LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA — August 25, 2026 — Lincoln University, together with affected members of the Lincoln community, has filed suit against the Lower Oxford Township and its Board of Supervisors seeking to enjoin the Township from depriving students, faculty, administrators, alumni, and other members of the University community of their First Amendment rights to free speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion.
Ordinance 2026-02 unjustly restricts the entire Lincoln community’s ability to host and participate in gatherings essential to the academic mission of the University. The Ordinance clearly violates the U.S. and Pennsylvania Constitutions and is an affront to the educational duties and responsibilities of the oldest degree conferring Historically Black College or University (“HBCU”) in the country. “Lower Oxford Township’s ordinance is a targeted, unconstitutional overreach that threatens the hallowed traditions ingrained in the university's foundation,” said President Brenda A. Allen. “Lincoln University will remain on the front lines of protecting, defending, and advancing our community as we take this matter seriously.”
Lincoln University, whose renowned alumni include the likes of Thurgood Marshall, has throughout its distinguished history, staunchly defended the civil rights of the entire Lincoln community to ensure equal protection under the law. The Ordinance, with its chilling effects on the most basic constitutional rights of students, faculty, administrators, and alumni, presents a clear and present danger to the Lincoln community. Lincoln University will pursue all legal remedies available to bar the Township from enforcing this unlawful Ordinance.
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About Lincoln University
Lincoln University, the nation’s first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU), educates and empowers students to lead their communities and change the world. Lincoln offers a rigorous liberal arts education to a diverse student body of approximately 1,650 men and women in more than 34 undergraduate and graduate programs. To learn more about Lincoln University, visit www.lincoln.edu.
Media Contact
Athena Griffith-Howard
Associate Vice President, Marketing & Communications
E-mail: agriffithhoward@lincoln.edu
Office of Communications
Phone: 484-365-7427
E-mail: communications@lincoln.edu
1570 Baltimore Pike
Azikiwe-Nkrumah Hall Rm. 105
Lincoln University, PA 19352
