Not For Ourselves Alone

For over 200 years Black colleges and universities have anchored the African American community. The legacy of these institutions has been to equip African Americans with the skills needed to be successful leaders. This book considers the leadership of Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne of Wilberforce University and Rev. Dr. Joseph Robert of Morehouse College as pioneers of Black higher education.

This book aims to respond to the research question: if quality of leadership is the most important element in the production of a quality college or university then what are the important variables, incidents, and/or circumstances that result in quality amongst Black higher educational institutions? Important dimensions of this book are the data collection and analysis of artifacts that uncover Presidents Payne and Robert’s leadership style and approach. Comparing and contrasting their leadership dynamics, this book adds a second dimension by assessing these presidents’ use of servant leadership in creating servant institutions.

Throughout the narrative, the reader is immersed in the telling of Presidents Payne and Robert’s development as pioneers of Black higher education. Experiencing the challenges and triumphs of each through the telling of their personal and professional contributions, this book is one-of-a kind. Carefully weaving together primary source materials throughout the narrative, this book ensures the reader is informed of the various complexities of leadership within Black higher education post-Civil War. By book’s end, the reader is guided through a masterfully written, comparative historical study that uncovers surprising similarities and differences between the presidents and the colleges.

Overall this book offers insight into the unique experiences of founding leaders in Black higher education in the United Sates. This book reintroduces to the world two immensely influential thinkers, educators and religious leaders whose ideas, decisions, sacrifices and legacies have and continue to impact generations of African American leaders.