On this day in Labor History the year was 1833.
That was the day that the Oberlin Collegiate Institute was founded in northcentral Ohio.
Today it is known as Oberlin College.
The college was the project of two Presbyterian ministers John Jay Sipherd and Philo Stewart.
Their goal was to form a college based on Christian principals.
In the early days, tuition was free and students were expected to give their labor to help sustain the school and community.
The College motto “Learning and Labor” harkens back to that time.
From early on the college was different than many other institutions of higher learning of its day.
In 1835. Oberlin became the first predominantly white college admit black male students.
Two years later, Oberlin broke new ground again, letting in women and becoming the first coed college in the nation.
By opening its doors to black and women enrollees, Oberlin gave these students a chance to study and pursue careers that might otherwise have been closed to them.
By the turn of the twentieth century, one third of all black professionals in the United States had graduated from Oberlin.
In 1862, Mary Jane Patterson became the first African American woman to earn her bachelorette degree from Oberlin.
She became a teacher and principal.
Another black graduate, John Mercer Langston, would become the first black lawyer in Ohio and the first black congressman to represent Virginia in Washington, D.C.
Oberlin College was also known for its stance supporting the abolition of slavery and later for supporting Civil Rights.
The school was a stop on the Underground Railroad, which helped enslaved people escape into freedom in Canada.
Oberlin gave people the opportunity of an education.
February 7 - Strike at Cripple Creek
February 6 - Philly Garment Workers Win!
February 5 - The Fight for Craft Governance
February 4 - Solidarity on the Coast
February 3 - Anti-Trust Injunctions Used Against Labor
February 2 - The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
February 1 - A Pivotal Moment in the Flint Sit-Down
January 31 - The Big Easy Fires 7000 Teachers
January 30 - Fred Korematsu Day
January 29 - Bread & Roses Striker, Anna LoPizzo, Shot Dead
January 28 - The 1917 Bath Riots
January 27 - Bans on Yellow Dog Contracts Ruled Unconstitutional
January 26 - Sid Hatfield Stands Trial
January 25 - Solidarity Works!
January 24 - Arturo Alfonso Schomburg is Born
January 23 - If Poison Doesn’t Work, Try Briggs!
January 22 - Tragedy in the Mines & in the Union Hall
January 21 - On Strike for Health & Dignity
January 20 - The Flint Womens Emergency Brigades
January 19 - A Snapshot in Misery
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