Howard University: 10 landmark firsts of the institution that shaped Kamala Harris

Kamala Devi Harris, born on October 20, 1964 in Oakland California, is currently serving as the 49th vice president of the United States alongside President Joe Biden since 2021. She holds the distinction of being the first woman to serve as vice president, making her the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well as the first African American and Asian American to hold the office. Harris is the Democratic Party's presidential nominee for the 2024 election. On Sunday, July 21, US President Joe Biden announced his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, officially endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s new nominee.


Harris's remarkable education journey started at a high school in Quebec when she moved to Canada with her mother and sister at 12 years of age. After successfully completing high school Harris advanced to earn a major in Political Science and Economics from Howard University. Following her graduation, she took admission to the University of California, Hastings College of Law to attain a law degree in 1989.


Howard played an instrumental role in building the career trajectory of Harris. Take a look at the history of the esteemed university and its significant firsts.

Howard University: Steeped in history

Founded in 1867 in Washington, D.C., Howard University was established to provide education to freed African-Americans after the Civil War. Named after General Oliver Otis Howard, a Civil War hero and commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau, the university emerged as a symbol for Black excellence and educational empowerment. Initially established as a seminary for Black ministers, Howard evolved into a full-fledged institution with diverse academic disciplines, including medicine, law, and the arts.

The university has played a significant role in the fight for civil rights and the advancement of African-Americans. Its law school, established in 1869, played a crucial role in shaping legal minds including Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice of the US.

Howard's legacy is rooted in its alumni, who have broken racial barriers across various fields. Apart from Harris, the other notable graduates include Toni Morrison, Nobel laureate in literature; Kamala Harris, and Ralph Bunche, the first African-American Nobel Peace Prize winner. The university's status as "The Mecca" reflects its role as a cultural and intellectual hub for Black students worldwide, symbolizing resilience, leadership, and progress in the face of historical challenges.

Significant firsts of Howard University

Howard University has been the source of numerous historic firsts, from establishing the first Black law school to producing the first African-American Nobel laureate in literature. These milestones highlight the institution's pivotal role in shaping the career paths of its students.

First Black Law School at an HBCU (1869)

Howard University established the first law school at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), becoming a hub for training African-American legal professionals. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are higher education institutions in the United States that were founded prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with a primary focus on serving African American students. Many of these institutions were established during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War and are predominantly located in the Southern United States.


First All-Black College Army ROTC (1918)

Howard University was the first Black university to have an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program. Howard University initiated structured military training for Black officers in 1917 and established an official ROTC program in 1918. The objective was to provide Black military personnel with opportunities beyond infantry roles. Since its founding, the Howard Army ROTC has commissioned over 1,000 officers, many of whom have achieved the rank of general. Howard is a leading institution in producing Black candidates for both the Army and the Air Force.


First African-American Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1950)

Ralph Bunche, a Howard alumnus, became the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Supported by a scholarship from Harvard University and a $1,000 fund raised by the Black community in Los Angeles, Bunche commenced his graduate studies in political science. He earned his master's degree in 1928 and spent the following six years splitting his time between teaching at Howard University and pursuing his doctoral studies at Harvard.



First African-American Supreme Court Justice (1967)

Howard Law alumnus Thurgood Marshall became the first African-American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, making significant contributions to civil rights, including the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Marshall pursued his education at Lincoln University before attending the Howard University School of Law. There, he was guided by Charles Hamilton Houston, lawyer and the then dean of Howard University Law School, who encouraged his students to become "social engineers" dedicated to leveraging the law in the battle for civil rights.


First Black U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1966)

Robert C. Weaver, a Howard graduate, became the first African-American to serve as a U.S. Cabinet member when he was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Weaver attended M Street High School, now known as Dunbar High School, which was renowned for its academic excellence during the era of racial segregation. He later pursued his education at Harvard University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts degree. Weaver also earned a Ph.D. in Economics, completing his doctorate in 1934.


First Black-Owned Commercial Radio Station (1971)

Howard University launched WHUR, the first commercial radio station owned and operated by an African-American university. WHUR, the first radio station in the Washington metropolitan area to adopt HD broadcasting, has been granted numerous accolades, including the esteemed NAB Marconi Award for Best Urban Station of the Year and the NAB Crystal Radio Award for Excellence in Community Service. On January 21, 2004, Howard University’s WHUR-FM Radio transitioned to digital broadcasting, making it the first commercial station in the region to implement HD RadioTM technology. Subsequently, on November 16, 2006, WHUR-WORLD, 96.3 HD-2, was introduced, featuring a diverse blend of music and information with the same superior audio quality as its parent station, WHUR.


First Black Vice President of the World Bank (1979)

Ernest J. Wilson III, a Howard alumnus, became the first African-American to hold the position of Vice President at the World Bank. During his thirteen years with the Bank, Black guided the organization from its early, uncertain stages to becoming a prominent, efficient, and profitable development institution. He secured the Bank's reputation in U.S. capital markets, ensured its bonds were acceptable to major institutional investors, and achieved the highest commercial rating for its securities.


First Black Female Senator (1992)

Carol Moseley Braun, a Howard law graduate, became the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Before serving in the U.S. Senate, Moseley Braun was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1979 to 1988 and held the position of Cook County Recorder of Deeds from 1988 to 1992.

First African-American Nobel Laureate in Literature (1993)

Toni Morrison, a Howard graduate, became the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Toni Morrison, renowned for her lyrical novels such as "Song of Solomon," "Beloved," and "Jazz," received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. The Swedish Academy's Nobel Committee announced the award in Stockholm, highlighting that Morrison "brings to life a crucial aspect of American reality" through novels marked by "visionary power and poetic significance."

First African-American Woman U.S. Vice President (2021)

Howard alumna Kamala Harris made history as the first Black woman to become Vice President of the United States. Harris, originally from Oakland, California, completed her education at Howard University and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She started her legal career with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, then moved to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and later worked with the City Attorney of San Francisco. In 2003, she was elected District Attorney of San Francisco. She served as California's Attorney General from 2010 to 2014, becoming the first woman, as well as the first African American and Asian American, to hold these positions in the state's history.
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