Library News

Archives & Special Collections Historic Images Featured as Part of Capital Park Museum's HBCU Exhibit in Baton Rouge

Historic images from XULA Library's Archives & Special Collections became part of a new permanent installment at the Louisiana State Capitol last month. Capitol Park Museum launched the exhibit featuring display panels of photographs from HBCU's from all over the state as part of its HBCU Day celebration held on April 18th. 

In partnership with Louisiana’s historically Black colleges and universities, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and Capitol Park Museum opened new displays exploring the history of these schools and their predecessors. Beginning with the first Black institutions of higher learning in the late 1860s, these colleges and universities not only educated African Americans during the era of segregation and beyond but also nurtured civil rights activists who sought to create a better state for all Louisianians.

Of the HBCUs founded in the state prior to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, six remain: Southern University and A&M College (1880), Grambling State University (1901), Xavier University of Louisiana (1915), Dillard University (1930), Southern University at New Orleans (1956), and Southern University at Shreveport (1964). Southern University is the nation’s only HBCU system, with three main campuses as well as the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center and the Southern University Law Center. Xavier University is the only Catholic HBCU in the U.S. “Louisiana’s HBCUs contribute so much to our state,” says Lieutenant Governor Nungesser. “We are excited to partner with them so that all our visitors can discover their rich history."

Visitors will learn about Straight University in New Orleans, whose law graduates include Louis A. Martinet and Rodolphe L. Desdunes, who organized the Comité des Citoyens to challenge segregation in the case that eventually became Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). They’ll also discover Southern University’s deep connection with Louisiana agriculture, which began with a working farm in 1891 and continues today with a state livestock show, cutting-edge crop research, and resources for small farmers. Other historical highlights include HBCU involvement with civil rights struggles, ranging from Southern University student participation in the sit-in movement to Xavier providing housing for the Freedom Riders.

The history of Louisiana’s HBCUs is incorporated into four sections of Capitol Park Museum’s 20,000 square feet of permanent exhibitions: Natural Abundance, Civil Rights, Southeast Louisiana, and North Louisiana. The Capitol Park Museum is located at 660 N. Fourth Street in Baton Rouge. It is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (final tickets sold at 3:30 p.m.). Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students, seniors, and active military, and free for children 6 and under.