At the turn of the twentieth century, Historically Black Colleges and Universities stood as symbols of racial pride for black America. They were also places where intense missions dedicated to uplift ideology were weaved into tradition collegiate cirriculum. This paper will look at the development of HBCUs in terms of fusing eugenic application and respectability in teaching ‘fitness’ through proper manners and morals. It will also examine eugenic courses at HBCUS through institutions such as Fisk University, Howard University and Tuskegee Institute. From W.E.B.Du Bois’s “Talented Tenth” theories to Booker T. Washington’s definition of "New Negroes," the black intelligentsia embraced various forms of eugenic science as a means in which to create not just scholars, but future exemplars who would continue the tradition of race uplift work. By tracing the endorsement of eugenic theory by affluent black leaders and institutions, this work will challenge the afro-centered perspective that blacks were always acted upon during the peak years of American eugenic reform.
