LIVE NOW! Watch the Hampton University Founder's Weekend celebration!

It all started with Brigadier General Samuel Chapman Armstrong

At the end of the war, General Armstrong joined the Freedmen’s Bureau. With the help of the American Missionary Association, he established the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute – now known as Hampton University – in Hampton, Virginia in 1868. The Institute was meant to be a place where Black students could receive post-secondary education to become teachers, as well as training in useful job skills while paying for their education through manual labor.

Hampton was ultimately a normal school (teacher’s school) for future Black teachers. In theory, these Black teachers would then apply the Hampton idea of self-help and industry at schools throughout the U.S., especially the South. To this end, a prerequisite for admission to Hampton was the intent to become a teacher. In fact, approximately 84 percent of the 723 graduates of Hampton’s first twenty classes became teachers. General Armstrong strove to instill in these disciples the moral value of manual labor. This concept became a crucial component of Hampton’s training of Black educators.

Commander UNC/CFC/USFK Gen. Xavier T. Brunson

Hampton University is honored to welcome General Xavier Brunson as this year’s keynote speaker. A distinguished leader, strategist, and trailblazer, General Brunson recently made history as one of the highest-ranking African American officers in the U.S. Army.

Hampton University Founder’s Weekend celebrates our collective heritage and is a reaffirmation of our commitment to academic excellence, social justice, and community empowerment. We eagerly anticipate the participation of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends as we come together to honor our past, celebrate our present, and envision a promising future.

Join us for this memorable occasion as we honor the ties that bind us and pay tribute to the visionaries who laid the foundation of our beloved institution and continue to inspire us to reach new heights of excellence.

Movie Showcase: Screening of "First Class"

“First Class” is an anthology series that catapults the audience into a parallel universe highlighting the power of HBCUs both past and present through short form documentaries and dramas.

Join us Saturday, January 25 at 4:00pm at the Student Center Theater.

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Schedule of events

Friday, January 24, 2025

7:00 pm

Hampton Women’s Basketball Game vs Towson | Hampton Convocation Center
Saturday, January 25, 2025

4:00 pm

Screening of “First Class” – The Decision and The James Fields Story | Student Center Theater
(Open to the Public – Doors Open at 3PM)
Sunday, January 26, 2025

9:30 am

Wreath Laying Ceremony | University Cemetery

11:30 am

Founder’s Day Ceremony featuring General Xavier T. Brunson ’90 | Ogden Hall

1:00 pm

Museum Re-Grand Opening & Reception | University Museum
(Open to the Public)

2:00 pm

Hampton Women’s Basketball Game vs UNC Wilmington | Hampton Convocation Center

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