Alva James-Johnson: Preserving black institutions
Oakwood University sits on 1,186 acres in the heart of Huntsville, Ala.
The school was founded by the Seventh-day Adventist denomination in 1896 to educate the recently freed slaves of the South.
The project started with the purchase of a 380-acre former slave plantation for $6,700. The institution originally was called "Oakwood Industrial School" and provided a faith-based industrial education to students.
Oakwood University is now among 107 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States. By the time I arrived as a communications major in the 1980s, it was a thriving four-year institution with hundreds of students pursuing various degrees under its towering Oak trees.
Last weekend, my family and I returned to the university and stayed with my sister, who now chairs its math department.
While visiting the campus, I was reminded of the rich heritage that historically black colleges provide, and how important it is to preserve them.
On Saturday night, we attended a concert by the Aeolians, a choir that for decades has traversed the globe with its repertoire of rich sacred music.
The group blessed us with a mix of classical, traditional and contemporary arrangements. But what really touched me were the Negro spirituals, which the students performed with such soulful expression that brought tears to my eyes.
Words such as "I've been 'buked and I've been scorned" permeated the church sanctuary, while images of the decades-long black struggle for civil rights played on TV monitors. We watched footage of the violence protesters endured in the '60s, as well as examples of police brutality against black citizens today.
Images of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama reminded us of progress that has been made, despite the challenges.
The next day, I was even more inspired as I stood at the ribbon cutting for a brand new media center that was built for the communications department. The center is named after Leroy and Lois Peters, a black couple who donated $1.2 million for the project. When it was over, I spoke briefly with Lois, thanking her for her sacrifice. She told me it was something she and her husband never thought they could do. But they prayed for God to bless their Maryland-based home health care business, and it all came to pass.
Prior to the Oakwood project, the couple also helped build a music education center at another university with a $1 million contribution.
The Peters seemed like nice, down-to-earth people, who just wanted to do their part to support the university's mission. I thought about my own obligation to the institution, and others I hold dear.
I want to do more, because let's face it -- if we don't preserve our heritage, who will?
This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 11:02 PM with the headline "Alva James-Johnson: Preserving black institutions ."