“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” –Malcolm X
Paul Quinn College – 1872
Wiley College – 1873
Huston-Tillotson University – 1875
Prairie View A&M University – 1876
Texas College – 1894
St. Philips College – 1898
Jarvis Christian College – 1913
Texas Southern University – 1947
Thurgood Marshall School of Law – 1946
Southwestern Christian College – 1948
A major part of HBCUs’ mission in the early years was to provide elementary and secondary schooling for newly freed slaves who had no previous education. It was not until the early 1900s that HBCUs began to offer courses and programs at the postsecondary level.
Texas is home to 9 historically black colleges and universities. Each school is located on the eastern half of the state. Paul Quinn College is the first HBCU to open in Texas in 1872, and is located in Dallas. The second oldest black institution in Texas is Wiley College, located in Marshall, which opened in 1873.
Explore Texas’ HBCUs on the interactive map below, watch KERA’s CEO episode with Dr. Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College; read KERA News’ story about how HBCUs helped redefine what it meant to be black in America; and listen to KERA Think‘s episode about the untold history of HBCUs.
Did you attend an HBCU in Texas? Choose the school’s name on the map or from this page’s list to share your memories and photos.