This Giving Tuesday, plan to support Ohio’s HBCUS
This Giving Tuesday — the post-thanksgiving fundraising day when countless non-profits are clamoring for your attention and dollars — the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio has decided to forego asking for donations that day – at least for ourselves.
Instead, we want to invite justice-minded Ohioans to join our board, staff and statewide membership in lifting and supporting our state’s two historically Black universities, Wilberforce University and Central State, in Wilberforce in Greene County. We think it’s time more of us learn and celebrate the trailblazing histories and contributions of these powerful, inclusive institutions.
Wilberforce was founded in 1856 before the Civil
War, when the Ohio Underground Railroad was a means of escape for Black people seeking freedom in the north. The university became a destination point on this freedom trail.
Formed by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Wilberforce was the first U.S. college to be fully owned and operated by African Americans, while serving students of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, and religions since its inception. Named to honor a great 18th century abolitionist, William Wilberforce, it holds a place of honor as the nation’s very first historically Black college or university (HBCU), right here in greater Dayton.
Originally a department within Wilberforce University, Central State was formed in 1887 by an act of the Ohio legislature as a state institution of higher education. By 1941, Central State was offering fouryear degrees in multiple disciplines, gaining its own independent campus in 1947. As early pioneers in interracial learning and living, both schools have faced institutional hurdles, yet with odds-defying histories that prove where the will is strong and the cause just, a way presents itself.
Today, these historic mother-daughter institutions are twin beacons, one private, one public, helping students prepare for life and careers as global citizens, with enhanced centers of excellence in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and other fields of study.
Rooted in justice and equality, these universities remain close missional partners and collaborators with one another and, more recently, with the ACLU of Ohio. Together, we envision a just and equitable Ohio where all people are fairly represented in a strong democracy, unoppressed by racism and able to live their fullest lives.
HBCUS are a worthy investment of our philanthropic dollars. Both Wilberforce and Central State serve many first-generation college students who thrive in climates of respect, trust, and support that foster success. These schools instill values of social justice, values that are deeply ingrained in these institutions’ origins, histories and missions. Wilberforce and Central State make higher education more accessible and affordable, helping to narrow Ohio’s significant racial wealth gap.
As you’re deciding where to invest your Giving Tuesday dollars, we hope you’ll consider becoming part of a new groundswell of support for Wilberforce and Central State, two historical and present-day gems in Ohio that are deserving of our investment.