On May 8, 1866, Fisk University was founded in Nashville, Tennessee, to provide higher education for newly freed African Americans after the Civil War. At a time when illiteracy among former slaves was widespread due to centuries of legal prohibitions against Black education, Fisk symbolized the hope of Reconstruction. The university soon became internationally famous through its Fisk Jubilee Singers, who toured the world raising funds. Fisk alumni would go on to become leading figures in academia, activism, and the arts, leaving an indelible mark on global Black intellectual history.
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