Spring 2022
Oscar E. Dooly Memorial Building

“The Taylor Family / UTrailblazers Experience” is a digital exhibition that commemorates the First Black Graduates at the University of Miami and celebrates the contributions of past, present, and future Black students, faculty, and staff at the institution. Made possible through a decade of research by the UTrailblazers alumni committee and through the generosity of Johnny C. Taylor, an alumnus of the School of Communication and member of the Board of Trustees, this permanent exhibition consists of three touchscreen, multimedia digital displays highlighting key events, people, organizations, and activities of the Black community at the University from the 1960s to the present.

The UTrailblazers Experience is organized in categories of “yesterday,” “today,” and “tomorrow.” In the Yesterday section, we learn some of the important details about the desegregation era at University of Miami, from the first student to enroll in 1961, to the development of the United Black Students (UBS) organization in 1966, to the development of the Division of Afro American Studies in 1973. We also hear stories of the First Black Graduates in their own words, see artifacts like the “Malaika” handbooks that UBS developed to help peers navigate college life, and learn about current initiatives and future activities that make University of Miami a richly diverse institution.

Ten years ago, members of the Black Alumni Society who were part of the group of students to desegregate the University began researching their cohort with the assistance of University Archives at the Libraries. That group became known as the UTrailblazers. Their work with the Archives culminated in 2017 with a multi-day gala celebration for the First Black Graduates at University of Miami, and the launch of the Libraries’ “We Were Pioneers: A UTrailblazers Exhibition.” From there, the group sought a permanent exhibition that would showcase the history of these graduates and celebrate the many ways that University of Miami has been enriched through the contributions of its Black students, alumni, faculty, and staff. “The Taylor Family / UTrailblazers Experience” is the newest iteration of that effort, a dynamic multimedia display that showcases the First Black Graduates and highlights the ways that the Black community has contributed to making the institution truly one U.