Spelman College

Spelman College is currently regarded as one of the most highly esteemed and respected colleges dedicated to the higher education of African American women. The school has a long history that has led to this achievement.

Spelman’s beginnings may surprise some due to its distinguishment as an HBCU. Originally named Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman College was founded in 1881 by Sophia Packard and Harriet Giles. Both were white women who hailed from Massachusetts and came to Atlanta with the hope of establishing a school for young black women. Backed by financial support from the Woman’s American Baptist Home Mission Society (WABHMS) and others, Giles and Packard opened a school in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church, an African American church in southwest Atlanta.

The first classes were held on April 11, 1881 and were attended by eleven black women. ¹ The main goal of Packard and Giles in founding Spelman College was to supposedly “uplift” the black race. Like many others during this time, the founders believed African Americans needed to model themselves after white Christians to become morally righteous and be accepted in white society. They thought that by educating black women in these areas, these women would, in turn, go out into society and encourage their community to also model behaviors of the white elite. The founders “…declared the primary mission of the college was the religious and moral education of black women.” ² Black women would be educated in arts, science and religion and would become leaders for others of their race to follow. Sexual modesty played a big role in the education of these women. They were trained on how to present themselves respectably while also receiving their normal education. The idea of respectability was crucial for black women during this time as they were stereotyped as sexually deviant. This racist stereotype was claimed to justify their rape and abuse by white men “…and denied them a public voice to protest lynching, disenfranchisement, and segregation.” ³ (Case). Some students viewed this training on how to “act appropriately” as an opportunity to redefine the controlling images used against them and resist white supremacy.

Although the seminary taught just eleven students at the start of its program, the school would grow its student population to the thousands over the next century. The courses taught at the school were limited in the beginning. Many of the students were former slaves and first had to be educated in basic subjects, such as literacy, before moving on to more advanced courses. The school offered academic training, with courses such as algebra and psychology, and industrial training in subjects such as nursing and sewing. As the student population grew, so did the number of courses offered and the size of the campus. In 1929, the school would sign an Affiliation Agreement with Atlanta University and Morehouse College. A total of six schools would end up being a part of this affiliation known as the Atlanta University Center, which “…represents the largest affiliation of predominantly black institutions in the United States.” ⁵

Following its initial success, Spelman’s enrollment grew too large for classes to continue in the church basement. A down payment was placed on nine acres of land in the James Place subdivision by the Women’s American Baptist Home Missionary Society as the new location for the school. This land was a former U.S. government military post which had been closed the same year that Spelman had opened. A few years after the college had been moved here, Rockefeller agreed to pay off the mortgage after a visit to the campus. ⁶ This marked when the Rockefellers became major investors in the schools. This was also when the school changed its name to Spelman Seminary, in honor of the parents of Laura Spelman Rockefeller who were fierce abolitionists. Spelman was able to beautify the landscape of the campus thanks to a 100,000-dollar donation from the Rockefellers. The work was completed in 1903. Giles and the landscaping company had “…erased all traces of the military outpost, transforming “James Place” into a world apart from urban Atlanta.” ⁷

Historically, black schools have suffered from a lack of financial support from the government. In the past, money was most often funneled into white schools as Black ones continued to struggle with inadequate supplies. Because of this, many Black institutes ended up being shut down due to lack of funding. However, Spelman College differs as it was able to continually receive the support it needed from philanthropists and the Black community. Although there were times when the school struggled, support was always found from various benefactors, and the college’s doors always remained open for students to study there. The fact that the school was not publicly funded affected its curriculum. Most black institutions that received funding from donors were usually required to include industrial training as part of the curriculum. This most often happened when the donors were white, as many of them still held racist sentiments believing that black workers should be designated to less prestigious jobs. This allowed them to maintain control over the black population. ⁸ Spelman’s industrial department was made possible by a grant from the John F. Slater fund which required that the money be put towards industrial training. This was often a stipulation that came with funding for the school at this time. This did not affect the fact “…that the school’s founders considered industrial courses as secondary.” ⁹ Despite their beliefs that industrial training was not as important as moral and religious training, Giles and Packard accepted donations that came with these stipulations in order to keep the school running and continue to improve its curriculum.

Both Spelman students and staff believed that industrial training was necessary alongside academic training. This contradicted the common thought as the time that the two were incompatible. Industrial training was believed to help in creating good morals and character through hard work. Daily chores were part of the requirements for attending Spelman. These chores helped teach students the importance of working hard to earn something while also helping to keep tuition down. Despite the large promotion of education in missionary, nursing, and printing courses, the main goal of Spelman was to train teachers. The teaching program has a very high retention compared to white schools teaching similar courses. Many alumnae came back to Spelman as part of the faculty. ¹⁰

Religion also largely affected what was taught at Spelman. Students were required to attend church multiple times a week and study the Bible. Teaching religion was one of the main goals of the Spelman institute because they believed it would aid in the uplifting of the black race. Students of Spelman were also taught how to keep a proper household which was viewed by some black students as “an expression of activism.” ¹² The belief was that a proper household would benefit black families and promote them to succeed. “At its best, Spelman during the administrations of Packard and Giles conveyed the message that women who graduated from the college had an enormous responsibility to live moral lives and use their training to serve others.” ¹³

Spelman women were known throughout the school’s history for being proper, respectable young women who did not cause trouble. However, many of the women attending this college were roused to challenge this idea of themselves during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. “Spelman students, along with many of their fellow students in the Atlanta University Center and across the south, were greatly inspired to become active in the civil rights movement because of the actions of four black students from North Caroline…” ¹⁴ Spelman girls joined fellow students in protests by participating in picketing and sit-ins in segregated businesses. These activists were willing to go to jail for their cause to end segregation. This change in the demeanor of Spelman women was noted. One newspaper article by Howard Zinn wrote that, “They are well mannered, but this is tempered by a somewhat recent declaration that they will use every method short of violence to end segregation.”¹⁵

Spelman has continued to grow, but still holds many of the same values from its past. “The ‘Spelman Girl ’idea continues to exist today at Spelman College and though manners and grace are still a part of the definition, over time it has, expanded to include other characteristics, namely leadership, a characteristic present in many Spelman women as the Civil Rights Movement was birthed in the South.” ¹⁶ They are still dedicated to teaching liberal arts and sciences to black women. Spelman has a large endowment of over $350 million. The school continues to seek funds donated from many different organizations. Spelman’s former president Beverly Tatum contributed significantly in obtaining funds for the school. Although the strict moral teachings of the past are no longer enforced, remnants of the past can still be seen, such as in the school motto which is “Our whole school for Christ”. Spelman continues to be one of the best colleges for black women to receive an education in the United States.

First image: “Gates of Spelman, Circa 1980.” Spelman College Photographs Collection, Spelman College http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/sc.002:0096 (accessed 4/5/22)