Georgia's first all-Black high school stands as a living museum of history and excellence

The story behind Georgia's first all-Black secondary school, Booker T. Washington High School, begins at its doorstep, with a replica of Tuskegee University's "Lifting the Veil of Ignorance."

It's the statue of Washington, who was born into slavery and became a prominent educator, author, and adviser to presidents, that represents how education opens doors and minds.

Washington High isn't just a school; it's a living museum, founded in 1924 during the age of segregation.

Its rich history is ingrained in its walls and classrooms through the school's historian, Marcia A. Wynn, known as Ms. Wynn.

"We're lifting the veil daily just as the slave is in the statue," Wynn said. "We're lifting the veil of ignorance as the slave is in the statue. If we don't tell our story, who's going to tell it?"

The statue is just one of the school's hallmarks, and one everyone understands.

"It's one of the traditions that Washington High School does, especially with our football team, before they go to play a game, they surround themselves around the statue that's out front," said Principal Tiauna Crooms. "It's a remembrance of what you embody, where you came from, and the possibilities of what you can do."

Inside, decades of history line the halls.

Display cases and entire rooms are dedicated to distinguished alumni such as Dr. Asa Yancey, Emory University's first African-American faculty member, and Grady Memorial Hospital's first African-American doctor.

There is a room dedicated to Washington's most famous alumnus, Martin Luther King Jr., housing a podium he spoke at and a replica of his suit.

The dedication rooms came at the behest of Miss Wynn after the pandemic, after she noticed closed rooms full of historical items that deserved to be properly honored, preserved, and displayed.

It's not just the school's faculty keeping its history alive; students and alumni are just as responsible.

It shaped the life of legacy graduate Alisha Rosser and brought her back as a teacher.

Her son now attends Washington.

"The path for teaching was not something that I chose. It was chosen for me," Rosser said. "I wanted to come here so we can continue to build on a legacy in the backs of those that came before us."

Several students told CBS News Atlanta they are not just learning from history, they are immersed in it.

"You are what you see," said junior Belle Williams, "If you are in an environment where everyone is held to the same standard of excellence, you will fall into the same standard of excellence."

That excellence is built into generations and continues to live on.