Black History Month has recently been on a blaze this year, with people from all over the nation celebrating the feats of past and present African-American figures, as well as spreading impactful awareness about the racial violence that has ravaged across America. It is truly amazing to observe people of all identities congregate as one around these crucial topics. Furthermore, as a college student, it makes me wonder whether the efforts of many universities here in the U.S. are enough, not only for Black History Month, but for Black students in general, and whether they are doing the right thing.
Let’s begin with a few examples. In Birmingham, Alabama, whose population is predominantly Black, Miles College cleared over $2.1 million in students’ outstanding balances during 2021. They also allocated $1.6M in emergency grant aid to provide additional resources to students as they continue to navigate life during the pandemic. “During this time, students have faced many challenges, both academically and personally, yet they have continued to endure and pursue their higher education goals,” stated Bobbie Knight, the president of Miles College. “As we begin the 2021-2022 school year, we look forward to supporting the success of our students.”
In Lawson State Community College, which is also located in Birmingham, $3.9 million worth of funds were provided to eligible students during the fall 2021 semester.
Lastly, Jefferson State Community College provided emergency grants to students enrolled in fall of 2021, along with other forms of financial aid.
As you can probably tell from these examples, the previous three colleges have provided ample financial aid to students who live in a predominantly Black city. However, you might be wondering, “What about those universities whose populations are not predominantly Black? Would black students still be supported the same way?”
To start off, various organizations and colleges have already been offering a variety of scholarships for Black and African American students, all of which are listed here.
However, the offering of financial aid to Black and African-American students does not exactly prove that a university is 100% free of racial discrimination. While discriminatory incidents may not be officially reported, there are probably many incidents that happen on campus that students, staff, and/or faculty members may not report to the police for various reasons. One of these reasons could be that one could be under the threat of the perpetrator if they do decide to report the incident. Another could be that the witness does not care enough about the incident, or they may not see it as an incident in the first place.
On the other hand, an incident may be reported and informed to the entire university. Of course, it is a good thing that the community is informed that racial discrimination is happening within the university and that the administration may be addressing how to mitigate it. However, whether or not a systemic change actually takes place within the university is left up to debate.
The truth is that racial violence has never been a new concept for America, nor has it ever reached the point where it is completely eliminated. Every now and then, we would receive a series of news articles and reports about a new incident of racial violence. People from across the country would speak up about it, and it would be a topic of discussion all over the Internet. However, the extent to which these voices are actually heard and accounted for in action by everyone is something that is also left up for debate.
Violence is not the only form of racism that occurs within the U.S. It just so happens that this is what media coverage would more easily present to society. In sociology, there is this term coined “systemic”, or “institutional” racism, which is defined by Race Forward as discrimination against communities of color on aspects such as “Wealth Gap, Employment, Housing Discrimination, Government Surveillance, Incarceration, Drug Arrests, Immigration Arrests, Infant Mortality”. Taking this into consideration, many Black and African American college students may be dealing with issues other than finances, and today, it is seldom that universities provide them widespread support for these other issues, or at least try to find ways to reduce this institutional bias within the university.
Now, you may be asking, what can you and I do as college students? Or more importantly, what can universities do in order to better support the mission of helping Black and African American students thrive?
First things first: we need to start small. We each must first look at where we are, who we are with, and what we are doing in college. If I asked you the question, “Why did you go to college?” there is a high chance that part of your answer includes getting a decent job after you graduate.
However, what many students might leave out of their answers is getting the chance to educate themselves more about concepts such as social justice, white privilege, and racial bias and to grow from any mistakes they have made in the past regarding these topics. While it is true that this may not be the first thing that comes to mind when answering this question, it is important to recognize that becoming more aware and educated about racism is something that every college student should practice, regardless of what they are studying. With that being said, more universities should require students to take courses specifically on race and ethnic studies.
Even if your university does not require any classes on race and ethnicity, it never hurts to learn on your own. If you don’t know where to start, I would recommend reading some books from this list by the Harvard Gazette.
To wrap it all up, we will never know when racism will actually reach its end within every university. Just like they say, race is a social construct. It is a concept that will continue to be shaped by society, inviting numerous discussions on how this would affect the future. Finally, the significance of Black History Month is very important, and there are countless actions you can take as a college student to support it. Just like I mentioned before, all it takes is reflecting on yourself and those around you, and then you can go from there.