This Day in Black History: March 12, 1897

Langston University, a historically Black institution, was founded.

Posted: 03/12/2013 07:00 AM EDT

Langston University was founded in Langston, Oklahoma, on March 12, 1897.

It is Oklahoma’s only historically Black college or university. Because African-Americans were not allowed to attend colleges and universities in the state, the Black settlers of Langston raised the money to build an instruction where their children could learn and grow. 

Originally founded as the Colored Agricultural and Normal University, the school operated with the mission to instruct both male and female students in the fields of agriculture, mechanics and industrial arts. On September 3, 1898, the school officially opened in a Presbyterian church in with an enrollment of 41 students.

Today, Langston University boasts an undergraduate enrollment of 2,379 students.

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(Photo: Oklahoma Historical Society)

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