American Baptist College

American Baptist College (also known as American Baptist Theological Seminary or ABTS) is a small, predominantly African American liberal arts college located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1924, its predecessor was Roger Williams University, a black college begun in the late-19th century and closed in the early 20th century (Its campus is now occupied by Peabody College of Vanderbilt University). Primarily a school designed to train African American Baptist ministers, its student body was highly influential in the civil rights movement.[citation needed] Recently, on March 25, 2013, the college was granted the honor of being named as a Historically Black College and University commonly referred to as an HBCU.