In 1831, Black leaders and white abolitionists proposed establishing the country’s first African American college in New Haven, Connecticut, seeking to expand access to education during a time when slavery was pervasive.
However, the city’s freemen—white, male property owners who were the only ones allowed to vote and often connected to Yale College—overwhelmingly voted against the proposal, 700-4. This rejection was followed by violent attacks targeting Black residents, their homes, and the properties of their white supporters.
Now, nearly two centuries later, New Haven officials are considering a public apology for the harm caused by their predecessors’ decision to block the college. In August, City Alder Thomas Ficklin Jr., a Democrat, with City Historian Michael Morand, introduced a resolution calling for an official apology and urging city schools and Yale University to teach about the events of 1831. The proposal may soon undergo further review, with a full Board of Alders vote expected later this fall.
