A double image of an enormous and ornate Victorian university building, with a couple of hundred well-dressed, African American men and women arranged in front of it on the lawn for a large group photo. They are students at Howard University around 1867.
Stereograph showing a crowd of African American students on the lawn of Howard University near Miner Hall. LC-DIG-stereo-1s07887

Education and Power in Post-Emancipation America

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

7 – 8 p.m. ET
Virtual | Free
Accessible
Register

Reconstruction has long been dismissed as a failure in American history, but in fact one of its most resilient and enduring legacies was the establishment of public colleges for African Americans previously denied educational opportunities. Join Ford’s Theatre, Blake Lindsey and University of Maryland professor Leigh Soares to discover how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) founded during Reconstruction became cornerstones of education, empowerment and the movement for a more equitable society. 

This program is part of History Talks, a webinar series that investigates facets of Abraham Lincoln’s complex legacy and its relevance to today. These engaging talks, designed for history enthusiasts of all ages, feature compelling visuals with content experts delving into Lincoln’s legacy and the world of Civil War Washington.

Speakers

A Black woman wearing a white shirt and blue jacket.

Dr. Leigh Soares is a scholar of African American history, specializing in post-emancipation politics and Black institution building. Her research on Black politics and education center divers perspectives about the meanings of freedom, equality and progress in America. She has published in the History of Education Quarterly and appeared in the 2022 PBS documentary Making Black America. Her upcoming book, Cradles of Citizenship: Public Black Colleges and Political Engagement from Emancipation to Civil Rights, positions public HBCUs as a crucial but neglected site of Black political engagement and civic development. She is currently Assistant Professor of History at University of Maryland.

A White man with a mustache wearing a white shirt and a black jacket.

Blake Lindsey is a public historian based in the Washington, D.C. region who researches the social history of military occupation in the Civil War Defenses of Washington. Previous research projects have included the role of tourism at the United States Capitol in shaping the memory of democratic engagement in the United States. He is currently the historian for Arlington County Parks in Arlington, Virginia.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [MA-252940-OMS-23].