��������

In a lot of ways, Talladega College is your typical institution of higher learning. But to really understand this HBCU, you have to know its past, starting with its humble and inspirational beginnings.It's known for academic excellence and is listed among Princeton Review's best colleges in the Southeast. But how Talladega College became what it is today, makes all the accolades even sweeter. President Gregory Vincent says, “Talladega College has the most compelling origin story in American higher education.�� >> STEEPED IN TRADITION: A look at the economic and cultural impact of HBCU SpringcomingPreserving that story is Perry Trice's job and his passion. He’s the college archivist. He says, “Talladega's origin story starts with two men, William Savery and Thomas Tarrant.�� It was 1865, slavery was abolished, William Savery and Thomas Tarrant were now free men. They were from Talladega and knew education was vital to preserve this freedom. So, they set out to start a school for the children of former slaves. They built a one-room schoolhouse that quickly overflowed with students. When a nearby Baptist Academy went into foreclosure, they worked with General Wager Swayn of the Freedmen's Bureau, to purchase the building. Ironically, it was a building Savery and Tarrent had helped build as enslaved carpenters years before. In 1867 it became what we know today as Talladega College.“Savery started out as an enslaved person, and when he died, he was a board of trustees member for a college that's still standing today. I really don't think you can undervalue the significance of having that educational journey," Trice says. >> ATHLETIC EXPANSION: How Talladega College is leveling the playing field with its new gymnastics programIt was also something pretty much unheard of at the time, an educational institution for anyone and everyone. Trice says, “We were never segregated. Our first white student actually graduated in 1884. He was the son of the president. We weren't a school that was specifically for black people. We were just a school that didn't deny access to anyone.�� Dr. Vincent says, “We were the prescription against white supremacy, state-sponsored segregation, and we were the place that made a way out of no way.”Now, people of all races and backgrounds can study everything from cyber security to business administration to fine arts. >> ‘KEEP MARCHING ON��: The Talladega College Great Tornado Band's journey to becoming an HBCU iconBut every one of those classes is rooted in its history. Alumnus and Assistant Professor Rachelle Williams says, “Even though we offer a diverse range of courses, we're going to always insert our history into those courses, because they're very important and they're part of the, you know, American history in American fabric.�� Williams says that history and the origin story are the ties that bind all alumni together. “I really do feel like Talladega is really special in that regard. In the ways that we uphold tradition, the things that we remember about what it means to be on this campus.”It’s a story that started almost 160 years ago but is still being written. Trice says, “By coming to Talladega College, you're a part of this story as well. This is a continuing story.��