Delaware State University

Delaware State University was founded in 1891 to provide equal and quality higher education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Delaware. Originally named State College for Colored Students, the school was created in response to the Second Morrill Land Grant Act, which required states to either allow African Americans entrance into state colleges or to establish separate schools for them. Despite being established during the age of segregation, Delaware State University has become a highly regarded, four-year university thanks to its vision and persistence.

Delaware State University is proud of its over a century of history, which is depicted in the more than two hundred black-and-white photographs in this volume. The book tells the story of faculty and students from professional athlete John Taylor to Ambassador Jerome Holland, from Civil Rights activist Ethel Belton to jazz great Clifford Brown. The book also depicts historical events such as the training of pilots through the Civilian Pilot Training Program and the desegregation that stemmed from the Civil Rights Movement that have had an impact on university life.

Reflecting the changing landscape of American society, Delaware State University continues to reinvent itself and seeks to instill in its students the truth that Only the Educated are Free.