African Americans have long been serious about education. Even when education was denied to black Americans through law, custom, and physical violence, blacks exerted relentless self-determination in the pursuit of literacy. The black church, because of its growth in size, power, and influence, became the logical institution for assisting blacks…

This book reviews the career of Rufus Ballard Atwood, who served as president of Kentucky State University from 1929 to 1962. The book describes how he was often chosen by whites to represent the African American community on boards and commissions and how these appointments gave him access to the state's political and educational power structure.…

A cultural history of Simmons University from 1879 to 1930 is presented, based primarily on original records, including slave narratives, school annuals, denominational minutes, and newspapers. The account is also a cultural study of black Baptists, especially in their Kentucky denominational institution. This black-owned and controlled school of…

This book examines the history of 20th century racial segregation in Kentucky higher education, the last state in the South to enact legislation banning interracial education in private schools and the first to remove it. In five chapters and an epilogue, the book traces the growth of racism, the period of acceptance of racism, the black…