Our Story

"Of my father I know even less than of my mother. I do not even know his name.” 

Taliaferro Union takes its name and greatest inspiration from the founder and 1st president of Tuskegee University, Booker Taliaferro Washington. The founders of Taliaferro Union, raised in the city of Tuskegee and alumni of Tuskegee University, grew up in the shadow of this legacy. It is told in his autobiography “Up From Slavery” that Taliaferro was a name his mother had given him at birth, a name she heard from a passerby with origins in Italy, “Tagliaferro,” which means iron cutter or blacksmith. This found meaning serves as the bridge of inspiration, giving rise to our name. Heritage, hard work, craftsmanship, and the pride of American labor and trade unions of days past, united with the proud heritage of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, are the core values of Taliaferro Union. 

“There is no power on Earth that can neutralize the influence of a high simple and useful life.“ - Booker T. Washington