Featured in this collection is the Tuskegee Civic Association (TCA), founded on April 13, 1941, at Greenwood Missionary Baptist Church. The organization grew out of earlier community groups such as the Men's Meeting of the 1920s and the Tuskegee Men's Club of the 1930s. Led by Charles G. Gomillion and joined by professionals from Tuskegee Institute, the V.A. Hospital, local churches, and schools, the organization promoted civic well-being in Tuskegee and Macon County through programs in education, voter registration, political action, and community welfare. Notably, TCA played a central role in Gomillion v. Lightfoot, the landmark gerrymandering case that safeguarded Black voting rights in Tuskegee. Its work laid the foundation for the Voting Rights Act and other legislation advancing civil rights nationwide.
This collection showcases Tuskegee's rich legacy as a center of research through documents, photographs, and materials that illustrate the university's contributions. Under Dr. Monroe N. Work, the Department of Records and Research collected information on the African American experience, which was later published in works such as the Negro Yearbook and the NAACP’s The Crisis. In addition to historical research, Tuskegee also contributed to medical advancements, with faculty and staff assisting in the development of the Salk vaccine to eradicate polio.
This collection provides visual representations of the early educational philosophy of Tuskegee University. In its early years, Tuskegee emphasized industrial education, offering students practical training in trades like plumbing, sewing, brickmaking, and shoemaking. These hands-on skills were taught alongside academic subjects such as literature, history, geography, and mathematics, reinforcing Booker T. Washington’s vision of self-reliance and economic empowerment. Learning a trade was seen as essential, equipping students to contribute to their communities while gaining financial independence.
Under the instruction of Professor Carroll Harris Simms, Texas Southern University art students created terracotta sculptures inspired by his travels to West Africa. Themes such as the mother-child relationship, animals, and shrines are frequently seen in this collection featuring their works, along with signature embellishments like swirls.
Dr. John T. Biggers, founder of the Texas Southern University art department, was one of the most important visual artists of the 20th century. Biggers' expressive, Afrocentric style became highly influential for generations of subsequent artists. He created three monumental murals on the campus of Texas Southern which are showcased in this collection.
The Hannah Hall murals include more than 80 student murals painted on the walls of Texas Southern University's second-oldest building, a selection of which is featured in this collection. Created between 1951 and 2013, the murals cover a wide variety of subjects, including the Civil Rights Movement, Black power, religion, rural life in Texas, fantasy, and more. The mural program was created by Dr. John T. Biggers, founder of Texas Southern's art department.
This collection highlights the work of Rep. Robert G. Clark in the state legislature to support education, specifically at HBCUs. Jackson State University graduate Rep. Clark served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1968 to 2004 and was the first African American member of the Mississippi Legislature since 1894. The collection includes the Robert Clark Era Oral History Project housed at the Margaret Walker Center which contains transcripts of 1983 interviews between Rep. Clark and then-director of the Margaret Walker Center Dr. Alferdteen Harrison. It also features transcripts and recordings of interviews with Rep. Clark’s colleagues, and ephemera including campaign materials and correspondence.
This collection highlights the Black Liberation Army (BLA), an underground Marxist-Leninist organization that operated in the United States from 1970-1981. BLA was primarily made up of former Black Panthers and Republic of New Afrika members. The organization's goal was to “take up arms for the liberation and self-determination of Black people in the United States” and they openly declared war on the United States government. Former Black Panther Party member and Jackson State University professor Frankye Adams-Johnson’s Black Panther Party Collection includes many items associated with the BLA such as newspaper clippings, BLA newsletters, drafts of speeches, position papers, and more. These materials offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of this underground organization.
The Margaret Walker Center's archival collections document a wide array of facets of Black American history and culture with an emphasis on the Southern experience. This collection examines the contributions of women who participated in the Civil Rights and Black Liberation movements. Featured in this collection are materials from the Frankye Adams-Johnson Black Panther Party collection and several oral histories in which women share first-hand accounts of their roles and actions in various movement activities.
The African Diaspora Collection celebrates the global breadth and cultural richness of the African diaspora. Through artifacts, textiles, art, literature, and historical documents, it reflects the lived experiences, traditions, and resilience of African-descended peoples worldwide. Curated to resonate with the university’s diverse student and faculty community, the collection explores connections between Africa and its diasporic communities, fostering cultural pride and historical understanding. As a leading HBCU, FAMU affirms the importance of global Black identity, scholarship, and heritage through this vital collection.
The Silent Chains: Exploitation of African Americans Collection offers a powerful narrative of African Americans' suffering and resilience. It features artifacts from the slavery and Jim Crow eras, as well as items highlighting systemic racism throughout U.S. history. Curated through the lens of Florida A&M University—founded in 1887 on the grounds of a former plantation in Tallahassee—the collection confronts local and national legacies of injustice. It reflects how FAMU emerged as a beacon of hope amid oppression. While honoring the progress made, the collection compels ongoing reflection on the unfinished pursuit of equity and justice.
The Culture of FAMU Collection preserves the university’s legacy as a leading HBCU since 1887. It showcases artifacts, documents, and memorabilia highlighting FAMU’s impact on education, civil rights, and community empowerment. The collection emphasizes the university’s agricultural roots and academic excellence, especially in agriculture and the sciences. It also reflects FAMU's vibrant student life, including the Marching 100 and diverse extracurriculars. This collection honors FAMU’s role in shaping African American history and inspiring future generations.
The Atlanta University Annuals, originally known as the Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Negro Artists in America, was an annual juried art competition designed for Black diasporic artists, held at Atlanta University from 1942 to 1970. The winning pieces from the Annuals competition were accessioned into the art collection of Atlanta University and comprise the foundation of the CAU Art Museum's permanent collection. There has been a rise in the popularity of portraiture among contemporary artists as they strive to depict the diversity of humanity and the human experience. Artists like Amy Sherald, Kehinde Wiley and Kerry James Marshall are working within a tradition that disrupt narratives that rob Black people of their personhood. Likewise, within the sculptural form, busts of Black people reshape public narratives, disrupt inherent biases, and center the humanity of the Black subject. Portraits and Busts from the Atlanta University Annuals presents a collection of Black artists painting and shaping Black subjects in the mid-20th century.
The Atlanta University Annuals, originally known as the Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Negro Artists in America, was an annual juried art competition designed for Black diasporic artists, held at Atlanta University from 1942 to 1970. The winning pieces from the Annuals competition were accessioned into the art collection of Atlanta University and comprise the foundation of the CAU Art Museum's permanent collection. Historically Black Colleges and Universities are a nexus of Black art history, as many Black art icons attended these institutions and founded or developed their art department. As the founder of the Annuals, Hale Woodruff encouraged his students at Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Atlanta University to submit their work to be considered for the exhibition. Likewise, other Black art educators at HBCUs submitted to the exhibition and introduced their students to the professional art world through the Annuals exhibition. HBCU Students in the Atlanta University Annuals showcases paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures by students or alumni of HBCUs that won a prize award during the Annuals.
The Atlanta University Annuals, originally known as the Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Negro Artists in America, was an annual juried art competition designed for Black diasporic artists, held at Atlanta University from 1942 to 1970. The winning pieces from the Annuals competition were accessioned into the art collection of Atlanta University and comprise the foundation of the CAU Art Museum's permanent collection. One of the primary pillars of Black social life is the family, and several artists from the annuals reflected on family from a variety of perspectives in their work. The collection Images of Family from the Atlanta University Annuals compiles paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures that won a prize award during the Annuals that depict images of family.
HBCUs are essential spaces where Black cultural traditions and values are freely expressed and given space to grow and joyfully flourish. Since the 1800s, HBCUs have provided a means for formerly enslaved and free African Americans to participate more fully in American life.
A culture of community and collective responsibility is created and reinforced in settings where groups share time and space. On HBCU campuses, a sense of community is fostered through historic events, such as homecomings and choral concerts, and through organizations, such as student clubs and sororities.
HBCUs signify the strength, self-love, and educational success of African Americans. From slavery to Jim Crow, these educational temples held a belief in Black excellence and became records of intellectual, creative, and humanistic prowess in the struggle for freedom.
Since the early 20th century, HBCU students, faculty and their communities have demonstrated a spirit of activism to catalyze change within or on behalf of their own institutions to improve campus accommodations, strengthen the level of instruction, and explicitly connect the mission of their HBCUs to the project of Black liberation.
HBCUs distinguished themselves in various fields of study by broadening the scope of their institutional goals and diversifying academic offerings to reflect the growing needs of students, scholars, and the communities they serve.
African American contributions to the arts have been historically undervalued in the American arts canon. In mounting their own exhibitions, providing venues for authors and performing artists, and hosting educational programs, HBCU museums and archives asserted the worth and significance of Black cultural production.
This collection showcases the rich legacies of HBCUs through ephemera and material objects, including maps, blueprints, audiovisual materials, newspaper articles, buttons, collectibles, memorabilia, clothing and accessories, scrapbooks, speeches, photographs, brochures, and posters.
This collection showcases the rich legacies of HBCUs through the medium of text. It includes both published and unpublished items such as reports, correspondence, legal documents, books, essays, government publications, and journals.
This collection showcases the rich legacies of HBCUs through artistic expression. Featured works include paintings, sculptures, murals, mixed media, prints, drawings, and fine art photography.
The Atlanta University Annuals, originally known as the Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Negro Artists in America, was an annual juried art competition designed for Black diasporic artists, held at Atlanta University from 1942 to 1970. The winning pieces from the Annuals competition were accessioned into the art collection of Atlanta University and comprise the foundation of the CAU Art Museum's permanent collection. The Annuals attracted diasporic artists from across the United States and also received submissions from Black American migrants and expats. However, there were a few artists who were born or raised in Georgia that submitted to the exhibition. Georgia Artists in the Atlanta University Annuals showcases the contributions of artists from Georgia in the Annuals.
The Atlanta University Annuals, originally known as the Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Negro Artists in America, was an annual juried art competition designed for Black diasporic artists, held at Atlanta University from 1942 to 1970. The winning pieces from the Annuals competition were accessioned into the art collection of Atlanta University and comprise the foundation of the CAU Art Museum's permanent collection. In the afterlives of post-World War II, inspired by Mexican muralist and social realism, Black artists established a pocket within the Abstract Expressionist movement. Black abstractionists were marginal in the white-majority Abstract Expressionist movement and also misunderstood among Black artists who preferred the figurative art tradition and perceived abstraction as apolitical. The collection Black Abstractions from the Atlanta University Annuals disrupt these ideas as it contributes to the canon of Black abstractionists that depicted natural and social life outside of figurative work.
The FAMU Sports Alumni Collection celebrates the achievements of legendary athletes who have made significant contributions to sports and society. Highlighting figures like coach Jake Gaither, tennis icon Althea Gibson, Olympic sprinter Bob Hayes, and MLB star Andre Dawson, this collection showcases memorabilia, photographs, and documents that reflect their groundbreaking careers. It offers a comprehensive view of their impact on Florida A&M University and their respective sports, inspiring future generations of athletes and FAMU alumni.
The Meek-Eaton Black Archives Military Collection honors the legacy and service of African American veterans and ROTC cadets who have bravely served the United States. Featuring uniforms, photographs, medals, and documents, the collection highlights the pivotal role of FAMU students, alumni, and faculty in major conflicts throughout history. As part of an HBCU with a strong tradition of leadership and civic duty, this collection stands as a powerful testament to Black excellence, sacrifice, and patriotism, inspiring future generations to serve with pride and purpose.
The Black Panther was the official newspaper of the Black Panther Party from 1967 until the party's dissolution in 1980. Featured in this collection are almost 30 photocopied articles from The Black Panther, drawn from Frankye Adams-Johnson's Black Panther Party collection at the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University.
The Farish Street Historic District in Jackson, Mississippi, is one of the oldest Black neighborhoods in the city. When Jackson State University, then known as Jackson College, first moved to the city from Natchez, Mississippi, in 1883, its temporary home until 1885 was the basement of Mt. Helm Missionary Baptist Church on Lamar Street in the District. The Farish Street Historic District Oral History Collection preserves the memories of former residents and business owners through interviews and photographs documenting the district's structures and community events. This curated selection of items from the collection focuses on the Smith Robertson School, which was built in 1894 to educate Black children and operated until 1971 when Mississippi finally desegregated its public schools. In 1984, the school reopened as a museum and is now known as Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center. The museum hosts a wide variety of events as well as several permanent and traveling exhibits.
This collection showcases the work of Cameroonian artist Franck Kemkeng Noah, who was an artist-in-residence at Texas Southern University in Spring 2023. Noah's art is multimedia, often using found objects, and explores identity and globalization through a Bamileke lens. During his time at TSU, Noah mentored students and created a painting.
Professor Carroll Harris Simms was a master ceramicist, sculptor, and jeweller. He worked alongside Dr. John T. Biggers to establish Texas Southern University's art department as a hub for Black artists in the South. This collection contains several of his ceramic works.
The chapel has been at the heart of Tuskegee University since 1898, serving as both the spiritual center of campus life and a gathering place for the surrounding community. Over the years, it has hosted students in worship and welcomed religious leaders, presidents, activists, and celebrities to its stage. This collection presents photographs, letters, and audio recordings that demonstrate the chapel's central role in university life.
The first five presidents of Tuskegee University—Booker T. Washington, Robert R. Moton, Frederick D. Patterson, Luther H. Foster, and Benjamin F. Payton—each left a lasting mark on the institution’s growth and legacy. Washington built Tuskegee into a model for vocational and industrial education, while Moton expanded its national influence during the Jim Crow era. Patterson, Foster, and Payton modernized the university, broadening academic programs, advancing research, and positioning Tuskegee as a leader in higher education for African Americans. Highlighted in this collection are photographs capturing these influential leaders.
Correspondence between Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) and Albert Washington, aka Nuh Abdul Qaiyum (“Nuh” is the Arabic pronunciation of Noah), who was sentenced to prison in 1975 for a Black Liberation Army (BLA) connected shooting of police officers in New York that took place in 1971. Qaiyum, along with Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom, were sentenced to 25 years to life in federal prison for the murder of two cops. Because of questionable police tactics and shaky evidence in court, the three were considered political prisoners and became known as The New York 3. This item set contains correspondence between Adams-Johnson and Washington during his imprisonment while the two were romantically involved.
Black Liberation Army member Albert Washington, aka Nuh Abdul Qaiyum (“Nuh” is the Arabic pronunciation of Noah), was imprisoned in 1975 after being convicted with two others in the 1971 killing of two police officers. While imprisoned, Qaiyum exchanged letters with several other political prisoners including Sundiata Acoli, Gunnie Haskins, Assata Shakur (Joanne Chesimard), and others. This item set is Frankye Adams-Johnson’s collection of letters to and from Black imprisoned revolutionaries.
