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Michigan to Re-Establish Its First and Only HBCU

Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design in Detroit is expected to be the first HBCU to be reinstated in the U.S.

The first and only historically Black college in Michigan is set to reopen after shuttering its doors in 2013. A bill was signed this week to bring Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design—formerly the Lewis College of Business—back to life. The Detroit school was established in Indianapolis in 1928 to train Black women in secretarial tasks. The college relocated to Detroit in 1939. In a press release signaling the school’s resurrection, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she was “committed to expanding educational opportunities for Michiganders.” Tuition will be free for Black students pursuing careers in design, engineering, and business. The school, set to open in March 2022, will be the first historically Black college or university in the U.S. to be reinstated.