Historical Black Colleges and Universities
TSU:
“Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the United States with nearly 8,000 students enrolled and over 100 academic programs. The university is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is classified among “R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity.”
The Great Debaters
Fox 26 Houston News: “29 Days of Texas Black History: Day 1- Who is Dr. Thomas Freeman?”
“HOUSTON – Kicking off 29 Days of Texas Black History, we explore Dr. Thomas Freeman, a trailblazer who made a lasting impact on education and civil rights. The journey of Freeman unfolded against racial segregation and inequality in Waco, Texas, where he was born on January 29, 1913.”
Centenarian Thomas F. Freeman, Ph.D., coach emeritus of the Texas Southern University debate team, in his office at the T.F. Freeman Center for Forensic Excellence.
Freeman was the ever-present elder of the TSU debate team until COVID-19 closed the university in Houston’s Third Ward as well as most college campuses across the country.
“Dr. Thomas Freeman” (debate coach) Thomas Freeman (1919 – June 6, 2020) was an American lecturer in religion, a preacher, and a debate coach. His students included Martin Luther King Jr., U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, and Denzel Washington.
Texas Southern University (TSU)
https://www.fox26houston.com/news/29-days-of-texas-black-history-day-1-who-is-dr-thomas-freeman
According to his New York Times obituary on June 17, 2020, Freeman was associated with the Texas Southern University debate team that “rose to national prominence”. It was founded by Freeman in 1949. Freeman led the team for more than 60 years and he also served as a visiting professor at Morehouse College.
Media News Global Voices 