The students on a walking tour of Meharry Medical College.
By Javaris Bradford
On Thursday, April 10, 2012, we toured Meharry Medical College and Fisk University. Meharry, founded in 1876, is named after Samuel Meharry. On a late night in 1826, Meharry was making a journey through Tennessee when his wagon became immobile in the mud. He sought help from the home of freed slaves. The next morning, the man of the family helped Meharry get his wagon out the mud so he could complete his journey. MeHarry didn’t have any money at the time he received help, but he promised to do something to repay that family.
Approximately fifty years later, Meharry and his four brothers donated $15,000 to help start a medical department at Central Tennessee College. MeHarry Medical College grew from the medical department. The college was started to help the poor and underprivileged. Today, Meharry Medical College has four schools: School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Graduate studies, and School of Allied Health Profession. Three-fourths of the graduates are employed in impoverished neighborhoods where they are greatly needed. Meharry Medical College is responsible for 20 percent of the nation’s doctors.
The walking tour of Fisk University was completed at Jubilee Hall.
After we completed our tour at Meharry, we walked across the street to tour Fisk University. Founded in 1866, Fisk is the first private HBCU and is the alma mater of co-founder of the NAACP, W.E.B. Dubois. Fisk is home to the world famous Jubilee Singers who sang to raise money for their school in an attempt to relieve debt. Today, the original Jubilee Singers are honored in Jubilee Hall located on Fisk’s campus with a life-sized mural of the group.
Fisk is a smaller campus with approximately 500 students. It is ranked #1 in research amongst liberal arts institutions in the south. In order to be admitted, a student should have a 3.0 GPA and a 21 on the ACT. Fisk has a 91% retention rate and is a family-oriented campus.
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