This historiographic essay urges a reappraisal of the revisionist view of philanthropy and African-American higher education in the nineteenth century as hegemonic by adopting agency as a theoretical framework to excavate the institutional histories and other primary sources on the northern black colleges--specifically Wilberforce University--for examples of active fundraising and benevolent giving by African Americans themselves. It concludes by offering lessons from history for advancement practitioners at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). (Contains 3 notes.)