HBCU archives to feature in the newest exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

The exhibition, called “At the Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs” is set to open on January 16.

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is introducing an exhibit featuring the archival collections of historically Black colleges and universities.

The exhibition, which is called “At the Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs,” is set to open Friday (January 16), and run until July 19. Visitors will be able to view the artifacts, artwork, historical documents, and multimedia from five HBCUs — Clark Atlanta University, Florida A&M University, Jackson State University, Texas Southern University, and Tuskegee University. According to the Smithsonian, almost two-thirds of HBCUs house museums, art galleries, or archives.

“At the Vanguard”—named to honor HBCUs for being at the forefront of preserving and documenting Black history—will split its catalog into three themes: Preserving Student Activism at HBCUs, Preserving Black Scholarship at HBCUs, and Sustaining the Arts at HBCUs.

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“This exhibition honors the legacy of HBCUs as cultural and educational powerhouses,” Shanita Brackett, the acting director for NMAAHC, said in a statement. “Through these collections from our partners institutions, we see the breadth of Black intellectual excellence, activism and artistic achievement, reinforcing the vital role HBCUs play in shaping American history.”

Some of the footage collected by these schools underscore the role of HBCU student activism in national movements for Civil Rights and Black Power. The selection shows their participation in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the organized reaction to the Jackson State Killings, and the student uprisings at Tuskegee in 1968.

The collection curated from the five institutions boasts over 100 objects on display. Included in some of those materials featured are first editions of the esteemed writer Margaret Walker’s novel “Jubilee” and poetry collection “For My People,” Tuskegee Institute pottery and scientific journals from Tuskegee researchers. Rare pieces, such as one of the only existing color videos of George Washington Carver, will also be highlighted.