Name: Robert K Hoggard
Major: Bachelor of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies with a concentration in Community and Non-Profit Leadership. ’14
School: American Baptist College
Q: What makes your HBCU unique?
My HBCU is unique because no other HBCU (Historical Black College and University) can boast of having 2 alumni that hold the highest award for a civilian–the Presidential Medal of Freedom (Congressman John Lewis and Rev. Dr. Cordy Tindell Vivian).
Q: What are some mythbusters you would like to share with the world about your HBCU?
American Baptist College graduates persons with a theological framework, however, not every graduate is a preacher. Not every graduate will pastor a church.
Q: Who’s your favorite notable alumni of your HBCU and why?
This is a tough question. There are so many people that I admire. Rev. Dr. Cordy Tindel Vivian, Rev. Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Congressman John Lewis, William Barbee and James Bevel all make “the favorite list” for me. All of these persons have one commonality: they strived to impact society. Vivian, LaFayette, and Bevel were all beaten for some of the liberties we enjoy today.
Furthermore, Barbee was beaten in Montgomery. He died that day and never graduated American Baptist College but he lives in the college’s legacy.
Q: How did your HBCU shape you as a person?
I owe it to my HBCU for shaping me for social justice leadership. I would not be Director of Fundraising and Membership at Metro Justice, a non-profit in Rochester, NY fighting for social change, without American Baptist College.
The school challenged me to answer the question: what will you do to make this world a better place for your sons and daughters?
Q: How did your HBCU prepare you for the world?
My HBCU prepared me for the world by reminding me how unjust the world can be. The single most important way to prepare to enter the world is to become familiar with the ways in which the world oppresses it’s citizens. When you enter the world with this in mind, you will always try to live in a way that impacts “the least of these”.
Q: What do you love about your HBCU the most?
I love the brotherhood and sisterhood of my school the most. When you arrive at “The Holy Hill”, you will arrive to meet more than 200 brothers and sisters in a close-knit community. American Baptist College is a family environment. It’s an environment that makes learning easy!
