Heman Marion Sweatt
Heman Marion Sweatt applied for admission to The University of Texas Law School in 1946 but was denied admission on the basis of race. Mr. Sweatt, with the help and assistance of the NAACP, brought legal action against the university. In the landmark case, Sweatt v. Painter, The United States Supreme Court ruled that separate law school facilities could not provide a legal education equal to that available at The University of Texas Law School, one of the nation’s ranking law schools.
The Supreme Court ruling established an important precedent for the desegregation of graduate and professional schools. Challenging the “separate but equal” doctrine, the court affirmed Mr. Sweatt’s right to equal educational opportunity and in 1950, he entered the University of Texas School of Law. The Sweatt decision helped pave the way for African-Americans’ admission to formerly segregated colleges and universities across the nation and led to the overturn of segregation by law in all levels of public education in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education four years later.
The Heman Sweatt Symposium on Civil Rights is an event organized by the students, faculty, and staff working on the Heman Sweatt Symposium Steering Committee. Annually held during the spring semester, all events are free and open to the public. The symposium is named after Heman Sweatt, the first African American admitted into the UT Law School.
Read more about Heman Sweatt’s life on the Texas State Historical Association’s website.
Our History
Housed in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, The Sweatt Center (formerly known as AAMRI, African American Male Research Initiative) was established as a support structure for Black Male graduate students. Over the years, the Sweatt Center has helped to produce over 20 Black Male PhD’s. While the program was originally developed to support Black male graduate students, the Sweatt Center has grown into a resource center for all Black males on campus. Our cascading mentorship model brings together faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, helping them navigate life on the 40 acres and beyond.
Our Mission
Create and foster on-campus programming for Black males at UT, The Sweatt Center includes a research focus that informs public policy experts, practitioners, and concerned citizens on how to best create and maintain a culture of Black male excellence in K-16 settings. This research guides a hands-on practical approach to help the Sweatt Center achieve its major goals: to increase the four-year graduation rate for African American males at UT Austin, and to increase the number of Black males attending universities across the state of Texas.
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Ensure every Black male on campus knows they are not in this alone.
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Build personal relationships and foster professional development
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Give our students opportunities to succeed, explore and experience new things
What We Do
Create and foster on-campus programming for Black males at UT, The Sweatt Center includes a research focus that informs public policy experts, practitioners, and concerned citizens on how to best create and maintain a culture of Black male excellence in K-16 settings. This research guides a hands-on practical approach to help the Sweatt Center achieve its major goals: to increase the four-year graduation rate for African American males at UT Austin, and to increase the number of Black males attending universities across the state of Texas.
