From Safe Haven to Vanguard

In the tumultuous wake of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, higher education remained a deeply segregated landscape. Yet, a groundbreaking partnership was forged between an Ivy League bastion and a small, Historically Black College in the heart of Mississippi. This alliance between Brown University and Tougaloo College was more than an academic exchange. It was a bold act of defiance, a beacon amidst the entrenched segregation and racial hostility defining higher education at that time.

The roots of this Partnership can be traced to the efforts of visionary leaders on both sides. At Brown, President Barnaby Keeney sought ways his institution could concretely support the fight for racial justice. Simultaneously, at Tougaloo, President Adam Daniel Beittel recognized the potential benefits of collaborating with a well-resourced Northern institution. Key connections were also forged through the work of the Rhode Island Friends of Tougaloo, a group of activists and philanthropists dedicated to supporting the college. 1 1 See Christina Paxson, “From the President”, Brown Alumni Magazine, July 1, 2014, https://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/articles/2014-07-01/from-the-president.

In 1964, after securing critical funding from the Ford Foundation, the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership formally launched. 2 2 Joy Ann Williamson, “ ‘This Has Been Quite a Year for Heads Falling’: Institutional Autonomy in the Civil Rights Era,” History of Education Quarterly 44, no. 4 (Winter 2004): 554-576, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5959.2004.tb00020.x. Student exchanges placed undergraduates at both campuses, exposing them to diverse environments and challenging racial preconceptions. The Partnership also fostered faculty collaboration, administrative exchanges, and joint initiatives. These programs created bridges not only between institutions but between individuals and communities.

The significance of the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership is deeply rooted in its historical audacity and in its enduring influence on the trajectory of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as agents of social change. 3 3 “Brown-Tougaloo Partnership Program,” Brown-Tougaloo Partnership, accessed August 1, 2022, https://tougaloo.brown.edu/. Its six-decade journey mirrors the evolving role of HBCUs in addressing racial tensions and promoting racial conciliation—a role steeped in a legacy of activism and the unwavering pursuit of justice.

HBCUs: Beyond Education, A Cradle of Activism

To fully appreciate the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership’s transformative power, one must understand the unique function of HBCUs within American society and the very real dangers woven into their mission. Born in the crucible of slavery and its aftermath, these institutions have operated on three fundamental pillars: the championing of Civil Rights, the expansion of opportunity in a nation steeped in racial inequity, and the provision of equitable educational access. 4 4 See Ivory Toldson, et al., “HBCU Activism: The Evolving Role of HBCUs in Resolving Racial Tensions and Advancing Racial Conciliation in Higher Education,” in The Racial Crisis in American Higher Education, 3rd ed., ed. Kofi Lomotey and William A. Smith (SUNY Press, 2023), 259–278, https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.18253550.15.

From the earliest days of the first institutions dedicated to educating Black students, such as Cheyney University, Lincoln University, and Wilberforce University, HBCUs have fostered an ethos that contrasted starkly with their white counterparts. While predominantly white institutions often maintained the status quo, HBCUs have actively challenged it. Their campuses have become spaces where Black students could not only acquire knowledge but also develop a critical consciousness of the social and political realities surrounding them. This was not an act of abstract intellectualism; it is a fight deeply connected to lived experience. 5 5 Ibid.

Nowhere is this spirit of resistance and its accompanying risk more evident than in the role HBCUs played during the Civil Rights Movement. Campuses like Shaw University, Howard University, and, of course, Tougaloo College, became hubs of activism. The dangers in Mississippi were starkly clear: Medgar Evers, a leader in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a champion of voting rights, was assassinated just a year before the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership began. HBCU campuses thus provided intellectual sanctuaries where students and activists could strategize, mobilize, and launch daring campaigns that shook the foundations of segregation. 6 6 Melissa Block and Michele Norris, hosts, “The Legacy of Medgar Evers,” All Things Considered, NPR, June 10, 2003, https://www.npr.org/2003/06/10/1294360/the-legacy-of-medgar-evers. These institutions nurtured legends—Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers, Stokely Carmichael—individuals who dared to challenge deeply entrenched systems of oppression, knowing that this work carried immense personal risk.

The dangers extended far beyond Black activists. White allies who joined the movement faced ostracization, violence, and even death. In 1964, the murders of James Chaney, a young Black man from Mississippi, Michael Schwerner, a white Jewish Civil Rights worker from New York, and Andrew Goodman, a white college student from New York, sent a chilling message. 7 7 Curtis J. Austin, “On Violence and Nonviolence: The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi,” Mississippi History Now, February 2022, accessed 1 January, 2023, https://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/the-civil-rights-movement-in-mississippi-on-violence-and-nonviolence. These three men, working on behalf of the Congress of Racial Equality to investigate the burning of a Black church in Mississippi, were brutally murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Their case became a rallying cry for the Civil Rights Movement, but also a stark reminder of the price some paid for challenging the racial status quo.

Despite these dangers, HBCUs continued to be crucibles of activism, offering a haven for strategizing, mobilizing, and nurturing future generations of Civil Rights leaders. Moreover, HBCUs provided a unique support system for African American women, doubly marginalized by both race and gender. Pioneering educators like Mary McLeod Bethune and Lucy Laney defied societal limitations, empowering generations of Black women as leaders and changemakers. HBCUs became spaces where Black women could find their voices and assert their agency in creating a more just world. 8 8 See Toldson et al., “HBCU Activism.”

The Brown-Tougaloo Effect: Expanding the Battlefield

It is within this historical context that the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership took shape. This collaboration was never merely a transaction of resources or knowledge—it was the linking of two worlds historically segregated, an acknowledgment of the shared responsibility to dismantle the barriers of systemic racism within higher education.

Through student and faculty exchanges, collaborative research initiatives, and shared governance, the Partnership created a unique space. This space empowered Black students from Tougaloo to navigate the hallowed halls of an Ivy League institution, demonstrating that academic excellence was not bound by race. Reciprocally, it challenged students and faculty at Brown to confront the racial biases and societal blind spots often fostered within the privileged environment of elite universities.

The Brown-Tougaloo model has resonated beyond these two campuses. It has underscored the potential of HBCUs to expand their activist influence through strategic partnerships with predominantly white institutions. By opening doors to networks, resources, and wider visibility, collaborations such as this have enhanced the capacity of HBCUs to be catalysts for change on a broader scale.

The impact of the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership isn’t confined to history. The seeds planted six decades ago are now bearing fruit as Brown University has recently committed to partnerships with a broader group of HBCUs. This program signals a recognition that the work of combating racial injustice in higher education is far from over. The lessons learned from the Brown-Tougaloo experience will inform the selection of new partner institutions and guide the shaping of future collaborations. It demonstrates a commitment from established institutions like Brown to leverage their resources and influence in concrete ways, amplifying the work of HBCUs and paving the way for a more equitable educational landscape.

The Enduring Legacy: HBCUs in the Twenty-First Century

While the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership reflects a specific moment in time, its core lessons remain vital as HBCUs navigate the complexities facing higher education in the twenty-first century. Today, these institutions continue to nurture Black activists at the forefront of contemporary social movements, from Black Lives Matter to fights for environmental justice. The intellectual and community spaces HBCUs provide are essential for inspiring youth to carry the torch of activism forward. Yet, the evolving social and political landscape calls on HBCUs to adapt while maintaining their core mission of empowerment and justice. 9 9 See Ivory A. Tolson, “Believing in Black Colleges,” in No BS (Bad Stats): Black People Need People Who Believe in Black People Enough Not to Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear about Black People, (Brill, 2019), 159–171.

My tenure as Executive Director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, during which I closely collaborated with Tougaloo’s then President Beverley Hogan, afforded me an intimate perspective on these challenges. Witnessing the ongoing struggles HBCUs face, alongside my own experiences on the faculty of Howard University since 2005, only underscored the urgent need for continuous evolution to better serve the needs of their students and communities.

The Brown-Tougaloo Partnership demonstrates the transformative power of collaboration in dismantling racial barriers in education. But its significance extends far beyond its own history. In a world still grappling with racial inequities, such partnerships offer a potent model for addressing systemic racism and resource disparities. Additionally, with state government-led attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and the teaching of accurate Black history, these partnerships become crucial in maintaining the ability of HBCUs to educate students within an environment of intellectual honesty.

Systemic racism continues to permeate the educational landscape. Predominantly white institutions often grapple with blind spots regarding racial bias, hindering their ability to effectively serve Black students. HBCUs, on the other hand, can offer valuable insights and experiences in navigating these challenges. By fostering partnerships that encourage open dialogue, shared resources, and collaborative research, both institutions can emerge better equipped to dismantle these deeply entrenched systems.

Resource disparities remain a persistent obstacle for HBCUs. 10 10 Ivory A. Toldson, “The Funding Gap between Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Traditionally White Institutions Needs to be Addressed* (Editor’s Commentary),” special issue, The Journal of Negro Education 85, no. 2 (Spring 2016), 97–100, https://doi.org/10.7709/jnegroeducation.85.2.0097. Strategic partnerships can bridge this gap. Collaboration with well-endowed institutions like Brown can provide access to cutting-edge research facilities, distinguished faculty expertise, and vital financial resources. This influx can empower HBCUs to invest in innovative programs, attract top-tier educators, and ultimately, provide their students with an educational experience on par with any institution in the nation.

A crucial conversation must be addressed—the insidious phenomenon of “mission creep.” Pressures on HBCUs to conform to standards set by predominantly white institutions can erode their unique mission. 11 11 Ivory A. Toldson et al, “The HBCU Student STEM Success Survey: Developing and Validating a Measure of the Academic, Social, and Cultural Experiences of STEM Students at HBCUs,” Journal of Negro Education 90, no. 3 (Summer 2021), 383–397, https://muse.jhu.edu/article/847774. This manifests in accreditation systems steeped in racial bias, the over-prioritization of research at the expense of teaching, and rigid admissions standards that exclude promising students from underserved backgrounds. These pressures threaten the fundamental purpose of HBCUs: providing an empowering educational space for students who have been historically marginalized. However, partnerships offer a pathway of resistance. Collaborations with institutions like Brown can foster the development of alternative metrics of success, metrics that prioritize student potential and lived experience alongside traditional academic indicators. Such partnerships can champion admissions models that uphold the HBCU mission of service and empowerment, ensuring that the doors of opportunity remain open to all who seek it.

Conclusion

The Brown-Tougaloo Partnership isn’t simply a chapter in the annals of higher education; it’s a beacon. In a world where racial divides still cut deep, and the fight for true equity often feels uphill, this Partnership reminds us that collaboration has the power to reshape the landscape. While challenges persist—systemic racism, resource inequities, and the insidious threat of mission creep—the spirit of the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership represents a defiant response.

The Partnership tells us that bridges can be built across historical divides; that walls of ignorance can be dismantled; and that institutions, like individuals, can choose to be agents of positive transformation rather than guardians of the status quo. The journey continues, for racial reconciliation in higher education, and beyond, is an ongoing pursuit. But as the legacy of this groundbreaking Partnership demonstrates, collaboration fueled by a shared vision of justice is an indomitable force. May the Brown-Tougaloo model ignite similar collaborations throughout the nation, until the day every student, regardless of their background, has the unwavering support and boundless opportunities they deserve.