On May 2, 1872, the Freedmen’s Bureau oversaw the completion of a school for African Americans in Galveston, Texas, furthering its mission to support newly freed Black citizens after the Civil War. Though short-lived, the Bureau played a critical role in building schools, hospitals, and housing for formerly enslaved people. The Galveston school provided formal education to children and adults who had previously been denied access to literacy. Teachers, often from the North, risked violence from hostile locals, yet persisted in their mission. This school became a symbol of Reconstruction-era hope and the broader Black commitment to education as a pathway to freedom and citizenship. The legacy of these schools lives on through the historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that emerged during this period.