Wabash College’s first Black student just got his degree — 167 years later

Wabash College admitted a Black student in January 1857 , just 25 years after the college was founded.

The student was dismissed because of a racial backlash, Tim Lake , associate professor of English and Black Studies at the college says.

Lake believes he now knows the full story, which he stitched together from school records and local newspaper accounts.

The story of John Blackburn at Wabash calls into question the commitment to abolition that the college's founders had.

Five generations of Blackburn 's living descendants came to Crawfordsville on February 5th .

The college has been ignoring Blackburn 's experience for nearly two centuries .

“I’m not so sure that it is. My fear is that I have participated in resurrecting this student so that he can be dismissed again”.