Tyler Bunzey

Johnson C. Smith University’s given history—often retold on Founder’s Day in April—is presented in a fairly standard manner: every year, the school celebrates the key white philanthropists who provided seed funding for the formation of the school in 1867. “The Founders Project” seeks to address this focus through exhibitions that feature university archival materials like student publications, yearbooks, and more. “The Founders Project” advocates for a “long founding,” one that sees radical political action on campus throughout its history as the heart of its formation. This project will develop public-facing resources in conjunction with our library staff in the form of a mobile exhibition with four exhibition towers, an institutional partnership with The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a community reception.