I am a proud graduate of Texas A&M University for my undergraduate degree (Whoop!) however, I am an equally proud graduate of Thurgood Marshall School of Law. I attended law school at Thurgood Marshall School of Law on the campus of Texas Southern University, in Houston, TX and graduated in 2009. I absolutely love where I attended law school. My classmates, professors, and the history of the school shaped who I am today.

Texas Southern University is a HBCU, or historically black college. Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were established to serve the educational needs of black Americans. Prior to the time of their establishment, and for many years afterwards, blacks were generally denied admission to traditionally white institutions. As a result, HBCUs became the principle means for providing postsecondary education to black Americans.

Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University started when Heman M. Sweatt was denied admission to the University of Texas School of Law because he was black.  Thurgood Marshall, who was then chief counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, successfully argued Mr. Sweatt’s case before the U.S. Supreme Court.  Consequently, the Texas Legislature passed enabling legislation for an interim and separate law school for African-Americans as part of the “Texas State University for Negroes,” the name of which was changed in 1951.

Today, Thurgood has a diverse student body who advocate for social issues and are known for skilled oral arguments. However, the focus and goal of the school to provide opportunities for students who would not otherwise be able to attend law school, remains. To be equipped with not just an education, but a profession is a blessing. In the past 5 years, Thurgood Marshall School of Law has been #1 in Texas for producing African-American attorneys and #3 in Texas for producing Latino attorneys.

I am discussing #myhbcu because my sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. has a goal of raising $1 million dollars in one day for Historically Black Colleges, like Texas Southern University where I attended law school. As an advocate for education, I will be making a donation to Texas Southern University and hope that you will join me in supporting historically black colleges around the country by going to https://donate.akaeaf.org

#aka1million1day #aka1908 #excellence