Since 1925, Xavier University—the nation's only historically Black, Catholic university—has pursued its mission of creating a more just and humane society. When white homeowners tried to stop Xavier from opening, its foundress, Saint Katherine Drexel, outmaneuvered them. When Jim Crow laws prevented Black artists from performing in New Orleans theaters, Xavier built them a venue. When the Freedom Riders were arrested, beaten, and firebombed, Xavier offered them a safe haven in its dorms. And when Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed Xavier and the neighborhoods all around it, Xavier students recruited more than 1,500 students from other HBCUs to come help them rebuild. "That notion of justice and equity," says Xavier's President C. Reynold Verret, "that is the American project, which is unfinished...but it is what we're pushing forward."

As we push forward at Xavier, our own history inspires us. The following materials explore that history, our successes, and how we've prepared for the challenges we face today.