1831 College: The Story of New Haven’s HBCU that Never Was

In 1831, New Haven was scheduled to open the nation’s first Black college. However, White landowners and city officials vehemently rejected the proposal, and the idea never came to fruition.

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Listen to how Tubyez Cropper and Michael Morand, of Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, came together to document this incredible story. Also hear from the Greater New Haven African American Historical Society about the larger community impact of 1831 College. 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.

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