Whereas in 1867, 9 historically Black colleges and universities were established in 4 southern States, Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, and North Carolina, as well as the District of Columbia, the largest number of historically Black Colleges and Universities founded in any single year before or after; Whereas the 9 historically Black colleges and universities that celebrated their sesquicentennial the week of September 24, 2017, trace their founding to rather modest beginnings, but, in the course of a century and a half, have established records of significant achievement and legacies of devotion to academic excellence; Whereas the 9 institutions celebrating their sesquicentennial anniversaries include Alabama State University in Marion, Alabama; Barber-Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina; Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, North Carolina; Howard University in Washington, DC; Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina; Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia; Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland; St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama; Whereas in the case of Alabama State University, on July 17, 1867, 9 freed slaves incorporated Lincoln Normal School in Marion, Alabama, to educate Black children; Whereas Lincoln Normal School was founded with $500 used to purchase the land and lay the foundation; Whereas Lincoln Normal School was converted from a junior college into a four-year college in 1928; Whereas in 1969, the former Lincoln Normal School was formally granted a name change by the Alabama State Board of Education, becoming Alabama State University; Whereas notable figures of the civil rights era attended and graduated from Alabama State University, including the Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, attorney Fred Gray and the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth