Man who escaped slavery to study at Yale to be honored with classroom named for him

Man who escaped slavery to study at Yale to be honored with classroom named for him:



"NEW HAVEN >> James W.C. Pennington escaped slavery in Maryland in 1837 and, seeking an education, became the first African American to take classes at Yale University. On Thursday, a classroom at Yale Divinity School will be named for Pennington and his portrait will grace the seminar room’s wall. According to Lecia Allman, a 2016 graduate of the Divinity School, it was illegal at the time in Connecticut to educate African Americans from other states. But while Pennington could not enroll at Yale, he was allowed to attend classes."