Andrew J. Foster Exhibit

Visit the Expanded Exhibition Online

Andrew Jackson Foster was the first Black Deaf student to graduate from Gallaudet University after the Jim Crow era. Although he was allowed to enroll, the campus atmosphere was no less racist than the world outside it, and Foster’s experiences with bullying spurred him to graduate in only three years. Undeterred, he pursued his life’s mission, opening schools for Deaf children in countries throughout Africa. Gallaudet University is proud of Foster’s legacy. Still, we must honor the hardships he faced on campus to truly understand and appreciate his great success.

Andrew J. Foster: Missionary, Educator, and Advocate exhibition was unveiled on April 8, 2014, along with Gallaudet at 150 and Beyond and Then and Now exhibitions as part of Gallaudet University’s sesquicentennial celebration.

The front side of the original rotating exhibit that was unveiled on April 8, 2014.

Photo courtesy of Dick Moore.

The backside of the original rotating exhibit with three Gallaudet students looking at the display.

Photo courtesy of Shane Dundas and the National Deaf Life Museum.