Podcast Summary: Howard University's New Podcast 'On The Yard'
All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC), February 11, 2026
Overview
This episode of All Of It spotlights "On The Yard," a new podcast from Howard University that brings its storied archive to the public, exploring the history and culture of the university and its impact on Black intellectual and social life. Host Alison Stewart is joined by Benjamin Talton (host of "On The Yard" and Executive Director of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center) and Dana Williams (Dean of the Graduate School and English Literature Professor at Howard), who discuss the podcast, Howard’s archival treasures, the symbolism of the campus “yard,” the legacy of protest, and Howard’s evolving curriculum.
Major Discussion Points & Insights
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center: Black History’s Vault
- Talton describes the Center as “like the Schomburg for New Yorkers, but at a university” (02:48).
- It is “the largest privately-owned repository of books, ephemera, and artifacts on the global Black experience in the world” (02:52).
- Standout archival gems include handwritten notes from Frederick Douglass, collections from Paul Robeson, and Lucy Diggs Slowe (first Black woman dean in the U.S.), plus organizational records of Jack and Jill of America, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and the Congressional Black Caucus (03:10–03:50).
Why Launch a Podcast Now?
- Benjamin: Most people “don’t get their history from books written by people like me,” so the goal is making Howard's history accessible beyond campus walls (04:06).
- The podcast is “for our students first and foremost, then to the wider public… using multiple ways—exhibitions, writers’ festivals, speakers, and now the podcast” (04:22).
- Dana adds: “Opportunities to access our history are shrinking. Not everyone can come to the archive in person, but everyone can listen and learn” (05:00).
The Yard: Howard’s Beating Heart
- The podcast title refers to Howard’s quad, known as “the Yard”—the physical and cultural heart of campus (06:09).
- The Yard is where “homecoming, sorority/fraternity events, protests and global diasporic community life” happen (06:20).
- Dana shares a vivid memory: “It’s a sacred place. Kamala Harris gave a great speech as commencement speaker, but Eleanor Traylor talked about the yard and brought the house down” (06:50).
- “You see everything and its opposite… students from all backgrounds, from the most conservative to the most radical, working out ideas for the global Black community” (07:35–07:58).
Howard’s Founding and Historical Mission
- Founded in 1867 by the Congregational Church in response to the question: “What do we do with the formerly enslaved?” (09:10).
- “Howard was founded to educate Black people, but not about Black people. That changed in the 1960s with a ‘second founding’ rooted in activism” (09:48).
Mordecai Wyatt Johnson: First Black President (1926)
- His priorities included:
- Academic and operational excellence
- Building out multidisciplinary offerings (medicine, law, theology, liberal arts)
- Making Howard a global institution (10:45–11:41)
- Johnson intentionally recruited top Black intellectuals barred from white universities, making Howard “an international institution and a center for the study of Gandhi’s nonviolence” (12:49).
- Notable: 1943’s student-led sit-ins on U Street—“seventeen years before Greensboro” (13:43).
Protest and Transformation: Legacy of the 1960s
- Dana: The 1960s protests “were a battle for the soul of the university—students insisted they wanted a Black university centering Black knowledge and global struggles” (15:41).
- Protests included not just building takeovers, but also curriculum reform (African history courses, privileging Black and diasporic literature), fashion (natural hair as protest), and “working out innovations before the mainstream,” e.g., in medical humanities (16:50–18:02).
- Faculty and administration were often quietly or openly supportive: “We had to figure out how to let students lead while negotiating federal funding and political pressures” (17:25).
- Call-in from James, alumni from the ’67–’68 protests, notes:
- Howard’s actions “preceded or paralleled Columbia’s,” but Howard students “kept the campus unharmed—no window-breaking, real respect for the institution” (18:13–19:15).
Ongoing Impacts, Reflections, and Challenges
- Dana: The podcast and these histories challenge her to deepen her content knowledge, especially in non-Western and global literature, to teach a “truly inclusive great books curriculum” (21:19–23:07).
- Ben: He wishes Howard’s history “was part of the fabric” of the university and sees a generational effort to make Howard’s path better known and more central:
- “These students want to celebrate ’68… To what extent are we living the legacy of ’68? How far do we have to go?” (23:10–24:10).
- “People come to D.C. for Black history tours, but don’t always include Howard. It should be central, along with the Frederick Douglass House” (24:40).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
On the richness of the archive:
“I can go two stories down and have my hands on handwritten notes from Frederick Douglass.” – Benjamin Talton (03:20)
On the purpose of the podcast:
“We want people to come in, but everybody can’t come in. Everybody can hear about what’s there and learn a lot.” – Dana Williams (05:14)
On the Yard's symbolism:
“I’m almost getting goosebumps… You see everything and its opposite… students from all backgrounds… working out ideas for the global Black community.” – Dana Williams (07:36)
On Howard’s “second founding”:
“Howard was founded to educate Black people, but not to educate Black people about Black people… In the 1960s, students decided: this is the university we want.” – Benjamin Talton (09:47)
On protest methods:
“We strove to keep the campus unharmed… we didn’t break windows. We tried to upkeep the buildings we had taken over. Very enlightening… taking over the university for legitimate reasons.” – James, caller and ’60s Howard student (18:13–19:15)
On evolving the curriculum:
“One class, emerging from the protests, reoriented the syllabus for ‘the great books’ to include Native, Asian, African traditions… Not just gesturing—committing to real content mastery.” – Dana Williams (22:50)
On teaching and ongoing community:
“We can’t hand this off to students and say, ‘We did our part, good luck.’ No, we’re in community with them, walking, trying to improve the world with them.” – Dana Williams (24:18)
Key Timestamps
- 02:10 — Benjamin Talton describes Moorland-Spingarn’s treasures, including Douglass, Robeson, and Lucy Diggs Slowe papers.
- 04:20 — Ben and Dana outline why Howard needs a podcast now.
- 06:10–07:59 — Deep dive into the meaning and power of “the Yard” for student and community life.
- 09:10 — Ben recounts Howard’s 1867 founding and its original mission.
- 11:56 — Clip from Dr. Krista Johnson on Mordecai Johnson’s transformative role.
- 13:43–14:48 — Earliest student protests and the complexity of activism under federal scrutiny.
- 15:41–18:02 — Dana details the 1960s protests, curriculum changes, and community support.
- 18:13–19:15 — James, alumni, calls in to recall organizing student protests in 1967–1968.
- 21:19–24:10 — Dana and Ben reflect on how creating the podcast has reshaped their own thinking.
- 24:40–25:21 — Ben discusses Howard’s underappreciated place in D.C./American history and the ongoing need to share these stories.
Tone
Warm, passionate, reverent, yet frank and engaged—mirroring the deep pride and ongoing critical self-examination that defines Howard’s legacy and community.
Conclusion
This interview provides a vibrant overview of the On The Yard podcast and the enduring significance of Howard University’s archives, activism, and intellectual life. Through personal reflection and historical insight, the guests show why Howard’s story is pivotal not just for Black history, but for the American narrative—and how “the yard” continues to be a meeting ground for dialogue, dissent, and dreaming forward.