Paine College

When we think of historically black colleges and universities in Georgia,  the A.U. Center,  a consortium of private African American institutions of higher learning in Atlanta, or one of the State's public HBCUs usually comes to mind.

We seldom mention Paine College, the other historically black institution in the State. 

Paine,  founded in 1882 by the Methodist Church,  has produced some of the country's most notable figures in Civil rights, the Arts, and government despite being off the beaten path.  Joseph Lowery,  a leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1977 to 1997,  attended school there, as did Mike Thurmond,  Georgia's first African American labor commissioner, who graduated in 1975.  Others include, but are not limited to,  journalist Louis Lomax ('42),  Civil Rights activist and Spingarn Medal recipient Channing Tobias (1902),  world-renowned writer Frank Yerby (1937),  and Emma Gresham,  a member of the class of 1953,  who ran successfully for mayor of Keysville,  Georgia,  her tiny hometown in 1985,  only to be stripped of her position by a superior court judge when white citizens disputed the boundaries of the town.  Her victory was later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1990 when Keysville's city limits were affirmed based on oral history.  She upgraded city infrastructure, such as water and sewage, and surprised her neighbors with a new post office.

Paine's sixty-five-acre campus, in the thriving community of Augusta, Georgia, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places "for its contribution to education and African American heritage,"  according to Wikipedia.  Throughout its 135-year history, Paine has welcomed students from all walks of life to its legendary campus and has watched them change the world in science,  government, and technology.   Like other HBCUs over the years,  it has provided a rich environment not just in the classroom but in athletics and student organizations or has simply given young people a place to call home.

Sadly,  Paine may be forced to close its doors soon.  The HBCU has suffered financial hardship in recent years, causing it to be placed on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools(SACS), with the possibility of losing accreditation if it doesn't get its financial house in order.  As a result,  Paine's enrollment has dropped to around 500 students prompting the cancellation of the Fighting Lions football team.

I first heard of Paine,  one of Georgia's best-kept secrets,  as a student in high school.  A social studies teacher of mine had gone there and sang its praises.  We should do the same or "rejoice in hope" like the school motto.