Jackson State University is one of four historically black colleges and universities to receive a grant to help preserve the schools’ impact and contributions nationwide.

University officials said funding from the Getty Images Photo Archives Grant would help digitize 50,000 photos in the Jackson State Archives, including stories of activism, civil rights and police brutality. Illustrations by Tracy Sugarman, along with the Freedom Summer Photograph Collection and the Gibbs Green Memorial Collection will be among the few photos released in the new digital collection, The Clarion Ledger reported.

“Preserving the rich culture and heritage of the African Diaspora found in HBCUs is an essential step in ensuring that the stories of our ancestors are accessible to share for generations to come,” said the President of the HBCU. State of Jackson, Thomas K. Hudson, in a statement.

Three other universities — Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, and Prairie View A&M in Prairie View, Texas — will share the $500,000 in grants with Jackson State.

Scanning the photos is expected to begin in March and will take about a year, officials said.