Straight Up History

Straight University was born from the American Missionary Association as part of a larger national movement for civil rights during the reconstruction era.

The Straight University Boarding House and Dining Hall building at 1423 N. Claiborne Ave. has been returned to its former grandeur thanks to PRC’s Operation Comeback department.

Two graduates of Straight University’s law school worked to fight against Jim Crow-era segregation, organizing the protest which led to the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson case.

Although short-lived, the influence of Straight University’s medical department reached as far as Detroit.

Photos and letters from Roy Joseph Weems, one of Straight’s star football players, give a glimpse into student life at the school in the 1920s and 1930s.

This brief overview highlights the history of Straight University from its founding during the Reconstruction era to its merger in 1930 with Dillard University.

As activists and intellectuals lectured at Straight University, the institution became a center for the Civil Rights struggle during Reconstruction.