The early 20th century marks the inception of Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s Black History Month, with Xavier University of Louisiana, the nation’s only Catholic Historically Black College or University (HBCU), being a key contributor to the national holiday’s 100 year archive.
Just one year before the collective celebration of Black history, the institution, most credited as a national leader in producing healthcare professionals, was founded.
Since 1926, Black History Month, then recognized as ‘Negro History Week,’ has been an opportunity for African American heritage, culture and success to be celebrated. The century-long holiday is a yearly reminder of what has been attained since the freedom of all enslaved African Americans within the United States.
The founder of Xavier University, Saint Katharine Drexel, and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, created a pathway to education for Black children in New Orleans, establishing Xavier University Preparatory School, now known as St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory.
“It is important that the talent flowing from the descendants of the enslaved in shaping America be recognized and honored,” said University President Dr. Reynold Verret. “Black history is American history — and the connection to Xavier’s history is that institutions like ours are about finding talent, helping that talent shape itself, so it goes out to do great things.”
The New Orleans’ based HBCU has established a high-achieving alumni community across healthcare, politics, education and law who continue to make history as many of the ‘first’ in their fields, creating their own collection of Black history.
“Xavier has given us all, no matter our background or where we are from, the confidence and pride in our knowledge, skill and ability during a time when being educated from an HBCU was frowned upon,” said Dr. Damien L. Cuffie, a 2008 alumnus and senior clinical dental director. The first generation graduate shares how the institution broadens students’ perspectives to the many fields often overlooked where African American students can thrive.
Political figures like Ernest N. “Dutch” Morial, New Orleans’ first African American mayor, shares many historic moments through his career as the first Black graduate of Louisiana State University’s Law School and the first African American to be elected to the Louisiana State Legislature since Reconstruction, among other achievements.
Former Mayor LaToya Cantrell is an alumna of Xavier and became New Orleans’ first woman and first Black woman elected to the position, serving two consecutive terms.
Another alumna, Dr. Regina Benjamin served as U.S. Surgeon General during the Obama Administration and was the first Black woman to serve on the American Medical Association’s Board of Directors.
The 1969 graduate, Alexis Herman, made history in 1997 as the first African American to lead as U.S. Secretary of Labor, in addition to serving as the youngest director of the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau during President Jimmy Carter’s administration in 1977.
President Emeritus Dr. Norman C. Francis, the university’s most prominent alumnus, broke barriers as the first African American admitted to Loyola University’s Law School in 1952. He went from student to university staffer and later served a 47-year tenure as the first African American President of Xavier, accepting the role the same day as the assasination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He made history as the longest-serving university president, retiring in 2015.
Speaking on the legacy of Francis’ leadership, Verret tells ESSENCE, “He was a voice not only for the civil rights struggle, but for education in the United States and also within Catholic higher education.” Francis widely supported civil rights activists during the movement, housing Freedom Riders at Xavier. The institution has also educated the children and grandchildren of New Orleans’ Civil Rights leaders.
“The connection between my family, the Civil Rights Movement and Xavier University started long before me and it will continue after me,” said Blair Dottin-Haley, grandson of Oretha Castle Haley, New Orleans’ freedom fighter and organizer, and former university mister. “It is my responsibility to do my part not just to influence the culture, but to impact the community in ways that would make both my grandparents, great-grandparents and people like Dr. Francis, who were so heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement, proud.”
For generations, New Orleans families have built a legacy of education at the Catholic HBCU. New Orleans native Corinne Willams, public policy and government affairs expert, is an alumna of the institution and the great-granddaughter of Mrs. Augustine Boudreaux Moore, one of the first graduates of Xavier University. “The history of my family would likely not exist without Xavier University, raised in the Catholic faith” said Williams. She follows a long line of aunts, uncles and cousins who have all graduated and continued on this legacy.
“Xavier creates an environment where we can mold ourselves into the person we want to be 10 and 20 years down the line,” said alumnus Dr. Kylar Wiltz, a medical physician, advocate and graduate of Howard University College of Medicine. “While we’re on the campus we have that foundation where we are pulling each other together to reach our goals, regardless of the field.”
After the 2005 Hurricane, Xavier students enrolled in other colleges across the country during the fall semester with a plan to return to its Drexel Drive location by the Spring semester. “It was important for me to come back to pour into the city and my institution that nurtured so many for generations,” now, 20 years later, Cuffie reflects on returning to campus in January 2006. He is one of many alumni to share a deep connection to the institution and why they give back.
Founded in 2014, an alumni group known as ‘1925 Society’ helps to raise thousands of dollars in scholarships for the university each year and hosts signature events, honoring the accomplishments and achievements of all Xavierites.
“Xavier has contributed to Black history by moving the social mobility of Black families across the country,” said Dr. Nadrea R. Njoku, a 2005 alumna, higher education scholar and the co-founder of 1925 Society. “The university sets up thousands of Black students to get professional degrees in the STEM field — one being the pharmacy school on campus and medical degrees.”
Healthcare disparities have largely impacted Black communities who roughly only make up just 14 percent of the population in the U.S. “Xavier is educating and preparing not only clinical professionals but healthcare policymakers to undo and rewrite what was previously set forth by a population who ignored fair and equal public health practices,” said Cuffie.
In 2024, Xavier announced its partnership with Ochsner Health to expand medical education and address long-standing health disparities through a new medical school, Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine. The college would become the only medical school in the Gulf South and join the existing four historically Black medical schools: Howard University College of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
“I’m stepping into my career with a deep sense of responsibility and purpose,” said public health major Christina Anderson, a soon to be 2026 graduate of the institution. “Rooted in a legacy of Black excellence, service, and advocacy, Xavier has prepared me not just to succeed, but to serve, especially in ensuring all women have access to quality reproductive health. I’m proud to be joining an alumni community committed to promoting a more just and humane society.”
Xavier University is preparing the next generation of physicians, lawyers, engineers, and politicians to lead in their fields. “The future of America is being written now, but the students who are at Xavier and at other HBCUs will be at the forefront of making that new America,” said Verret.