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The Rise and Fall of HBCU RadioHistorically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) launched a wave of radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s, driven by students demanding a voice in media during the Civil Rights era. These stations served as vital hubs for campus news, cultural programming, and music. However, the landscape of university-based media has shifted dramatically. Today, only about 30 of the over 100 HBCUs maintain active radio stations, with many pivoting to podcasts or social media. This decline has put decades of unique archival material at risk of being lost forever.Digitizing the Civil Rights LegacyThe HBCU Radio Preservation Project, founded by Jocelyn Robinson, has emerged as a critical intervention to save this history. The initiative provides training to college archives and radio stations on audio-visual preservation techniques. By partnering with the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB), the project ensures that digitized materials are not only stored securely but also made accessible to the public. The project has successfully digitized collections from institutions like Shaw University and Fisk University, transferring physical reels and tapes into the digital realm.Quantifying the Recovery EffortThe scale of the preservation work is substantial. The project team has visited nearly two dozen HBCU campuses and has digitized over 1,125 hours of archival audio. Beyond the physical media, the project has captured the human element of this history through oral interviews. To date, the team has recorded more than 90 oral histories, totaling 140 hours of interviews with former station directors, students, and staff. These interviews capture the personal stories behind the technical preservation work.Restoring Cultural IdentityThe impact of this project extends beyond mere data storage; it is about restoring cultural identity. The project returns digitized materials to the institutions in stylized black boxes that resemble historic radios, complete with plaques acknowledging the legacy. This gesture validates the historical importance of these stations. For example, the return of 46 digitized episodes of Traces of Faces and Places from Shaw University allows current generations to reconnect with the specific cultural narratives of their predecessors.The Future of Archival MediaThe HBCU Radio Preservation Project sets a precedent for how marginalized histories can be preserved in the digital age. As traditional radio formats fade, the model of partnering with national archives like the AAPB offers a sustainable path forward. By ensuring that the voices of the 60s and 70s are accessible to future researchers and students, the project guarantees that the legacy of Black student activism in media will continue to inform and inspire future generations.