Fisk Gates and John Hope and Aurelia Elizabeth Franklin Memorial Library

As you enter the Fisk Gates, listen to the words of John Hope Franklin: “We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.” Born in 1915 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he was the son of Buck Franklin, a noted Black attorney who represented African Americans after the Tulsa Race Riots in 1921. Franklin enrolled at Fisk in the early 1930s. Here, he discovered his love of history, but that’s not the only love John Hope found. He also met his life partner—fellow student Aurelia Elizabeth Whittington.

They each pursued graduate work—he at Harvard, she at Hampton. They married in 1940, and he completed his doctorate in history in 1941. Franklin taught at several institutions of higher education such as the University of Chicago and Duke University. A prolific author and historian, Franklin authored many books focused on the African American experience—including From Slavery to Freedom. First published in 1957, this seminal work is now in its ninth edition. Franklin said, “My challenge was to weave into the fabric of American history enough of the presence of Blacks so that the story of the United States could be told adequately and fairly.”

Among his many accomplishments, John Hope Franklin was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 1995 by President Bill Clinton. Meanwhile, Aurelia Franklin was a highly trained librarian and worked in libraries and archives throughout the U.S. So, it came as no surprise that the Fisk University Library was named in honor of these two notable alums. Designed by Godwin & Beckett Architects and completed in 1970, the library is an example of contemporary architecture, featuring a two-story concrete colonnade with a deep concrete fascia.

In addition to circulating materials, the library also houses the Fisk University Special Collections and Archives, which contains thousands of rare and important documents—including archival holdings related to the Jubilee Singers, rare examples of early African-American publications, and the personal papers of Aaron Douglas and W.E.B. DuBois.

Continue walking toward the middle of campus, along Fisk Way, until you reach the historical marker for the Harris Music Building, on your right.