The Legacy Museum

Housed in the Legacy Museum are various collections. The purpose is to:

• Preserve and exhibit Tuskegee University’s visual arts collections.
• Preserve and exhibit Tuskegee University’s history and contributions to African American and American life, particularly its contributions to the sciences and healthcare.
• Educate the public and Tuskegee University students, staff, and faculty about bioethics as an evolving field.

The second floor exhibitions highlight the University's art collections and rotate throughout the academic year. 

On the third floor of the museum are two permanent exhibits: 

1. The Patient, The Project, The Partnership: The Mass Production and Distribution of HeLa Cells at Tuskegee University
2. The United States Public Health Service Untreated Syphilis Study in the Negro Male, 1932-1972.

The Patient, The Project, The Partnership: The Mass Production and Distribution of HeLa Cells at Tuskegee University

The HeLa Cell exhibit celebrates the immortal life of Virginia-born Henrietta Lacks, a tobacco farmer and mother to five children. She suffered from an aggressive form of cervical cancer which landed her at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, MD. During the surgery to remove cancerous cells, her cervical cells were harvested and given to the lab for research purposes.

Mrs. Lacks was not targeted for her cells, all surgical patients at the time had their cells sent to the lab without their knowledge or consent as a standard practice. Informed consent as we know it today, did not exist at that time. Her cells were discovered to possess the unique ability to grow and reproduce beyond measure outside of her body. HeLa’s growth characteristics made it the ideal alternative primate host cell source for the massive testing of Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine.

Tuskegee University’s Carver Research Foundation was one of the sites selected to utilize the cells for vaccine testing, later mass-producing the cell line and distributing it to laboratories worldwide for various medical research projects from which we all benefit today. Recent lawsuits mean that her descendants are now receiving some of the financial gains realized from Mrs. Lacks' cell line and the medications and treatments developed with their usage.

The United States Public Health Service Untreated Syphilis Study in the Negro Male, 1932-1972

The United States Public Health Service Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male of Macon County, Alabama was an observational study that began in 1932 and was formally ended in 1972. Often erroneously called the Tuskegee Experiment or Syphilis Experiment, the Syphilis Study followed a total of 623 Black men (399 of which had previously contracted syphilis through sexual contact) for 40 years to see the effects of untreated syphilis on the Black body during autopsies. Medical research, a new field at the time, was marred by the racist and debunked pseudoscience of eugenics, which categorized and ranked people based on race. Scientists hypothesized that syphilis would function differently in the Black body than it did in the white body.

Treatment options in 1932 for syphilis included topical salves with mercury and bismuth at their base and an injectable medication with arsenic at its base, all of which can cause death by poisoning or render the patient sterile. The injectable medication took at least 12 injections and potentially more than 30 injections to affect a cure. Many patients did not complete the course of treatment given the large gauge of the needle and the fact that the medication burned on the way in. 

Patients deeply trusted their doctors at the time, and the men were often spoken to in euphemisms about their condition, such as "bad blood," which could refer to issues as different as infection, low iron, fatigue, the flu, or syphilis. The men were also promised treatment for "bad blood", free medical care, meals, and burial insurance in exchange for their participation and the right to autopsy their bodies; all of which were very enticing during the financial uncertainty of the Great Depression. Although promised treatment, the men were not treated for syphilis during the study even once penicillin became widely available and known to be a safe and effective cure. 

The study ended in 1972 following whistleblowing by USPHS employee Peter Buxtun which led to the groundbreaking article by Jean Heller, exposing the Study. Charles Pollard, a surviving participant of the Study, contacted attorney Fred Grey and together they filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against the federal government. That suit was won, leading to financial compensation for the survivors or their surviving families, with the bulk of the payout going to lifetime healthcare for the men, wives/widows, and their children. The public outrage and activism in the medical community led to Congressional hearings, the Belmont report, and the enshrinement into law of the Patient Bill Rights and Informed Consent. The men leave us both a right and responsibility to be active participants in our care and prevent any such future abuse.

CBS News Sunday Morning Broadcast

The Legacy Museum at Tuskegee University was recognized on CBS Sunday Morning on August 30, 2020, for its role in conserving extraordinary dioramas that were displayed in the 1940 Negro Exposition. These dioramas were created under Charles C. Dawson, a TU alum and well-known artist of his time.

(c) Copyright CBS Sunday Morning, 2021. Cannot be used for any purpose without written permission from the CBS Sunday Morning.

Preserving Dioramas of African American History (Copyrighted)

For more information, please visit: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/art-of-history-preserving-african-american-dioramas

Also, view the testimonials below:

Lunder Conservation Center

"Watch CBS Sunday Morning cover the incredible conservation of 20 The Legacy Museum, Tuskegee University dioramas from 1940, including "Reconstruction after the War" which was treated here #atSAAM two summers ago!”

U.S. Senator Chris Coons

“Proud to see the First State represented on CBS Sunday Morning! Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library and The Legacy Museum of Tuskegee University are collaborating to restore dioramas of Black American figures like the famed Harlem Hellfighters from World War 1. These dioramas—first created in 1940—were a platform for Black artists to share their work while helping promote racial understanding. Check out more information on the collaboration with the University of Delaware from Delaware’s own, Winterthur Museum.”

Rena Iversen Edminster

“Terrific segment. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Wonderful to see it's being restored & new people to learn the craft. Just amazing. Hope the lost 13 are found.”

Christine Schmidutz

"I LOVE that these are being used as a way to create space and careers in an otherwise traditionally white profession...representation matters in all things, because clearly the woman leading the charge saw value that others did not, and this is because of her unique view. Each one, teach one..love, love, love it.

Martha Perales

“This story was just beautiful it is wonderful to see young people working to restore this work of art.”

Nanette Chesley

“Just watched this and was awestruck at the craftsmanship that went into these pieces. Great clip.”

Markita Taylor

“This is amazing, I could only hope this inspires younger black people in preserving our history and endless contributions!”

JoAnn Yuki

“Fascinating story. So glad these National Treasures are being cared for and hope the others are found and given the respect they deserve.”

Beth Skipper

“This was a fascinating report. The dioramas are beautiful and such an important part of history. I’m so pleased to know they are being restored”

The dioramas are being restored by a growing collaborative network of conservators, conservation graduate students, and HBCU undergraduate students with an interest in museum careers. The collaborators include Fisk University, the Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Art Conservation Department at Buffalo State University, the Lunder Conservation Center at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Winterthur / University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. 

HBCU students participate through the fully-funded Six Week Introduction to Practical Conservation (SIPC) administered by the HBCU Alliance of Museum and Galleries and The University of Delaware with financial support from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. To learn more about the application process and to apply for upcoming opportunities please click here.

As of August 2024, eight dioramas have been fully restored and are on display in the Legacy Museum.

Picture 1: Roger Blakemore restored the diorama commemorating the Harlem Hellfighters, an infantry troop regiment that was one of the first to serve in World War II.​

Benjamin F. Payton: A Legacy in Art and History

The Lovette W. Harper Collection of African Art

The Law of Abstractions by Jalil Surge (TU ^c/_o 2020)

Letters from Our Visitors