1831 College: The Story of New Haven’s HBCU that Never Was
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In 1831, New Haven considered opening the nation’s first Black college. However, in a 700 to 4 vote, white landowners and city officials vehemently rejected the proposal and the idea never came to fruition.
Tubyez Cropper of Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library will be on hand to introduce What Could Have Been: America’s First HBCU, the documentary that he and Michael Morand created to tell this story. A discussion will follow the screening. This program is produced in conjunction with our Special Collections exhibition The Tinderbox of the Civil War: 1830s Abolitionism in Connecticut, on view from January 25 to May 10, 2025.
This program is free and open to the public. Please consider making a $10 donation to keep Pequot Library running strong. Click here to learn about the benefits of becoming a Friend of Pequot Library.
