Booker T. Washington opened Tuskegee Institute in the temporary quarters of an AME church on July 4, 1881, ten days after arriving in Alabama.

Washington cleverly used students to construct the permanent campus. Forty buildings were constructed during the first 20 years of Tuskegee, almost all by student labor.

Sometimes, ingenuity goes a long way when access to money is limited.

Independence Day in the USA reminds us that belief in a set of ideals is powerful currency for a nation, an individual, or an educator like Booker T. Washington.

Resourcefulness afforded Washington ultimate success while creating the Tuskegee campus.