The marching band of St. Emma Industrial & Agricultural Institute at Belmead Plantation, Powhatan County near Richmond; image of a group of young Black men in band uniforms posing in front of the main school (house) building; the students hold instruments; band leader, in dark uniform, sits in center of group; drum on left inscribed,
Featured Stories

Boarding Schools for Black Students Offered a Unique Education for more than 70 years

More than 12,000 African American and Native American students from across the country attended St. Emma Industrial and Agricultural Institute (est. 1895) for young men and St. Francis de Sales (est. 1899) for young women until both schools closed in the early 1970s.