Craig Steven Wilder, a historian at MIT and author of Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities.
After digging a tad deeper into archival literature, I became aware that Brown University was the first to confront its ties to slavery in a major way. In 2003, Brown President Ruth Simmons appointed a commission to investigate. Ms. Simmons was Brown University's first black and first female president. She says, "what better way to teach our students about ethical conduct than to show ourselves to be open to the truth, and to tell the full story?” Gee, that sounds a bit like commentator Paul Harvey, who liked to say, "now, for the rest of the story."
All in all, there are so many untold stories about contributions that blacks made to the founding and sustaining of America's oldest colleges until they would continue ad nauseum. Even so, for those who thought negroes made little or no impact on the development of America's institutions of higher learning, I hope this research has been enlightening. The good Lord sums it up best as He says "go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord" (Haggai 1:8).