Booker Washington Institute
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 1929 |
| Students | c. 1,800 (2014) |
| Location |
Kakata, Margibi County, Liberia 6°32′00″N 10°21′39″W / 6.53337°N 10.3609°WCoordinates: 6°32′00″N 10°21′39″W / 6.53337°N 10.3609°W |
| Campus | Rural |
| Website | Official website |
The Booker Washington Institute (BWI) is a public, post-secondary school in Kakata, Margibi County, Liberia. Founded in 1929 as the Booker Washington Agricultural and Industrial Institute, it was the country's first agricultural and vocational school. BWI was founded with assistance from Americans and is named after American educator Booker T. Washington. Located east of the country's capital of Monrovia, the school sits on a large rural campus and has about 1,800 students.
During the 1920s Liberian President Charles D. B. King visited the United States and toured the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama founded by Booker T. Washington. Upon his return to Liberia, President King hired Massachusetts Institute of Technology's first African-American graduate, Robert Robinson Taylor, to design a campus for a similar school in Liberia. The government donated 1,000 acres (400 ha) in Margibi County for use by the new school, which was named after Washington. The school opened in 1929 with the financial assistance of the Firestone Natural Rubber Company and the Phelps Stokes Fund. Firestone had opened the world's largest rubber plantation in Liberia in 1926. Other supporters included the American Colonization Society, missionary boards, and individuals.
American James L. Sibley served as the first principal of the new school. All principals of the institute were white until 1946. BWI's board of trustees was run by Americans until the Liberian government assumed control in 1953. Board meetings were held in New York City. Prior to 1980, the school was one of several in the country to participate in the Army Student Training Program used to train officers for the Armed Forces of Liberia.
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