Spelman: The Historically Black College Founded By Two White Lesbians

Spelman College, a historically Black Women’s College/University (HBCU), is one of the most prestigious HBCU’s in the United States. Founded by Sophia Packard and Harriet Giles, Spelman boasts a 78% graduation rate, a very stringent acceptance rate (38% of all applicants annually), and a hefty price tag. Though most of this information is general knowledge, here are five interesting facts about Spelman College that you may not have known.

1.  Spelman, a HBCU, was originally founded by two white women and named after a white woman.

On April 11, 1881, Sophia B. Packard and her longtime companion Harriet E. Giles opened a small school in the basement of Friendship Baptist church (a small African American church in southwest Atlanta) called the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary.  After the Women’s American Baptist Church, (of which Sophia was president), placed a down payment on its current location the next year, the ABFS moved to that location in 1883. The following year, the balance due on the property was paid in full by John D. Rockefeller, who had followed and supported Packard and Giles vision.  The school was renamed Spelman Seminary in honor of Laura Spelman-Rockefeller (John D. Rockefeller’s wife) and her parents Harvey Buel and Lucy Henry Spelman, who were staunch activists in the antislavery movement. It became Spelman College in 1924.

2.  Spelman College is the second college in the last ten years to shut down its athletic program, including dropping out of the NCAA.

Spelman College president, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, announced last year that Spelman College would be discontinuing its athletics program and dropping out of the NCAA as of May 2013. Out of 2100 students, only 80 students (3.8%) were actually in the athletics program, which was costing the school roughly $900,000 (almost 10% of the annual school operating budget).  Dr. Tatum stated, “I was startled to see that we really had only 80 student athletes out of 2,100 students, and our program was costing almost $1 million…it seemed like a lot of money for 80 students”.  On the heels of other colleges leaving the conference, Spelman would have had to join another conference, translating into higher travel costs and other expenses associated with improving the colleges’ athletic sites and creating teams for additional sports.

Also influencing her decision to cut the athletics program at Spelman was the health of young black women. Dr. Tatum discovered, to her alarm, that young black women were prone to diabetes, heart disease and other ailments linked to poor diet and exercise. The Spelman president was also surprised to find out that African American women were the least physically active demographic in the U.S. Her plan is to reallocate the money formerly directed at the athletics program and re-appropriate those monies into a wellness program that would make use of the colleges’ athletic facilities. Under Dr. Tatums’ guidance, physical education would move from specific sports to general fitness, incorporating wellness activities such as yoga, Pilates, tennis, and swimming. “We want our students to become what I call soldiers in the wellness revolution”, Dr. Tatum explains.              

3.  Spelman College, founded by a white Lesbian couple, led an unprecedented forum on LGBT issues on historically black college campuses.

 In 2011, Spelman College held the Audrey Lourde Historically Black College and University Summit, a widely unprecedented forum, which dealt with LGBT issues at historically black colleges.  The forward thinking Dr. Beverly Tatum opened up proceedings by acknowledging the partnership of the college’s founders, Sophia Packard and Harriet Giles. While popular or par-for-the-course at many institutions of higher learning, it is found that most HBCU’s either did not acknowledge or support LGBT issues. Some HBCU’s even went so far as to forbid LGBT students from forming student organizations. Some were even openly harassed on campus. Spelmans’ approach to LGBT issues is revolutionary and action oriented concerned with embracing LGBT support groups, educational workshops, and even domestic partner benefits for faculty and staff.

4.  Though a historically Black women’s college, Spelman College didn’t see an African American woman president until 1987.

In 1987 Dr. Johnetta Betsch Cole made history by becoming the first African-American woman president of Spelman College.  Born in Jacksonville, Florida – the Betsch family had already been established leaders in the black community there. Dr. Cole started her illustrious academic career by entering Fisk University at age 15 through Fisk’s Early Admission program.  Earning a Master’s and a Ph.D in anthropology, Dr. Cole went on to teach at Washington State University and University of Massachusetts (also serving as Associate Provost of Undergraduate Education at U of M in addition to being Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program). When Dr. Cole became president of Spelman College, Bill Cosby and his wife Camille made a gift of $20 million to Spelman (which was the largest personal gift to any HBCU). Under Dr. Coles’ leadership, Spelman freshman classes ranked among the highest in terms of SAT scores.  With stellar performance reviews from US News and World Report, (ranked number one of best college buys), Money magazine, (number one HBCU, number one women’s college, and number 7 college of any kind in the US).  With Dr. Cole at the helm, Spelman raised more capital than any other HBCU.              

5.  Spelman College boasts quite a few notable alumni!

Alice Walker – author of “The Color Purple” and other popular literary gems, while not official Spelman alum, (she left Spelman), did start her activism at Spelman College.  Keshia Knight Pulliam, actress – graduated with a BA in Sociology in 2001 and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.  Bernice King, youngest child of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., graduated Spelman in 1985 with a BA in Psychology. An ordained minister and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Bernice King embodies the excellence that is expected of Spelman Alumni. Other notable alumni include Access Hollywood correspondent Shaun Robinson, writer and producer of shows like Soul Food, Kathleen McGhee-Anderson, actress Adrienne –Joi Johnson,  ESPY awards producer, actress and wife of Samuel L. Jackson – LaTanya Richardson,  and Esther Rolle, star of hit 70’s show ‘Good Times’ and member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority – just to name a few!

written by Andre Jones (LibraClassic!), freelance writer, DJ, film/tv music composer, and music label owner – follow on Twitter @ZodiacThump; @andre_jones1973. (Source: selfuni.wordpress.com)