Aiming for Excellence, Facing Inequality

Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington came to Tuskegee Institute as its founding principal in 1881. Focused on the economic success of African Americans, he ensured the curriculum emphasized monetizable skills including woodworking, engineering, roofing, printing and bricklaying. As students developed their expertise, the Tuskegee Brickyard produced enough surplus to become a major regional supplier and significantly increase school profits. Washington knew white philanthropists appreciated the focus on trade skills and successfully appealed to them to give large sums to Tuskegee. To keep his donors satisfied, he publicly preached the value of black labor. Privately, he financed legal cases to fight state-sanctioned inequality and called for an in-depth study of lynching.

Washington’s vision and commitment to advanced mechanical skills has helped to enshrine Tuskegee’s long standing reputation as a top producer of African Americans in architecture and engineering.