My Grandfather’s HBCU Legacy Lives on Through My NAACP Leadership
Our Journey from Jamaica to Morgan State to Harvard to Bowie State
One of Bowie State University’s former presidents, Samuel L. Myers Sr., died at the age of 101 this past January. He is my grandfather and this story is his legacy.
And while his narrative, like those of so many Black changemakers, is relegated to what some call “niche” Black history, his story is worth preserving. He was the son of Jamaican immigrants who moved to Baltimore for a better life after his father — my great-grandfather — finished his own studies at Hampton University. The colorful “shotgun” style town home he grew up in was located in “Sandtown,” Baltimore. The family was raised to give back, to help, and to get educated. My grandfather and his brother worked and studied together as they attended Morgan State College and then eventually Harvard, where grandfather earned a PhD in economics. After that he became president of an HBCU.
And that’s where this story starts: Bowie State College, 1968. Back then, Bowie was the stomping ground of young Black revolutionaries, future nurses, doctors, social workers, and that year was also my grandfather’s first turn as president of the college. Across the nation, major demands were being made and won by young activists…
