The Yard - Shaw University

Shaw University was founded on December 1, 1865, in Raleigh, North Carolina, making it the oldest HBCU in the South. The Bears wear red and gold through a campus sitting in the heart of downtown Raleigh, and the list of firsts this school produced is longer than most institutions ever accumulate. First four-year medical school for Black students in the country. First law school for freed slaves in the United States. First school of pharmacy for Black students. First college building in the nation built for African American women. Shaw did not arrive quietly.

Shop the Shaw University collection at DungeonForward for hoodies, sweatshirts, and tees designed for Bears who carry the weight of what this school built. Every piece was created with DungeonForward's storytelling-driven approach to HBCU apparel. Students, alumni, and supporters of the South's oldest HBCU will find their fit here.

Shaw homecoming brings Bears back to downtown Raleigh in red and gold with the energy of a community that knows its history. The Homecoming Parade, the step show, the CIAA tradition, and Founder's Day all belong to the rhythm of Shaw's year. The campus sits in one of the fastest-growing cities in the South, and Shaw has been at the center of Raleigh long before the city became what it is today. This collection was built for those occasions and for every day when Bears want to wear their crown.

Founded in 1865, Shaw's legacy runs through the civil rights movement as directly as any school in America. In April 1960, Ella Baker organized a student meeting on this campus that gave birth to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. SNCC went on to lead voter registration drives, freedom rides, and grassroots organizing across the South that changed the country. Kamala Harris stood on Shaw's campus in 2020 and acknowledged what that ground means. Three founders of other North Carolina HBCUs are Shaw alumni. The Bears built more than a school. They helped build a movement.

DungeonForward is a Black-owned headwear and apparel brand rooted in art, storytelling, and HBCU culture. Every Shaw piece in this collection was designed to honor a university whose founding story and civil rights legacy demand to be worn with full knowledge of what they mean. A portion of every HBCU collection purchase supports HBCU scholarships. Crowns For The Culture means honoring the schools that were building something before the world was ready to recognize it.

Crown Yourself. Go Bears.