Campus queens have had a longstanding tradition for historically Black colleges and universities since the 1920s. The term originated from May Queens, who was elected to walk or ride at the front of May Day parades, similar to the ancient May Day festivities.

Buzzfeed reported that, since then, institutions nationwide had adopted the role of Campus Queen at their respective colleges. However, the first Campus Queen was selected in 1927 at Jackson State University.

“It’s a beautiful and symbolic gesture of love of leadership and beauty, epitomized in womanhood,” archivist Darlita Ballard said. “It’s an expression of love for our heritage, our values, and our goals.”

Though the Campus Queen tradition remains at many historically Black colleges and universities, JSU recently partnered with Getty Family and Stand Together to release timeless photos of its Campus Queens dating back to nearly a century ago, according to the website. A popular vote elects the queens at JSU, and they’re usually crowned before the annual May Day ceremony. Then, the women are elected as homecoming queen, football queen, and Miss Jackson University.

The women’s attire as Campus Queen has evolved since the tradition started. “When they were first crowned, in the early images, some were very casual, and some were formal,” said Dr. Locord Wilson, interim dean of libraries at JSU. “Some of them just wanted to be photographed on a bench or sitting on the ground. The last few years, everyone has wanted it to be formal.” While COVID has dramatically impacted the normal Campus Queen activities, those elected continued to serve their roles during the pandemic.

The photos captured decades of Campus Queens in all of their glory while celebrating the university’s history. Charles Smith, the university’s photographer, reportedly has more than 12,000 photos that have been digitized; the school’s goal is to digitize 50,000 photos from their archive.

Getty Images recently announced that four HBCUs were selected to receive $500,000 grants to professionally digitize their archived photos over a span of a hundred years. Both Wilson and Smith selected pictures from the archives entitled Campus Queen Collection.

The following HBCU Grant recipients:

• Claflin University – Orangeburg, South Carolina (USA)
• North Carolina Central University – Durham, North Carolina
• Jackson State University – Jackson, Mississippi (USA)
• Prairie View A&M University – Prairie View, Texas (USA)