2022 Black History Month

Eight years before integration was enforced across college campuses in the American south, Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) made history. Clara Dell Constantine, Martha Conway, Shirley Taylor, and Charles Vincent Singleton attempted to enroll in 1953 but were denied. After a legal battle, a court ruled in their favor, leading to SLI’s desegregation in 1954. READ MORE

Did you know… Xavier University of Louisiana is the first and only African American Catholic university in the United States?

The CALL ME MiSTER program has been integral in increasing the pool of black male teachers in Louisiana. CALL ME MiSTER is on four college campuses in Louisiana: Grambling, Louisiana Tech, Northwestern State, and McNeese.

In January, Southern University joined elite company as one of two institutions to be newly designated a Carnegie R2 institution with “high research activity.” 

Dr. Marcus Jones (Northwestern State University) and Dr. William Tate (LSU) became the first Black presidents in their institutions’ history. Dr. Tate is one of two Black presidents in the SEC. 

A graduate of Dillard University, Dr. Ruth J. Simmons was America’s first Black Ivy League president, serving at Brown University from 2001 until 2012.

In 2016, Louisiana Tech and its Office of Multicultural Affairs created a scholarship to honor the legacy of James Earl Potts and Bertha Bradford-Robinson. The scholarship supports educational opportunities for minority students attending Tech.

Did you know…

there is only one HBCU system in the United States?

It’s located right here in Louisiana.

Nearly 60 years after first enrolling as the first Black student at LSU, A.P. Tureaud Jr. received a degree from the University in 2011.

The first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. in political science was Dr. Jewel Prestage, a 1951 alumna of Southern University and A&M College.

The CROWN program does more than pairing students with a mentor. It’s a network of peers, helping Black men finish what they start at Nicholls – a college degree.

In Tulane’s final years as a member of the SEC, Stephen Martin Sr. made history as the first African American student-athlete to compete for any SEC school.

For four straight years, UL Lafayette has been honored with the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award (HEED) from INSIGHT into Diversity.

Xavier University of Louisiana consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top institutions in sending African American graduates on to enroll in and complete medical school.

Dr. Dolores Spikes was a higher education trailblazer. She was the first female Chancellor of a Louisiana public university AND the first woman to lead a university system in the U.S. (Southern University System).

In 2021, the University of Louisiana System created the Reginald F. Lewis Scholars program, a three-year program which focuses on academics, social advancement, and community service.

Our final #RegentsBHM highlight is none other than Irma Thomas, “Soul Queen of New Orleans.” For 15 years, she balanced work, family, and school to obtain her degree. She graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Business from Delgado in 2001. Five years later, she won her first GRAMMY.