April 7 …
Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a historically Black institution that has educated generations, advanced social justice, and shaped culture and civic life in Charlotte, NC, and beyond.
The university was established on April 7, 1867 as the Biddle Memorial Institute by the Catawba Presbytery to educate formerly enslaved people. It was established through the leadership of ministers Samuel C. Alexander and Willis L. Miller, with early support from Mary D. Biddle and land contributions from William R. Myers.
In 1876, the school was chartered as Biddle University. Following significant donations from Jane Berry Smith in 1921 and 1922 in memory of her husband Johnson C. Smith, the trustees renamed it Johnson C. Smith University in 1923.
From its inception, the institution aimed to blend liberal arts with teacher training, preparing Black ministers, educators, and professionals. It marked significant milestones by electing Daniel J. Sanders as one of the first African American presidents of a four-year southern college.
Johnson C. Smith pioneered teacher preparation programs in 1891, admitted woman beginning in 1932 (becoming fully coeducational by 1942), and joined the United Negro College Fund as a founding member in 1944. All this was accomplished while the institution maintained its Presbyterian roots and broadened its degree offerings into the contemporary era.
Key stakeholders throughout its history have included church sponsors (notably the Presbyterian Church), alumni, faculty, the Charlotte community, and philanthropic contributors — such as Jane Berry Smith and later James B. Duke through the Duke Endowment, which designated JCSU as a beneficiary in 1924.
The primary beneficiaries have been generations of predominantly Black students from the Carolinas and beyond, who gained access to higher education, professional training, and civic leadership opportunities that were otherwise limited during the periods of Reconstruction and segregation, thus promoting social mobility and community development.
The university’s accomplishments and institutional recognitions are numerous. They include early regional accreditation milestones, making it one of the first Black colleges in the South to achieve such recognition. It was selected as a beneficiary of the Duke Endowment and for membership in the UNCF.
The school has many athletic and cultural achievements, including the inaugural recorded Black intercollegiate football game in 1892. It has earned more recent programmatic awards and grants, such as substantial Duke Endowment grants in the 2000s and multimillion-dollar donations supporting facilities, scholarships, and leadership programs.
Throught its leadership and innovations, Johnson C. Smith University has imparted a lasting impact on American education, social justice, culture, and civic life in Charlotte and across the nation.
