Fall 2022 – Spring 2025
Kislak Center at the University of Miami

The first Black students, faculty, and staff to help integrate the University of Miami — the UTrailblazers — left an immediate and lasting impact on the campus community. Their involvement in on-campus activism combined with their record of achievements, academically and professionally, is foundational for current and future generations of students.

“Our Legacy Matters” commemorates the accomplishments of the UTrailblazers during the 1960s and 1970s. The exhibition also celebrates the contributions of Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., B.S.C. ’89, whose leadership as a student and University trustee follows in the tradition of the First Black Graduates.

“Our Legacy Matters” serves as a companion exhibition to “The Taylor Family/UTrailblazers Experience,” an interactive and permanent installation located in the Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. Breezeway at the Dooly Memorial Building. Together, these exhibitions document the desegregation era at the University, showcase the history of the First Black Graduates, and celebrate the many ways that University of Miami has been enriched through the contributions of its Black community.