The first structural blueprint drawing of the additions and renovations for the Library Building at Tuskegee Institute loacted in Tuskegee, Alabama. This blueprint drawing shows the 1st - 6th Level Framing/Part Roof Framing Plan.
This is an architectural rendering for the Fine Arts Building on Texas Southern’s campus. The building was dedicated as the John T. Biggers Art Center in 1995 to honor the art department’s founder. The building largely retains its original character as depicted in this image.
This collection contains a 1972 report from Florida A&M’s Office of Contracts and Grants discussing the increasing cost of higher education due to politicians appropriating funds for university operations. The document presents figures on collateral programs for funding support, aid as a portion of income, and more.
The final report on the Good Old Days Oral History project prepared by members of the Jackson State University History department and Center for Urban Affairs. The report was given to the sponsors of the project, the Mississippi American Revolution Bicentennial Commission and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Case Data and Exhibits for Brown III, a relitigation of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) that corrected resegregation issues caused by open enrollment school choice in 1992. This report from the Topeka School District’s Citizens Advisory Council includes curriculum reviews, computer literacy, and an analysis of the long-term master plan.
Gerald F. Hooper, Sr. was an artist from Tallahassee, FL. Figures is a study of 10 figures in movement. Hooper uses circles and quadrilaterals to frame the moving figures. The background is a collage of colorful wax strokes.
Hubbard, a student of Carroll Harris Simms, created “Figure With Turtle and Bird” in 1966. This terracotta depicts a bird, atop an abstract tree, surrounding a tortoise. These animals are often paired in folktales, including an Igbo tale where a tortoise fools birds and is punished by having his shell broken. The fable says this is the cause of the irregular shape of tortoise shells.
Mildred A Braxton was an artist from Newport News, VA. Figure #1 shows a human figure sitting in a chair facing away from the viewer. They are wearing blue clothing with pink clothing on top and blue shoes. A long pink and blue fabric piece hangs on the back of a brown chair.
“Fertility” shows an abstract female figure with breasts, an enlarged belly, and oversized hands. Like nearly all students of Professor Simms, Thomas covered his piece in various embellishments, particularly spirals. Oversized hands are also a characteristic of John Biggers’ artwork. The piece has discolored over the years since its creation.
This black and white photograph shows a Black female U.S. Naval Officer swearing in another Black female. The officer holds a book titled “U.S. Navy Enlisted Service Record.”
John W. Rhoden was a renowned sculptor from Birmingham, AL. Female Figure is a wooden sculpture of a nude woman. The woman's demeanor is peaceful, and she stands slack-armed with a relieved expression.
A newspaper article from The Home News about the murder trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. She will remain in solitary confinement at least until U.S. District Court Judge George Barlow returns from vacation at the end of August to take action on the motion to move her to women's general population.
Jewell Woodard Simon was an internationally acclaimed artist, teacher, and poet from Houston, TX. February Lace is an atmospheric watercolor of a park in late winter. The scene includes patches of dried and lush grass, trees with red and purple leaves, and a bridge. Simon used the trees in the foreground to create a sense of depth.
A memo from the International Committee to Free Dhoruba Moore (Dhoruba Bin Wahad a/k/a Richard Moore) asking for members to write to the Congressional Black Caucus to demand a full-scale investigation after evidence of the FBI's Cointelpro program was exposed in court during hearings that were the result of motions filed by Moore.
A newspaper article from The New Jersey Afro-American about Judge Theodore Appleby barring the testimony of an FBI agent and senator. Chief defense attorney William Kunstler wanted to use the testimony to establish a police conspiracy against Black militants in the trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper.
Orrin Evans of The Bulletin staff wrote this piece on three generations of pastors in the local community, one of them being former Florida A&M University President Rev. William H. Gray, Jr. William H. Gray, Jr. was the pastor of one of the largest Baptist congregations in Philadelphia and his son, William H. Gray, III was a minister.
John Woodrow Wilson was a famous painter known for his creative portraits and stylistic approach to social justice. Father and Child is a black-and-white print of a seemingly nude father holding his equally nude son. The piece embodies the intimacy between parent and child.
This watercolor painting by Joseph A. Moran features a grazing cow in the foreground and an outhouse and farmhouse in the background. Dr. Biggers encouraged students to create based on what they saw, which may have been this rural scene for this artist.
Charles Henry Alston was a Harlem Renaissance painter, sculptor, illustrator, muralist, and teacher. Farm Boy is a portrait of a young Black boy holding a hat and tool on a farm. Alston photographed Black Southern life in North Carolina when he visited rural and farm sites with a Farm Security Administration inspector.
Aurelia Norris Young was a prominent Civil Rights activist and professor of music at Jackson State College and Tougaloo College. She gave this speech on the history of the Farish Street Historic District on April 9, 1983, at the Smith Robertson Neighborhood Folklife Festival, which honored the history and legacy of the district.
A map of the Farish Street Historic District with markers for different land uses: streets, railroads, utility corridors, hydrography, residential, government/institutional, industrial, commercial, and open space.
A red and black button with a picture of Fannie Lou Hamer and her name in print. Ms. Hamer was a renowned leader in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement. She worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to organize Freedom Summer in 1964 and was also vice-chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
In 1960, following a civil riot, FAMU released a statement addressing student demonstrations. The university faced criticism for suspending two students and placing 30 on strict probation, asserting that the disciplinary actions were essential to restoring order and upholding its standards.
This article provides a more nuanced position Benjamin L. Perry held on merging with Florida State University. While he was adamant about maintaining Florida A&M’s autonomy, Perry made sure to say that the institution “offers opportunities for blacks and whites” as justification for that stance.
In the late 1960s to mid-1970s, threats of Florida A&M being phased out like other small, predominantly Black institutions or merged with Florida State University (a predominantly white institution) were recurrent. However, university President Benjamin L. Perry held his ground, threatening legal action against the Florida State University System.
Journalist Brad Silliman, writing for the Tallahassee Democrat, discusses a plan created by students at Florida A&M University to tour the state of Florida on a telegram and letter campaign to the Florida Congress. This protest was in response to a suggestion by two state senators to merge the two institutions to save costs.
In mid-November 1963, a letter was sent detailing updates to the student handbook, outlining behavioral expectations and consequences. It was followed by another letter informing students that those involved in a county court conviction would face strict probation for the remainder of the trimester, with severe academic and disciplinary penalties.
In the early 1970s, President Dr. Benjamin Perry announced a private funding campaign for the university after asserting that the State Board of Education was withholding FAMU’s fair share of funds, granting them only 3.1% of the budget from the Board of Regents and the State Legislature. Then-Attorney General Bob Shervin supported his statements.
When 20-year-old Genita Ekpenyong’s father was murdered in Nigeria’s Biafran conflict, B. L. Perry (who met her father when he was a guest professor in Nigeria) temporarily became her guardian so she could complete her education. Despite this, Ekpenyong was itching to return to Nigeria because the violence in the U.S. was too much for her to bear.
A beverage product made from muscadine berries grown at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Muscadine berries are a type of grape native to the southeastern United States.
