Welcome to On the Yard, a podcast that delves into the archives at Howard University’s Moorland-Spingarn Research Center to uncover the figures and events in Howard’s history that have shaped the global Black experience.

In this inaugural episode, the power of protest and its place in the fabric and legacy of Howard’s history is explored. Dr. Benjamin Talton, director of MSRC, is joined by Dr. Greg Carr, professor of African American Studies, and Dr. Dana Williams, professor of English Literature and dean of the graduate school.

Together, they discuss the 1968 student protests that led to a symbolic second founding of Howard University, how those protests birthed essential programs like Jazz Studies and the Institute for Arts and Humanities, and the enduring impact of protests at Howard from the past century.

Episode Guide:

00:00 The Impact of the 1968 Protest: A New Era for Howard University

03:21 Reflections on Citizenship and the Black University

06:07 Historical Context: Protests and Militancy at Howard

17:19 The Legacy of Nathan Hare and Black Studies

20:03 Striving Toward a Black University: Community and Liberation

24:00 The Institute for Arts and Humanities: A Vision for the Future

27:47 Challenges and Changes in Black Education

29:17 The Role of Howard University

32:20 Institutional Memory and Identity

42:39 The Importance of Preservation

45:58 Future Directions and Goals

On the Yard is a production of The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University and is produced by University FM.

An institution that is windows to America and the world

09:34: [Benjamin Talton] That's part of the conversation I want to continue to have with this podcast is that it's not just about Howard or other black colleges and universities, because all of our institutions are windows into America and windows into the world. And what I'm really proud of Howard about, and Lincoln and Fisk as well, is that it's always been globally black, right? Since we were founded in 1867, our first African students were graduated in 1870. So, from the very beginning, we've always been global in our blackness, right?

Protesting have ideals of our own

02:53: [Dana Williams] The question really is like, all right, now that the question of citizenship is, “settled,” because of course it never has been and probably will never be, what will be our own ideals? Will we adopt American ideals, or will we have any of our own? And I think part of what we see coming out of that protest is a real push to have ideals of our own.

Pushing for the global concept of the black university

09:18: [Greg Carr] Let me just say, they weren't pushing for the black American university…They were pushing for the black university. That's a global concept. And that runs squarely against the sensibility of a lot of universities in this country, including, quite frankly, a lot of HBCUs.

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