BAAL (1969-1974) The original Black Academy of Arts and Letters (BAAL) was founded on March 29, 1969 in
Boston, Massachusetts and incorporated as a non-profit organization in
New York in June 1969. BAAL was "dedicated to the defining and promoting cultural achievement of black people." According to its first president, Dr. C. Eric Lincoln, "A Black Academy of Arts and Letters is one way of coming to terms with a society that has not yet made up its mind about the role of color". BAAL underwent administrative cuts in 1972 and became defunct in 1974. In 1997, the organization changed its name to The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL). Since 2014, TBAAL's archival materials have been housed at the
University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries. ==References==