New Haven Contemplates Apology for 1831 Black College Rejection

In 1831, New Haven, Connecticut, a group of Black leaders and white abolitionists attempted to establish the nation's first African American college there, a proposal that was vehemently opposed by the city's freemen—predominantly white male landowners, many closely tied to Yale College. It was rejected by a 700-4 vote. Violence against Black residents and their allies followed for months afterward. Fast forward nearly two centuries: New Haven officials are contemplating a public mea culpa for the rejection and subsequent violence.

A resolution, introduced in August by Alder Thomas Ficklin Jr. and City Historian Michael Morand, seeks an official apology and educational programs about the historical events of 1831. Ficklin passed away on October 9, but Morand is committed to continuing his efforts. The full Board of Alders is expected to address this resolution later this year. "My political ancestors were involved with this," Ficklin told the AP weeks before his death. "Now we have a chance to kind of render our opinion not only on their actions, on our ancestors' actions, but how are we going to be judged in the future."

Interest in this forgotten history was revitalized in recent years, partly due to a documentary made by Morand and Tubyez Cropper. Two years after the 1831 rejection, state legislators passed the so-called "Black Law," which barred anyone from running a school to educate out-of-state Black people. Cheyney University, established in 1837, eventually became the first Black college in the United States. Connecticut's Black Law was repealed in 1838.