May 19, 2025
The program will help HBCUs build their own digital archives of images, records, and more.
A new partnership between Getty Images and Ancestry.com will preserve the legacy of HBCUs through their visual artifacts.
Funded by Getty’s HBCU Grants program, the partnership will work with 10 HBCUs to source and preserve images, documents, and other records a part of this unique history. According to Inside HigherEd, the initiative will also digitize these findings for the schools’ own archival collections.
The program initially started in 2021 to help preserve HBCU photography. However, a lack of resources to digitize these images, and a greater need to preserve beyond these visual elements, led to the program’s expansion. Cassandra Illidge, executive director of the HBCU Grants Program at Getty Images, took this mission upon herself to make a reality.
“There were so many stories that needed to be told,” explained Illidge. “There’s so much material that still needs to be uncovered for research purposes, for licensing, for storytelling.”
Lincoln University, an HBCU in Pennsylvania, became the first institution to join the endeavor. The university also hosts a 700-photo collection, but will soon expand this archive to include records and more. Lincoln also holds its own historical relevance as the first degree-granting HBCU, and its collection hopes to include documents dating back to its charter in 1854.
Although the U.S. Census did not thoroughly maintain the history of Black Americans in the past, the HBCU took matters into its own hands to keep “impeccable records” of students. Now, the school will keep this documentation alive for generations to learn more about some of the first students at Lincoln.
“We’re not just talking about Black history, we’re talking about American history,” explained Harry Stinson III, interim vice president of institutional advancement at Lincoln. [The images and records] show “what African Americans have been able to achieve when given the space and the opportunity to learn and to thrive.”
Students part of the project will also acquire skills in archival work, and receive a stipend sponsored by Denny’s to do so. By sourcing, dating, and uncovering more information behind these images and documents, they will be contributing to the history of these institutions and potentially their ancestors.
The program’s expansion also comes at its own unique time in history as the Trump administration pushes back against DEI initiatives. President Trump has ordered to shut down the teachings or promotions of histories that do not align with his vision of America, instead opting for a “patriotic education” of children.
However, this initiative will promote HBCU’s uncensored history as they detail the plight of Black Americans seeking an education in this country. Participating schools will also keep full copyright ownership of all materials submitted.
“This amazing material that’s coming from HBCUs is just another line of history that we can share with the world,” added Illidge. “Regardless of administration, or any other changes, we’re not changing our goals and mission.”
Ancestry and Getty Images urge more HBCUs to join this groundbreaking program that immortalizes their school history in a growing digital world.
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