Clark Atlanta University Through the Eyes of The HistoryMakers Digital Archive
On July 1st, 1988, after over a century of education, Clark College and Atlanta University announced their consolidation into Clark Atlanta University. Since its establishment, Clark Atlanta has had exclusively black presidents, including one woman, Lucile H. Mauge. Clark Atlanta’s first president, Dr. Thomas W. Cole, Jr., had previously served as the simultaneously president of both Clark College and Atlanta University. Of the consolidation, Cole told The HistoryMakers Digital Archive, “The faculty were on board, the alumni were on board, and the students were just--they were the cheerleaders...There was hardly any major criticism or complication. We agreed on calling it a consolidation rather than a merger. And one of the reasons is, that they have different connotations both legally and from a practical standpoint...so they came to the consolidation equal...” On July 1st, 1988, after over a century of education, Clark College and Atlanta University announced their consolidation into Clark Atlanta University.
Thomas W. Cole (The HistoryMakers A2006.173), interviewed by Denise Gines, December 15, 2006, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 5, story 2, Thomas W. Cole describes the details of the Clark Atlanta University merger
HistoryMakers that have graduated from Atlanta University, Clark College, or Clark Atlanta University include sociologist Willie Pearson Jr., Judge James R. Spencer, and professor Delores P. Aldridge. Each of these HistoryMakers attended pre-consolidation, yet all of them spoke to the unique atmosphere of the CAU experience. When describing his experience studying sociology at Atlanta University, Willie Pearson says “...I had a greater racial awareness by being in a city that had the population that it did and the kind of energy, intellectual energy that was going on in the center [Atlanta University Center Consortium, Atlanta, Georgia], where it was seen as kind of the beacon for studying black issues…”
Willie Pearson, Jr. (The HistoryMakers A2011.014), interviewed by Larry Crowe, April 13, 2011, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 6, story 5, Willie Pearson, Jr. describes the sociology curriculum at Atlanta University
The Honorable James R. Spencer spoke of the impact that his mentors had at Clark College, saying, “There was nothing that [former CC president Vivian Henderson] wouldn't do for you. He helped me in terms of graduate school... ‘...Havard or Yale , nothing less.’ … so, I applied, and got in. But he was the one who encouraged me along the way, a really, really good guy.” Later, when discussing professors at Clark College, Pearson says “Dr. Brantley [ph.] ... was in my fraternity one time when my brother's college finances got a little tough. I had to contribute some of the money that I made during the summer to him to get him back in school... And Dr. Brantley heard about it, went out to our graduate chapter there in Atlanta [Georgia], and came back, and gave me money. I mean… so many people helped me along the way, but I'll never forget him.”
The Honorable James R. Spencer (The HistoryMakers A2016.132), interviewed by Larry Crowe, December 8, 2016, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 11, The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers his professors at Clark College
Delores Aldridge, decorated EducationMaker, also sung the praises of Clark College’s rigorous academic history. She says, “When I got to Clark, every other person was a valedictorian or salutatorian... the competition was--it was fierce, and, you know, I love a challenge and so, it just, I played on, I loved that competition that was exemplified in the classroom, and what we did in social activities, and the like.” She later describes the access that a CAU education gives you to fellow AUC institutions such as Spelman College and Morehouse College: “...It's in the heart of Atlanta University Center. So, you had access to all of the schools. I took courses on all of the campuses. I knew kids on all of the campuses. And some of my friends and I were part of the Civil Rights Movement from the different campuses.” These testimonies remain true for many of Clark Atlanta’s contemporaneous graduates.
Delores P. Aldridge (The HistoryMakers A2006.111), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 10, 2006, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 2, story 13, Delores P. Aldridge describes Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia
As it was created with the education of predominantly black students in mind, Clark Atlanta University had a profound legacy in the black community of Atlanta Georgia and the nation as a whole. Some of its most notable alumni include James Weldon Johnson, who penned “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, the Black National Anthem of the United States. Atlanta University also prides itself on the legacy of WEB DUBois, who spent many years teaching on its campus while penning The Souls of Black Folk, one of his most famous works. Contemporarily, Clark Atlanta is responsible for much of Spike Lee’s mass media education in addition to being the primary location for his film “School Daze”. CAU’s state of the art mass media education is also championed by Kenya Barris, the creator of shows like “Black-ish”, “Grown-ish”, and “Mixed-ish”. In 2018, Barris pledged one million dollars to the school's mass media program. Clark Atlanta is consistently ranked in the official top 20 HBCU list, and is also widely lauded for their social work programs as well. Currently, Clark Atlanta is the largest United Negro College Fund (UNCF) member institution in the United States and the largest private HBCU in Georgia.
