NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In 1924, Scarritt Bible and Training School for Women Missionaries moved to Nashville to build the Scarritt College for Christian Workers- training Methodist missionaries. In the 1940's enrollment was open to foreign students attempting to skirt Tennessee's strict segregation laws. In 1952, the school became one of the first private, predominately white colleges in Tennessee to desegregate, enrolling 2 black female full time students two years before Brown vs. Board of Education. In 1957, Martin Luther King spoke to 350 church leaders sparking civil rights activism in the 1960's .
CEO and Executive Director Dr. Sondrea Tolbert recounts the school's closing in 1988 and formation of the Scarritt Bennett Center, a non-profit conference, retreat, events and education center. Tolbert calling it "radical hospitality" continuing the legacy of empowerment of women, eradication of racism and prophetic justice.
Link to Scarritt Bennett Center website.
