Of One Blood – The Racial Equity and Inclusion of a College Like No Other
Educator, VP for Alumni, Communications and Philanthropy, Dr. Chad Berry of Berea College in Kentucky presents:
Of One Blood – The Racial Equity and Inclusion of a College Like No Other. Monday, June 20, 2022, 7pm.
Join RARE to learn about Berea College, the first integrated college in the southern US. It began in 1855 when the Rev. John G. Fee began a one-room school advocating for equality and excellence in education for people of all races.
When the school opened in 1855, its first teachers were recruited from Oberlin College, an anti-slavery stronghold in Ohio. The constitution of this new school furnished work for as many students as possible. Not only did this help the students to pay their expenses, but it also dignified labor at a time when manual labor and slavery tended to be synonymous in the South.
By 1859 Rev. Fee and the Berea teachers were driven from their school by Southern pro-slavery sympathizers. At the end of the Civil War, Fee returned, having raised funds for the school during the war years. In the 1866-67 school year there were 187 students: 96 black students and 91 white students.
The 1904 Kentucky Legislature passed the Day Law which prohibited education of black and white students together. In response, Berea established the Lincoln Institute, a school located near Louisville for black students. When the Day Law was amended in 1950 to allow integration above the high school level, Berea was the first college in Kentucky to reopen its doors to black students.
Today Berea is repeatedly named as the number one regional college in the South by U.S. News & world Report. Full-tuition scholarships are provided to all students.
Dr. Chad Berry, VP for Alumni, Communications and Philanthropy will provide an understanding of the values, and objectives of Berea College started by the Rev. Fee 167 years ago. Learn of the obstacles and challenges of the landscape in providing a quality college education to people of color in today’s world.
Suggested pre-reads:
Berea College in Appalachia Charges Students Nothing but Expects Great Things in Return
