HISTORY OF
I
SOC
comes as no surprise that the richness of
Howard University’s history trickles down
tothe most intricate parts of its makeup.
The newly-named Cathy Hughes School
of Communications has its own historic
value.The building itself and the historic
figures all play a role in the foundation of
the communications program at Howard
University.
The building that is currently home to the
Cathy Hughes School of Communications has a
history that goes beyond Howard University. Before
the building was turned into an educational facility
in 1967, it was known as Freedmen’s Hospital.
Freedmen’s Hospital,founded in 1862, was the first
hospital to provide medical treatment to former
slaves. Thehospital, also, provided vital treatment to
lower income D.C. residents. The Freedmen’s Asylum,
which was connected to the hospital also provided
care for older and disabled black patients. In
1968, Freedmen’s Hospital became a teaching hospital
for Howard University Medical School
students. The hospital operated until 1975 when
Howard University Hospital opened on Georgia
avenue.
It is important to, not only, understand the
history of the building but to also know where the
School of Communications got its name. Clilan
(C.B.) Powell was born in 1894 to formerVirginia
slaves and the longtime owner of Amsterdam News.
In 1920, Powell received hismedical degree from
Howard University School of Medicine and went
on to begin his career in X-ray technology. He became
one of the first African American X-ray specialists. He
eventuallyowned a laboratory in Harlem where he met one
of his future business partners, Dr. Philip H.M. Savory.
Together, the two created the Powell-Savory Cooperation
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in 1935. It was then that Powell switched his focus from
medicine to business. Powell and Savory became two
of theleading African-American entrepreneurs in the
1930s. They purchased the Amsterdam News, the largest
newspaper in Harlem, for $5000. Powell became the
publisher of the newspaper until itwas sold in 1971 for
$2.3 million. Powell’s paper gave many black journalists
the opportunity to
write as its readership grew and its coverage expanded to
national and international news. Later in his life, Powell
developed an incurable disease and died at age 83. One
year later, it was revealed that Powell left $2.5 million
dollars and half of his estate to Howard University. At the
time, his donation was the largest amount of money to be
given to an African American college.
Cathy Hughes, the woman for whom the
School of Communications was most recentlynamed,
is another African American entrepreneur. On October
7th, 2016, Howard Universityrenamed the School of
Communications after Hughes. Hughes started her
career at the KOWHradio station in Omaha, NE. In 1973,
she left the station for a full-time position at Howard
University. In 1973, Hughes became the general manager
for WHUR, Howard University’s radio
station. After two years, she was promoted and created
the “Quiet Storm” format. In 1980,
Hughes founded Radio One where she became the first
African American woman to head a publicly traded
corporation. Since the founding of Radio One, Hughes
has kept a relationship with Howard, supporting the
school and making donations to different programs
within the School of Communications.
Howard University has its own detailed history
but it is important to take a closer look at
the history of its individual programs. The Cathy Hughes
School of Communications is unique
from the building to the people that created the legacy
of the program. Everything plays a role in, not just the
history of the program, but the future of it as well.–
Zakiya Muhammad, writer.
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