An executive order by President Barack Obama on February 26, 2010, stated, "Established by visionary leaders, America's HBCUs, for over 150 years, have produced many of the Nation's leaders...." Morehouse College presents an example of those words. Tracing its beginning to 1867 in Augusta, Georgia, the college relocated to Atlanta, Georgia in 1879 and was known as Atlanta Baptist Seminary. Morehouse took its current name in 1913 in honor of Henry L. Morehouse. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Spike Lee represent two of its distinguished graduates.
HBCUs are found in 20 states, ranging from Texas as the westernmost state to Florida in the south to Michigan in the north. Some states like Delaware and Kentucky have only one HBCU, Delaware State University and Kentucky State University, respectively. Other states with one HBCU include Michigan with Lewis College of Business and Oklahoma with Langston University. HBCUs tend to be concentrated in certain states, like Alabama with 15, North Carolina with 11 and Georgia with 10.
According to the American Medical Association, three HBCUs have medical schools. Howard University in Washington, DC, Morehouse College and Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee comprise the list. Morehouse's school began in 1981 as the first HBCU medical school started in the 20th century. The College of Medicine at Howard University was founded in 1868, while Meharry also traces its beginning to the post Civil War era. Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles is not considered a HBCU on the list maintained by the White House, probably due to its recent history beginning in the 1960s but is listed by the AMA as a historically black medical college.
"U.S. News & World Report" in 2010 compiled a list of the top HBCUs in the country. Topping the list is Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, a private school founded in 1881.All of the top 10 HBCUs are private institutions. Howard University ranks second while Morehouse College is third. The next university in the rankings, Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, was founded in 1868. Rounding out the top 10 are Tuskegee University in Alabama, Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, Fisk University in Nashville, Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Dillard University in New Orleans and Tougaloo College in Mississippi.