October is Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Awareness Month. What better way to celebrate than by honoring the history and impact of Miles College, an HBCU that has been in Birmingham for 125 years.

Learn more about Miles College and its history in The Magic City.

125 years of Miles College in Birmingham

In the early 1890s, leaders in the Colored Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church saw a need for educated leadership in the black community. In 1898—25 years after the incorporation of Birmingham—those leaders established Miles College, named for William H. Miles, a founding bishop of the C.M.E. Church.

Since its founding, the students, faculty, and alumni of Miles College have committed themselves to civic engagement and activism. During the Civil Rights Movement, the leadership from Miles College students in civic protests and boycotts helped convince the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to bring their strategies in Birmingham.

In terms of academics, Miles College offers 29 different Bachelor’s Degree programs to its student body of roughly 1,500, including:

Accounting
Biology
Business Administration
Chemistry
Communications
Computer and Information Sciences
History
Language Arts
Criminal Justice
Early Childhood/Elementary Education
English
Mathematics
Political Science
Social Work
And more

Miles College alumni have changed the world

Over its 125-year history, Miles College has graduated a number of alumni that have had a positive impact on Birmingham, the state of Alabama, the country and beyond. Notable alumni of Miles College include:

Birmingham Mayors William Bell, Bernard Kincaid and Richard Arrington, Jr. — the first African-American Mayor of the City of Birmingham
U.W. Clemon, one of the first ten African-American lawyers admitted to the Alabama bar as well as the first African-American federal judge in Alabama
Condoleezza Rice, the first woman, first African-American and youngest Provost at Stanford as well as the first African-American woman to serve as Secretary of State
Autherine Lucy, the first African-American to attend the University of Alabama.
Carole Smitherman, Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge and former Birmingham City Councilor.

Celebrate Miles College during Homecoming Week

On Sunday, October 15th, Miles College kicked off their Homecoming Week celebrations with the coronation of the 87th Miss Miles College and the 4th Mister Miles College. There is still time to celebrate Homecoming with Miles College!

On Friday, October 20, Miles College will put on a Homecoming concert featuring hip-hop artist K-Camp beginning at 7PM. Meanwhile, artists D.J. Bad Boy Butch and Young Vokalz will put on a FREE concert titled “Blues on the Hill”. The concert will take place at Alumni Hill from 6PM to 9PM.

Homecoming Day at Miles College will begin with the Homecoming Parade on Saturday, October 21. At 8:59AM, local businesses, clubs, members of Miles College and more will parade through downtown Fairfield in anticipation of the Homecoming Game—Miles College vs. Allen University.

Tickets are available on the HomeTown Fan app.