New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
How New Haven almost became home of first Black college in U.S.
Back in 1831, New Haven was set to open the first Black college in the U.S., but the idea never went far, as white property owners of the city rejected the college, despite strong support from several prominent leaders.
Tubyez Cropper, and Michael Morand, community engagement program manager and director of community engagement at the Beinecke Library at Yale, respectively, joined forces to create a documentary about the 1831 efforts and how they were derailed.
“It’s a real story and was known nationally in its day in 1831, but its memory faded for the most part outside of some community memory and academic scholars concerned with Black history, so it’s quite an unknown story,” Morand said. “This is a story that matters; it’s a New Haven story with Yale connections, it’s a Connecticut story, it’s an American story and it’s a world story.”
On Feb. 22, the New Haven Museum will host a free screening of the finished documentary, “What Could Have Been” at 6 p.m.
“The question ‘What could have been?’ genuinely makes you think about what New Haven and the United States could have been like if a historic decision such as the creation of a Black college were approved,” Cropper said. “What would relations have been like between Yale and this college, and what impactful Black figures that we know of today would have attended the college?”
With the documentary, the filmmakers looked to create awareness of the role New Haven played in the development of a growing nation, and the many intellectual and brave people of color who stood at the forefront.
“Michael came to me one day to tell me the cliff notes of this story and I was all-in,” Cropper said. “I’m a New Haven native and I understand the importance of history and I am a storyteller as well. I’m always looking to uplift and give representation to these important stories. This is not that long ago, as many people think.”
Morand noted that they are not the first people to highlight this story and said he hopes the film will build on the existing research.
“We also wanted to show that the resistance to this is not just resistance from the past, and we can learn and have resources from those who fought, those who resisted so we can do a better job today to make a better future,” he said.
The two men received help from the Yale & Slavery Research Project and local historians to put the documentary together.
The duo started working on the script and did further research into the proposed college before making the film. “The story takes place in the dawn of the abolitionist movement and highlights the emergence of Black leadership and the chain reaction of activism,” Cropper said.
The documentary highlights New Haven’s Black leaders like Bias Stanley and Scipio Augustus, along with the abolition mindset of white leaders including Pastor Simeon Jocelyn and William Lloyd Garrison.
“We have a lot of Black leaders in New Haven who were free and developing churches and programs to help the survival of Black life in the midst of a time when slavery was still very much present,” Cropper said. “New Haven did not have as many slaves as many places, but it was still in a state with slavery. Many significant figures in government had slaves and New Haven was one of those last northern places to abolish slavery.”
Connecticut was one of the last states in New England to abolish slavery when it officially ceased the practice in 1848.
“By the time it got to the white property owners of New Haven and they voted on it, the decision clearly did not happen, and that’s what we uncover in this story,” Cropper said.
Morand feels the documentary gets several important points across.
“One is Black history is American history, and there is no Yale history or New Haven history without Black history,” he said. “We need to celebrate it, not only in February but in the months that have 31 days and all-year round. Second, history is not something that is a force of nature. Documentary reminds us that things are not inevitable, it’s up to us. We can learn what was done right and what was done wrong, and who was done wrong to and who needs to be done right by.”