Smithsonian exhibit celebrates the legacy of HBCUs through their archival collections

WASHINGTON – For Alabama State University alum Adrian Davis, a Smithsonian exhibit that shines a light on the legacy of historically Black colleges and universities is helping to keep their history alive.

“The recordkeeping is important … especially in this day and age, and society is structured in how we can sort of get away from things. So, with that said, it’s important to have this stuff to be able to explain to younger generations,” he said. “These things aren’t centuries over. It’s literally people who are walking still that built these things. It’s important to know that they existed. The battle still continues.”

“At the Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs,” on display through July 19 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, turns recordkeeping into storytelling through photos, art and artifacts. The museum partnered with Clark Atlanta, Florida A&M, Tuskegee, Texas Southern and Jackson State universities, which shared their archival collections, to celebrate Black creativity, scholarship, and activism at HBCUs throughout history and today.

However, “At the Vanguard” covers a wider range of history beyond those five schools. The exhibit transports visitors through decades of HBCU life with recognizable faces and voices, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, a graduate of Howard University.

The finale features a room with banners from all 107 HBCUs draped from the ceiling and a large-screen video highlighting modern HBCU leaders and the current state of these institutions.

According to former Miss Morgan State University Yasmine Bryant, who is featured in the video, the exhibit will play a pivotal role in representing HBCUs to the youth.

“The first thing my mind went to was field trips. We all go on field trips when we’re young, and sometimes we ended up on field trips we didn’t really want to go to, ending up at museums we didn’t really want to be at,” Bryant said, laughing.

“I just envision a middle schooler, maybe a seventh grader, going to the museum and maybe not wanting to be there, not having a desire or direction for their future, not believing in themselves. And my prayer is that if they saw my video, they would be inspired.”

This hope is personal for Bryant, a first-generation college graduate. 

“HBCUs were very unfamiliar to me,” Bryant said. “Being the first one to go to an HBCU, that was something that had never been done before. So, I was really paving something new for my family legacy.”

Partnering with other cultural institutions is important for HBCUs, Bryant said.

“If we don’t have that partnership, it can be very isolating, not just for us as individuals, but for our institutions to feel like no one else cares about them,” she said.

That sense of solidarity was shared by local couple and avid museumgoers Juanita and Adrian Davis, who are both HBCU alums.

“Tuskegee [University] is one of the schools that is represented in this exhibit, so of course, I’m going to always support my school, and all things related to Tuskegee,” Juanita Davis said.

Her husband, Adrian, is a graduate of Alabama State University.

“Anytime any of us gets any recognition or shine, we gotta support each other,” he said. “It’s still one big family.”

Though compelling, the exhibit could be even stronger, Juanita Davis said.

“I did learn something today, but I do think it could be a little more expansive,” she said. “Maybe every so many months, switch out the schools maybe so we can kind of see the history of all the HBCUs.”

Adrian Davis had more personal notes on the exhibit’s limited representation of his alma mater. He said that when it comes to celebrating activism, Alabama State should be recognized.

“Especially in this exhibit, talking about the Civil Rights Movement, most of our teachers and professors were actually people who were on the front lines,” he said.

Despite criticism of whether the exhibit is comprehensive enough, Adrian Davis said its presence is more important now than ever, while Juanita Davis praised the museum’s overall effort.

“I don’t think I’ll ever really complain about being represented — it’s how we represent it,” she said. “I think it’s good to see the old and new stuff. They did a good job with it.”

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