The Epicenter of Black Culture and Academic Excellence
By Karcheik Sims-Alvarado
Atlanta is known for civil rights, arts and culture, Black political leadership, vibrant neighborhoods, a strong faith community, and dynamic postsecondary institutions. It is an ecosystem bursting with optimism yet fully aware of the lessons that history continues to provide. Atlanta is a southern star emblazoned in a global sky for all to see.
Those fortunate to call this place home are honor-bound to tell its full story. Recognizing the bitterness and sweetness of our collective narrative is what makes this city ours. Even today, the vestiges of its former self, Terminus, still exist because, for many people, Atlanta is the last stop they make. It is where we plant our roots and uncover the next chapter of our lives. For many who travel from across the United States to Atlanta, the magnetic pull is the Atlanta University Center, commonly known as the AUC.
What is the AUC? To its alumni and students, it is the epicenter of Black culture and academic excellence. It is where passion becomes curiosity, curiosity becomes ideas, and ideas become the seeds of movements. In its classrooms and corridors, men such as W.E.B. DuBois, James Weldon Johnson, John Hope, Howard Thurman, Charles Stith, and Hosea Williams and women of renown like Adrienne Herndon, Roslyn Pope, Paula McGee, and Melody Maddox, helped shape the world in their image of freedom, equity, culture, and justice. The Atlanta University Center is not just the consortium of several well-regarded Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It is the core of what makes Atlanta so bold and beautiful.
The AUC is the largest body of private HBCUs in the nation, comprising highly recognizable and respected academic institutions. The original AUC members—Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University (formerly Clark College and Atlanta University)—reside within the Atlanta University Center Historic District, a National Registry of Historic Places designee. Eventually, Morehouse School of Medicine joined the AUC. The Interdenominational Theological Center and Morris Brown College are former members with campuses in the district.
However, one can argue that the AUC is the birthplace of civil and human rights. Students and professors have contributed to advancing democracy, equality, and justice. During the aftermath of the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot and the lynching of Sam Hose, Atlanta University professor W.E.B. DuBois responded with an intellectual and coordinated refutation of racism, ushering in a new era in scholar activism.
Men such as Walter White and James Weldon Johnson, both graduates of Atlanta University, answered the call for freedom by leading the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at critical times in the organization’s history. Both were instrumental in pursuing federal anti-lynching legislation and documenting the systemic oppression faced by millions of African Americans.
During the 1960s, Spelman students Rosalyn Pope and Herschelle Sullivan led efforts to desegregate the city of Atlanta as members of the Committee on the Appeal for Human Rights. Their charge was drafted by Pope, whose manifesto, “An Appeal for Human Rights,” cogently and brilliantly articulated the concerns and hope of AUC students who wanted a right to live with dignity. Also, during the height of the Modern Civil Rights Movement, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, whose ranks included numerous AUC students such as Julian Bond and Ruby Doris Smith, was headquartered a stone’s throw from the campuses.
In 1992, responding to the Rodney King verdict in Los Angeles, students from each institution engaged in peaceful protests to state their collective opposition to the judicial verdict exonerating the officers involved.
The AUC has been and continues to be a center for ideas, purpose, and action. It is the place where a young man from Atlanta, whose father and grandfather attended Morehouse College, upon listening to the impassioned speeches of his president, Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, and having a fierce determination to challenge the oppressive nature of racism, became a global voice for freedom—the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Understanding their collective origin is critical to fully appreciating the establishment of these HBCUs and the AUC.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities are uniquely American institutions. The Higher Education Act of 1965 defines these postsecondary institutions as accredited schools of higher learning established before 1964 to educate African Americans.
HBCUs represent the best of America. Born from the ashes of the Civil War, most of these Southern-based colleges and universities were molded by federal policy and politics, shaped by faith-based institutions and philanthropists, and hardened by the kiln of racism. Their emergence helped introduce a new age in American higher education where the pursuit of knowledge became more democratized and utilitarian.
In the thralls of Reconstruction, with newly freed Black men and women trying to exercise their freedom, these colleges and universities began to emerge, offering access to something previously prohibited by law and custom. The metaphorical door was opened, ushering in a new day for African Americans living in Atlanta and the region.
Spelman College
Spelman College serves as “a historically Black college and a global leader in the education of women of African descent.” The college is dedicated to academic excellence and the development of its students. It seeks to empower the whole person and inspire a lifelong commitment to social change.
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is “a private historically black liberal arts college for men.” It emphasizes the intellectual and character development of its students and, as necessary, prioritizes teaching the history and culture of black people.
Morehouse School of Medicine
Morehouse School of Medicine exists to “improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities, increase the diversity of the health professional and scientific workforce, and address primary health care through programs in education, research, and service.”
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University (CAU) seeks to “be recognized internationally as a leading research institution of higher education and learning. CAU’s goal is to be impactful globally, innovative in its approach, provide transformational experiences, and engage in high-value activities.
Morris Brown College
Morris Brown College (MBC) serves “to provide educational opportunities in a positive and nurturing environment that will enable its students to become fully functional persons in our global society.” MBC prepares graduates for meaningful and rewarding lives so they can positively contribute to society.
The Interdenominational Theological Center
In 1958, the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) was established when Gammon Theological Seminary, Morehouse School of Religion, Turner Theological Seminary, and Phillips School of Theology united to form one school of theology.
Historic Moments
Each college and university sought to transform the lives of African Americans by offering a place where they could excel academically, be instilled with cultural pride, and find purpose in a challenging and complex world. Yet, during the 1920s, the Atlanta HBCUs were not immune to the harsh economic realities of the time. The Great Depression began in 1929, leading to a global economic downturn that lasted for a decade. To address this unprecedented turn of events, funders, and institutional leaders sought a resolution to consolidate donor giving, streamline operational costs, and strengthen relationships among the Atlanta HBCUs to ensure their collective survival.
Under the leadership of John Hope, President of Morehouse College, Myron Adams, President of Atlanta University, and Florence Read, President of Spelman College, a plan was developed to establish a consortium of the three schools. It was agreed upon that Atlanta University would be the sole graduate and professional university, and each institution would operate autonomously. From their efforts, the Atlanta University Center was established in 1929.
The AUCC catalyzes innovative research, data-driven solutions, cultural vitality, community activation, and neighborhood transformation. The AUCC and its Black colleges, universities, and medical schools are a part of Atlanta’s thriving ecosystem. Atlanta is what it is currently with the contribution of the Atlanta University Center.
Historic Leaders
Because of the AUCC, Atlanta and the nation know the brilliance of WEB Du Bois, Samuel Bacote, Ruha Benjamin, and Beverly Daniel Tatum. Du Bois, the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in History at Harvard University, arrived at Atlanta University in 1897 for a professorship in history and economics. During his 13 years at Atlanta University, Du Bois chaired the Sociology Department and wrote some of his most seminal works, including The Souls of Black Folk, Dusk of Dawn, and Black Reconstruction. With his AU colleague George Towns, Black millionaire and owner of Atlanta Life Insurance Company Alonzo Herndon, and other radical intellectuals, he cofounded the Niagara Movement in 1905, which is considered the precursor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
We enjoy the artistry of Hale Woodruff, Pearl Cleage, Amy Sherald, Spike Lee, Samuel Jackson, John David Washington, Kenya Barris, and Kenny Leon. Hale Woodruff taught at Atlanta University for 15 years and was a highly acclaimed muralist trained in Paris, France. In 1942, Woodruff established an annual juried competition entitled Exhibitions of Paintings, Sculpture, and Prints by Negro Artists in America.
We witnessed the political leadership of Stacey Abrams, Marilyn Strickland, Hank Johnson, Sanford Bishop, Maynard Jackson, and Marvin Arrington Sr. Senator Raphael Warnock, a Morehouse College graduate and Senior Pastor of Ebeneezer Baptist Church, made history in 2021 when he became the first African American to represent Georgia in the United States Senate. In 2022, upon completing Senator Johnny Isakson’s expired term, Senator Warnock ran for reelection, winning a new six-year term.
We celebrate civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea Williams, Ralph David Abernathy, Marian Wright Edelman, Walter White, Rosalyn Pope, and Julian Bond. James Weldon Johnson, a true Renaissance man, was a graduate of Atlanta University. Johnson was an educator, attorney (the first African American admitted to the Florida Bar since Reconstruction), poet, songwriter to include the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” novelist having penned The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, and a civil rights leader serving the NAACP as field secretary and executive secretary.
Atlanta’s Origins in the AUC
Our Atlanta has its origins in the AUC. The first African American mayor of Atlanta and Southeastern City was Maynard Holbrooke Jackson, a Morehouse College graduate, and grandson of political activist John Wesley Dobbs. His vision for the city led to diversifying government contracts, putting African Americans in positions of authority, establishing the Neighborhood Planning Unit system to democratize municipal decision-making, and instilling cultural pride by investing public dollars into the arts.
Michael Lomax, another Morehouse College graduate, was the first African American elected as Fulton County Chairman. Among his many contributions is prioritizing county resources to support the arts. Before the emergence of Jackson and Lomax, Benjamin Elijah Mays, the legendary president of Morehouse College, became the first African American to serve as Chair of the Atlanta School Board.
They and others led the charge for Atlanta to be a hub for business, entertainment, civil rights, and cultural representation. This city and its residents are indebted to the visionary leaders of the 19th and early 20th centuries who understood the transformative power of education and its importance in uplifting African Americans.
Through challenges, large and small, these historically Black colleges and universities created a haven for academic rigor, political consciousness, cultural pride, and socioeconomic advancement. Like our acclaimed airport, transit system, and world-class convention center, the Atlanta University Center is a foundational cornerstone. We stand on its shoulders. We acknowledge its brilliance as the epicenter of Black culture and academic excellence.
Take a dive into the perspectives of students with this Guide to Clark Atlanta University and this Guide to Morehouse College.
