Know Austin, Love Austin: Huston-Tillotson University

The current racial demographics of most Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Huston-Tillotson, lead some to believe that it has always been this way. That Black people founded, administered, and taught at Black schools and HBCUs. While true in some cases, it’s simply not reflective of history.

We must remember one thing, that during that time African people were considered ‘property, not people’ by the broader population. However, enslaved African people in the U.S. actively resisted this notion in demonstrative ways. This is evident in all the ways Africans and their descendants pursued higher learning and made historic contributions in all fields against all odds.

Although HT’s history, like many HBCUs in the U.S., are rooted in the agendas that discounted the interest of Black communities, Black people fought and lost their lives in the very literal sense to take control of their education and their institutions. During every phase of Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ existence, prominent men and women emerged from these institutions and went on to do great things within their communities.

Austin is no different.