HBCUs: Pillars of black empowerment
Education has become an increasingly discussed topic as President Donald Trump, during his terms, has implemented significant changes to secondary and higher learning institutions. From his 2016 campaign advocating the end of Affirmative Action to his current policies regarding the Department of Education and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), many are questioning the future role of education and higher learning. This issue is particularly pressing for America’s Black community, which has historically been reminded that education is not a right but a privilege that must be fought for. As conservative policymakers continue to advocate for a reality reminiscent of the America our grandparents experienced, many Black students of Generation Z have begun to seek comfort within their community—showing increased interest in applying to, attending, and investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) rather than traditional predominantly white institutions.
This choice is not made lightly. Many students choosing HBCUs are aware of the persistence of racial prejudice that questions the quality and validity of an education received from these ‘non-traditional’ institutions but are choosing them unapologetically. The history of HBCUs is undeniably powerful. Following the Civil War and during the 19th-century era of Reconstruction, HBCUs began to establish and develop themselves throughout much of the South. Their necessity grew as traditional institutions shut their doors on Black Americans seeking opportunities for advancement. Whether through the aid of the Freedmen’s Bureau, federal land grants, religious organizations, or even white philanthropic groups, these schools became spaces for freed or emancipated African Americans to engage with academic or vocational education at all levels.
The conversation regarding the role of HBCUs has historically been a debate. No two individuals represent the two present arguments like Booker T. Washington and Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois. Booker T. Washington, an affluent educator and orator, believed so heavily in the role of vocational education for emancipated African Americans that he founded and was the first president of HBCU Tuskegee University. His vision for the school primarily involved hands-on training, allowing the Black community to do what they knew best and achieve economic success by filling occupational positions left behind by emancipation.
In contrast, and in many ways openly advocating against Booker T. Washington’s ideas, was Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois, a co-founder of the NAACP and a sociologist with an undergraduate degree from the HBCU Fisk University and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Upon his return to the South, Dr. Du Bois articulated during his professional career as a professor at HBCU Clark Atlanta University, in his publication The Souls of Black Folk, his idea that social mobility for the Black community could primarily be attained through an elite group of dedicated Black Americans willing to devote their talents to higher education in fields like law and healthcare. Although later he amended his ideas about the “Talented Tenth,” the question today remains—what can and should education do for Black Americans?
Arguably, the first role of HBCUs should be to continue to cultivate safe havens to embrace their heritage and culture around peers who share a similar desire to grow and develop unapologetically in one’s Blackness. The culture at HBCUs not only reflects the larger culture of the African American community but celebrates the whole of the diaspora in every aspect, from inside the classroom to out on the yard. HBCU culture today is defined not only by its intelligent and ambitious student body who represent the change-makers of the past, present, and future, but by the culture of care it curates and the emphasis on compassion, community service, and leadership it instills in its students.
As the wealth gap widens and individualism becomes increasingly pronounced in the American subconscious, HBCUs must remain epicenters of collectivism. Social justice in all fields must remain the priority for the institutions and students alike. While some HBCUs are currently fighting for survival against economic disenfranchisement and systemic neglect, it’s important that the plot remains strong and steadfast. Our ancestors attended these institutions for opportunity and equity. We must remember that the rise of consumerism and capitalist social norms allows individuals to easily subscribe to models that do harm to our own community. We must fight our internal biases when discussing HBCUs. Rhetoric regarding the value of HBCUs, for example, that aren’t as “acclaimed” or selective, places us in a perpetual trap antithetical to our mission. If we fail to challenge ourselves, our biases, and our apathy, we become an answer to the questions of those who seek to do harm against all we have and will continue to fight for.