About BSOM
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”
Bahari School of Ministry was founded by Dr. Kim Cliett Long in the tradition of the brave African descended women who established historically Black colleges and universities during periods of profound challenge and uncertainty. These women did not merely imagine institutions. They built them, sustained them, and anchored them in community, faith, discipline, and vision at times when access to education for African descended people was systematically denied.
Dr. Long draws direct inspiration from the legacy of the following founders and institutions:
Mary McLeod Bethune
Founder, Daytona Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls, 1904
Now Bethune Cookman University, Daytona Beach, Florida
Sophia B. Packard
Co founder, Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, 1881
Now Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia
Harriet E. Giles
Co founder, Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, 1881
Now Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia
Elizabeth Evelyn Wright
Founder, Denmark Industrial School, 1897
Now Voorhees University, Denmark, South Carolina
Violet T. Lewis
Founder, Lewis College of Business, 1928
Lewis College of Business, Detroit, Michigan
Myrtilla Miner
Founder, Miner Normal School, 1851
Now University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC
These women demonstrated visionary leadership, institutional courage, and the ability to found and sustain schools amid social, political, and economic instability. They persevered through resistance and scarcity, establishing educational models that continue to shape generations of leaders.
Inspired by their trailblazing example, Dr. Long recognized a contemporary opportunity to reimagine higher education for the present and the future. Bahari School of Ministry was created to provide quality, affordable, heritage centered higher education delivered fully online. The institution is designed to produce AI trained professionals across disciplines while eliminating traditional barriers to access. No student incurs textbook costs, as every course is embedded with open educational resources, ensuring learning without debt, and supported by low, affordable tuition and fees.
Dr. Long, as founder and president, is privileged to stand on the shoulders of these indomitable women and to carry their legacy forward. Alongside a talented team of innovative, experienced, and mission driven higher education professionals, she carries the torch they lit, advancing an educational model rooted in history, equipped for technological transformation, and committed to service, leadership, and global impact.