Khirsten L. Scott Delivers Distinguished Lecture at Tougaloo College
Dr. Scott, an alumna of the storied Mississippi HBCU, delivered the presidential lecture during the school’s 155th Founders Week.
Khirsten L. Scott, assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education and director of Pitt Education’s Western Pennsylvania Writing Project, recently delivered a powerful lecture during Tougaloo College’s 155th Founder’s Week. Scott, a 2012 alumna, spoke in the historic Woodworth Chapel, which she described as a space that “has witnessed so much spiritual and intellectual life,” adding that it “holds my story, too.”
Scott’s lecture, titled On the Edge of Legacy: Embracing the Fullness of HBCU Stories for a Thriving Future, offered both a tribute to her alma mater and a vision for the future of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Through powerful storytelling, Scott explored the institution’s role in the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, its cultural shifts, and the importance of honoring its full legacy. She invited the audience to reimagine what it means to be an HBCU today and to consider how these institutions can continue to thrive in the future. Central to her talk were the “survival literacies” that are core to HBCUs like Tougaloo, themes that are also explored in her forthcoming book, Black on the Edge: Writing, Resistance, and HBCU Survival Literacies, currently under contract with University Press of Mississippi.
Scott reflected on the enduring spirit of Black resilience, particularly within the context of HBCUs. She noted that these institutions have long served as more than places of education—they have been spaces of cultural innovation and collective empowerment. “As Black people, we’ve always known how to turn survival into something more than just getting by,” she remarked. “We turn it into a culture, into resistance, into joy.” Scott emphasized that HBCUs have transformed from mere survival spaces into vibrant communities of expression, resistance, and celebration.
Scott shared personal anecdotes that illuminated her journey of self-discovery at Tougaloo. Originally on a medical track, she ultimately earned a Bachelor of Arts in English, a shift she described as a pivotal moment of “stepping onto the edge of uncertainty.” Scott noted that these moments of discovery are often marked by unexpected intersections of personal and academic growth. “The edge isn’t just a place of uncertainty,” she emphasized. “It’s a place of possibility. It’s where transformation happens, where growth takes root, and where we become something more than we ever imagined.”
Throughout the lecture, Scott highlighted how storytelling serves as a method for understanding HBCUs in broader contexts of history, education, and rhetorical theory. She shared how her own career path, from her initial appointment in the University of Pittsburgh’s English department to her current work, has been deeply intertwined with Tougaloo’s legacy. Scott also drew attention to Naomi J. Townsend, one of the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. from Pitt’s English department, describing it as a meaningful connection that links her work back to her HBCU roots.
Scott’s lecture concluded with an invitation to her audience: to see HBCU stories not as singular narratives but as dynamic, layered experiences that shape and redefine both personal and communal histories. Her storytelling was not only a reflection of her journey but also a call for others to share their own stories, fostering a collective understanding of HBCUs’ enduring impact and potential for a thriving future.
You can watch her entire Distinguished Presidential Lecture on YouTube.
