Tuskegee University, founded on July 4, 1881, commemorates its 144th anniversary today. The institution began as the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers, established through a collaboration between Lewis Adams, a formerly enslaved Black leader, and former Confederate Colonel W.F. Foster. Booker T. Washington, recommended by Hampton Institute’s Samuel C. Armstrong, became the founding principal, initiating classes in a modest church setting.
The university’s official Founders’ Day celebration occurred earlier this year, from March 28–30, marking its 107th annual observance. The event honored reunion classes from 1955 to 1985 and featured Hampton University President Darrell K. Williams as the keynote speaker. A highlight of the weekend was the record-breaking $1.3 million raised by alumni, including a significant $794,000 donation in memory of Dr. Matthew Jenkins.
Tuskegee and Hampton forever connected
Williams spoke on the connection between the two HBCU institutions during his address this spring.
“On behalf of Pirate Nation, I bring you greetings from your family up North, Hampton University,” he said. “Most everyone knows the topline story of the special relationship our two institutions share. We know, for example, the Booker T. Washington connection with our founder, Former Union Brigadier General Samuel Chapman Armstrong. We know that many of the buildings on our campuses bear the same names. We know about the former Tuskegee presidents who matriculated through Hampton University and we know that my predecessor worked and trained here at Tuskegee prior to becoming the president of Hampton. We know of the respect and admiration the founders of our respective institutions shared for each other.
“I contend that the bond is much, much deeper,” he said. “We share the same values. We share the same ideals. We share the same commitment to excellence and the knowledge that education remains the door to opportunity, economic empowerment, and the continued advancement of a people.
“The names Hampton and Tuskegee will forever be spoken together in history,” said Williams. “They have always been inseparable in their singular and collective brilliance, and our destinies forever shall be intertwined. Hampton and Tuskegee; Crimson and Old Gold, Reflex Blue and White, Tuskegee and Hampton. May God bless our communities, and may God continue to richly bless America.”
While the formal Founders’ Day events took place in March, the university’s founding date of July 4 remains a significant milestone. Today, Tuskegee University reflects on its enduring legacy and contributions to education and African American history.