Sojourner-Douglass College, which is facing closure following the loss of its accreditation, filed an injunction against the Middle States Commission on Higher Education to prevent the school from closing, Dr. Charles W. Simmons, president of the school, told the AFRO.

DrCharlesSimmons1 Dr. Charles W. Simmons
The Baltimore-based school once had campuses in places such as the Bahamas and The Virgin Islands but is now located only in Maryland. It graduated what could be its last class, numbering about 250, on June 28. The 42-year-old Sojourner-Douglass serves a community of older and mostly part-time, students seeking practical degrees in subjects such as business, nursing and criminal justice. The school has an emphasis on African history.
Due to budget cuts in the federal Pell Grants program and the imposition of a lifetime cap of six years on receiving the grants, Sojourner-Douglass lost about $8 million in funding over the past several years. That financial loss is what the Middle States Commission cited in withdrawing its accreditation. While there was talk earlier this year of a deal between Sojourner-Douglass and Stratford University, a for-profit institution based in Virginia; that would have made Sojourner-Douglass part of the Stratford system, Dr. Simmons said that deal “didn’t happen.”
 Instead, the school filed an injunction arguing that the Middle States Commission is racially discriminating against it by closing the school. “The agency acted capriciously and didn’t follow its own guidelines in the accreditation process,” said Simmons. The Commission did not respond to a request for comment. A hearing has been set for July 14. Until then, the school is officially unaccredited. Should the injunction fail, “We’ll still fight,” said Simmons.
He pointed to Morris Brown College in Atlanta as a possible way for Sojourner-Douglass to survive. Morris Brown, a historically Black college, lost its accreditation in 2002 following a financial scandal. In 2014, the school sold most of its land to the city of Atlanta and Friendship Baptist Church, a historically Black church. While Morris Brown has yet to regain its accreditation, it has been graduating students. However, there were reportedly only 21 graduates this year.
Simmons addressed the student body on June 27. One of the themes he emphasized was empowering the Black community by developing Black institutions, shopping at Black businesses and hiring Black workers. “We will continue to inspire. Even if we go out of business, it won’t erase what we’ve done,” said Simmons.