Historically black law schools

Historically black law schools (HBLS’s) are American law schools within a HBCU (Historically Black College and University).

After the Civil War and before the Civil rights movement, blacks were for the most part denied access to equal opportunities for education. Higher education for blacks was largely unavailable, prior to the establishment of HBCU’s which were largely the only institutions available for blacks to attend college. Today, 105 HBCU’s exist across the country.

Although at one point, 13 Historically Black Law Schools were established within the United States, currently there are six Historically Black Law Schools within those 105 HBCU’s, which are accredited by the American Bar Association. Those law schools include the following:

HBL’s were originally created in response to the exclusion of blacks from white law schools. Segregation was an unfortunate reality in the United States, and the separate-but-equal doctrine only served to continue this tradition of inequality. They traditionally consisted of all or mostly black students. Without them, many blacks would not have had the opportunity to study law at all. Although blacks are no longer facially prohibited from any university or law school, HBL's still serve an important purpose in today’s society and address an array of social issues that still affect the nation.

Today, HBS’s are not simply schools that provide a legal education to blacks, but they are schools, which are composed heavily of minorities, promote diversity, and are considered some of the most diverse law schools in the entire United States. In fact, making up 41% of the population, blacks actually represent a minority at Florida A&M University Law School, which is recognized to be the most diverse law school in the United States. Another example is the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Texas, which seeks to educate future lawyers from all over the United States. Its population of black students is only 50%, while the remainder of its student body consists largely of Hispanic students, as well as White, Asian, and Native American. Blacks are actually no longer the majority in half of the HBS’s today. HBS’s provide law students with the unique opportunity to receive an education in an immensely diverse setting, which they would not be able to experience elsewhere.

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