University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Theses (Historic Preservation) Graduate Program in Historic Preservation 2017 Stewarding an Educational Legacy: Historic Preservation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Katlyn E. Cotton University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses Part of the African American Studies Commons, and the Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons Cotton, Katlyn E., "Stewarding an Educational Legacy: Historic Preservation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities" (2017). Theses (Historic Preservation). 618. https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/618 Suggested Citation: Cotton, Katlyn (2017). Stewarding an Educational Legacy: Historic Preservation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/618 For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Stewarding an Educational Legacy: Historic Preservation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Abstract The historic campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities inform a story that no other setting can tell. Since before the Civil War, through Reconstruction and the Civil Rights movement, and still today, these institutions have served as the backdrop for this country’s greatest social justice struggles. They have functioned as free spaces and safe havens—places of reprieve from discrimination and inequity—where young African Americans were given the confidence and support to become leaders, innovators, and history-makers. Throughout history, these incredible institutions have nurtured an environment of empowerment, cultural reinforcement, and acceptance that has had immeasurable impacts on the lives of the students who walked their historic halls. The HBCU story, in its breadth over 150 years and across 20 states, celebrates both struggle and achievement, while foregrounding the role of education in the pursuit of racial justice.