By: Marc Morial
President and CEO
National Urban League
Do the names Alexander Lucius Twilight and Mary Jane Patterson mean anything to you? Well, they should. As tens of thousands of young men and women obtain their bachelors and masters degrees this commencement season, we are reminded that Alexander Twilight was the first Black to earn a college degree in America when he graduated from Vermont's Middlebury College in 1823. And, it wasn't until 40 years later in 1863, that Ohio's Oberlin College conferred the first college degree to an African American woman — Mary Jane Patterson. I mention those two pioneers because in 2008, African American enrollment in higher education has reached an all-time high. That's the good news. The bad news is that only 43 percent of African Americans who enter a four-year college actually graduate
Enviroshop is maintained by dedicated NetSys Interactive Inc. owners & employees who generously contribute their time to maintenance & editing, web design, custom programming, & website hosting for Enviroshop.