With one HU under our belt, let’s wax poetic about the first HU, Howard University.
To discuss the legendary school founded in 1867, we grabbed alum Ananda Lewis who first rose to fame in the industry as an MTV VeeJay in the 1990s. As a 1995 graduate of Howard Lewis hops straight into what it took to found the university.
“Our Howard University was founded in 1867 in Washington DC by Oliver Otis Howard. The genius was born November 8, 1830, and passed away October 26, 1909. He has a really long and illustrious career in the United States Army as a major general. He also served as a Union general in the Civil War and was known as the Christian general. He spent his time before and after the war as an abolitionist,” says Lewis. “He was also the first and only commissioner of the Freedman’s Bureau before his decision to found Howard while also playing a huge role in the establishment in Lincoln Univesity– proving he really was all about education and making sure we had a place to learn.”
Howard even served as president of the university from 1869 to 1874, back when it was still a theological seminary for African American clergypersons. But when the idea of expanding the program into a fully throughout university came about, the school had a Liberal Arts College and a Medical college within two years. Since then, it’s continued to grow as it now consists of 13 schools.
Learn more about Howard University in the video above.
