Hampton University, established in 1868 as Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, has played an indispensable role in advancing agriculture and empowering Black farmers through promoting education, community engagement and sustainable practices. While the historically Black institution discontinued offering extensive agricultural programs in the 1950s, the university continues the legacy of caring for the environment, emphasizing the value of hard work, and furthering opportunities for African American students.
Samuel Chapman Armstrong founded the institution to provide Black communities with practical education, primarily focused on agriculture and the industrial arts to equip formerly enslaved individuals with the skills necessary for achieving economic independence and self-sufficiency.
Through this mission, Hampton raised generations of Black farmers.
“The thing to be done was clear: to train selected Negro youth who should go out and teach and lead their people first by example, by getting land and homes… and in this way to build up an industrial system for the sake not only of self-support and intelligent labor, but also for the sake of character,” Armstrong once said.
Arguably Hampton’s most esteemed alumnus, Booker T. Washington, shared Armstrong’s vision of economically empowering Black communities by championing agricultural education. Washington graduated from the university in 1875 and was appointed by Armstrong to lead the establishment of Tuskegee University in 1881.
He adopted his alma mater’s educational approach, teaching students skills in the agricultural and industrial sectors, hoping to reach local struggling farmers and help them become land owners.
“At Hampton, I not only learned that it was not a disgrace to labour, but learned to love labour, not alone for its financial value, but for labour’s own sake and for the independence and self-reliance which the ability to do something which the world wants done brings,” Washington said in his book “Up from Slavery.”
Hampton’s curriculum featured rigorous hands-on work, allowing students to experience the obstacles that came hand in hand with farming, further teaching them how to problem solve and manage any surprises Mother Earth may have. Equipment and livestock available at the nearby Shellbanks and Whipple Farms made for the ideal learning experience, which covered topics like animal rearing, farm engineering, plant pathology and more.
Students in the Agricultural Education program attended school for three consecutive years including summertime. This nontraditional course schedule benefited the budding agriculturalists, as the summer months were ideal for numerous phases of agricultural instruction.
The resources and nurturing environment accessible to Hampton’s students produced self-reliant and independent Black farmers.
Although decreased enrollment in the 1950s caused the gradual elimination of agricultural and trade courses, Hampton remains steadfast in addressing contemporary environmental challenges.
The university’s HU Goes Green committee promotes initiatives, events and conversations ensuring the institution remains a sustainable and environmentally literate entity in its community.
The university recently obtained the prestigious Research 2 designation, which amplifies its capacity to conduct influential research, including studies focused on environmental sustainability, upholding its legacy of advancing Black agriculture through education.
“157 years later Hampton is as strong as ever and the best is yet to come,” said Hampton University’s President Darrell K. Williams at the school’s 2025 Founders’ Day celebration. “Our unquenchable passion for excellence remains tethered to [Armstrong’s] initial vision.”
