What happens when government funding is withheld from a public university that’s served generations of Black Tennesseans? And what could be possible if that debt were finally paid?

From Nashville Public Radio and the Tennessee Lookout, The Debt traces Tennessee State University’s decades-long fight for fair funding — through an overlooked Civil Rights lawsuit, a historic merger with a predominantly white university, a dramatic student hunger strike, and a lawmaker who discovered his father’s old research on underfunding.

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This story was co-reported and co-produced by Camellia Burris and Emily Siner. Story editing by Meribah Knight and Miriam Kramer. Additional editing by Tony Gonzalez, Holly McCall, Joshua Moore, LaTonya Turner and Nina Cardona. Sound design by Joshua Moore. Fact-checking by Daniel Potter. Digital buildout by Mack Linebaugh and Megan Jones. Engineering by Liv Lombardi.

The Debt is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Tennessee Lookout, with additional support from the Pulitzer Center and the Education Writers’ Association.

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TSU Coverage from WPLN News