Emancipation and Educating the Newly Freed

The first colleges for African Americans were established largely through the efforts of the Freedmen’s Bureau and black churches and missionary organizations such as the American Missionary Association. The second Morrill Act of 1890 required states—especially former confederate states—to provide land-grants for institutions for black students if admission was not allowed elsewhere. As a result, many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were founded.

Between 1861 and 1900 more than 90 institutions of higher learning were established. Shaw University—founded in Raleigh, N.C., in 1865—was the first black college organized after the Civil War.

HBCUs are defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965 as “any historically black college or university established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education].”

HBCUs: Homecoming

The Alumni Mixer

Scores of esteemed scholars have graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which also have fostered many important political movements. Notable academics like Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois, both HBCU alumni, used their respective universities to advance discussions about overcoming racial prejudice and uplifting the African American community. Great leaders of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement—Stokely Carmichael, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Joseph Lowery and Diane Nash, to name a few—were educated and nurtured on HBCU campuses.

The Step Show

The Yard

Whether it’s called the Hill, Quad, Block, or other nicknames, the center or main part of a campus often is affectionately known as the Yard. It’s the site for plenty of activities—many formal and informal gatherings. Flanked by several major buildings, the Yard is a chief open space for students, faculty and the general public to commune.

The Game

5 You Should Know: NFL Legends Who Went to HBCUs

In recognition of the storied HBCU homecoming season, we’ve highlighted five African American scholar-athletes who carried on the tradition of Tank Younger, the first player to get drafted in the NFL from an HBCU. These five scholar-athletes broke barriers, set records, and changed the game.

Sports and marching bands are two distinctive and celebrated features of many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). At these universities, sports and marching bands are an essential part of college life, and even figure prominently in prospective students' decisions to attend certain universities today.  

HBCU football programs were major producers of elite football talent throughout the 1970s. These institutions’ commitment to investing in the top African American athletes became a draw for both potential students and recruiters. In addition to developing top-level players, these programs allowed aspects of African American culture to blossom on and off the field. 

Sports, style and technique came together during athletic halftime performances. These performances included themed Battle of the Bands competitions, step-show contests, and fraternity and sorority traditions. Football rivalries created opportunities for alumni and fans to express unique pride in their institutions.

The Halftime Show

Musical Life at HBCUs

Generations of dedicated educators and performers have made HBCUs into hubs of musical life. In the South during the Jim Crow Era, when many concert venues were off-limits for Black people, HBCUs welcomed Black audiences into musical performances that would have been inaccessible otherwise. HBCUs have also been essential training grounds for Black musicians in genres ranging from classical to jazz and R&B.

Homecoming games are also where enthusiastic marching bands display their fierce musical talent and highly spirited styles. They are focal points of school spirit, pride, and student camaraderie.

The halftime performance at Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) football games has become an important extension of the athletic contests. Beginning in the 1940s, HBCU bands began to break from the traditions of military-inspired marching bands by incorporating dancing and upbeat music into halftime shows. A catalyst for this change in style was cemented with the creation of Florida A&M’s Marching 100 in 1946.

The Marching Band
The band is one of the most celebrated groups at an HBCU. Tuskegee Institute, now known as Tuskegee University, has one of the oldest continually active HBCU bands. Some of the legendary musical directors for the Marching Crimson Pipers include Dr. William P. Foster, who directed Florida A&M University’s Marching 100 from 1946 until his retirement in 1998, and Edward L. Graves, who served as band director at Tennessee State University for 34 years. Distinguished Tuskegee band alumni include writer Ralph Ellison, music icon Lionel Ritchie, former Georgia State Senator Floyd Griffin, Jr., and Conrad “Hutch” Hutchinson Jr., the legendary band director of Grambling State University’s World Famed Tiger Marching Band.

The Majorettes
Rhythmic dance troupes strut, stomp, sway, sashay in energetic choreographed routines, decked out in bedazzled, decked out uniforms. Their styles and dance moves - influenced by military step, jazz, West African and hip hop - engage crowds. Generations of HBCU homecoming crowds have enjoyed the performances of dancers such as the Southern University Dancing Dolls, Jackson State University’s Prancing J-Settes, and Alcorn State’s Golden Girls.

The Closing Chapel Service

Consecrated Ground: Churches and the Founding of America’s HBCUs

Founded with the support of the Freedmen’s Bureau and church and missionary organizations, like the American Missionary Association, the various Baptist conventions, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church, many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) made religious study a part of their instruction. 

They made a significant impact on Black faith communities by placing an emphasis on students’ spiritual development and through theological education. Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays,  one of the notable presidents of Morehouse College and dean of Howard University’s School of Religion, Mays played an integral role in religious education. Influencing religious leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in 1955 Mays wrote “Who Will Preach to Negroes in 1980” as a way of discussing the importance of religious education as a means of tackling social issues. In 1958, he helped establish the Interdenominational Theological Center at the Atlanta University Center, welcoming seminarians from various denominations across the country.

Gospel Choirs
These campuses grew into foundational sites for Black choirs following Emancipation, with HBCU singers gaining international success. Choirs, including those at Hampton Institute (later Hampton University) and the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University, used performance proceeds to “sing up” buildings on their campuses and promote Black education globally. In 1873 for instance, the Jubilee Singers earned enough money to construct Fisk’s first permanent building, Jubilee Hall. Many of the early musical selections consisted of “slave songs” and were instrumental in preserving this unique American musical tradition known today as “Negro spirituals.”