The Importance of HBCUs: Then and Now
As we recognize and celebrate Black history throughout the month of February, it is important to recognize the rich history and impact of historically Black colleges and universities, commonly referred to as HBCUs. These institutions were established in the United States in the early 19th Century to provide educational opportunities to freed Black Americans, who faced discrimination in the attempt of pursing higher education. They have produced some of the most famous Black figures in history, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Kamala Harris, Toni Morrison, Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, and Chadwick Boseman. There are currently 104 HBCUs open and operating in the United States, according to The Hundred-Seven. I spoke with four HBCU students and graduates, who told me about their HBCU experience and how it has shaped them. Read about them below!
Aniyah Daley- Spelman College
Graduation Year: 2024 (NRHS Class of 2020)
Area of Study: I’m currently studying philosophy at Spelman College with a writing minor. My specific sector of research in philosophy is currently Black feminism.
Why did you choose your HBCU?
I think this is such a huge question specifically for people who attend HBCUs. My choice to attend my HBCU is slightly different from a non-Black person’s choice to go to a PWI [Predominantly white institution]. Spelman is a namesake, and we cannot deny that. There are elite schools in the PWI world. However, for Black women, a degree from Spelman College, the number one HBCU in the country for fifteen consecutive years, guarantees that you have received the top of the top education that a Black woman can receive. Spelman spends your entire first year teaching you about your history, not only as a Black person, but as a Black woman. Our literature is designed so that we can learn about Black women from Black women. Other than academically, Spelman is a place where my Blackness does not have to be my defining characteristic. As a Black woman in non Black spaces, I tend to identify with other Black people or women of color simply because they are Black or POC because we can relate to feeling out of place in a white space. At Spelman, everyone is Black and everyone is a woman. Thus, I’m not Aniyah the Black girl, I’m Aniyah the philosophy major, Aniyah the writer, Aniyah the girl who posts mirror selfies on her Instagram. My identity at Spelman College goes so much deeper than my skin color and my gender, and that is why I wanted to come here, and why I choose to stay here everyday.
How has your time at your HBCU impacted or shaped you?
The HBCU experience is unlike any other. A lot of people talk about the HBCU experience as just being surrounded by Black people and going to Black parties and Greeks and strolling and what have you, but it is so much deeper than that. I mentioned this earlier, but my HBCU gave me my identity. Spelman has changed the way I think, and the way I approach life. I can not speak on any other HBCU because I have not had those experiences, however Spelman uplifts me, challenges me and supports me. Through Spelman I have the opportunity to make connections that I wouldn’t get to make anywhere else (my professor is literally friends with Angela Davis). The professors at this college learn how to teach Black women, and care about them, not just lecture us blindly. Overall, Spelman has really just connected me to my culture, and myself in ways that I know for a fact could not happen outside of this school. Many people are skeptical about the impact that an HBCU can have on you, but Spelman College has completely and utterly transformed my life for the better.
If you are still at your HBCU, what are your future plans? If you’ve graduated, what have you done/what are you doing now?
After Spelman I am going to get my Ph.D. in Philosophy so that I can become a professor, teach and continue my research.
Amani Boyce (Hampton University)
Graduation Date: 2021
Degree Received: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Why did you choose your HBCU?
I chose Hampton because it felt like home. I visited plenty of campuses and none of them felt like home. I knew I always wanted to go to an HBCU and going to school on a place that was formerly a plantation felt like I was making my ancestors proud.
How has your time at your HBCU impacted or shaped you?
I feel pride when I say I’m a product of Hampton University. I have a Hampton family forever. My professors cared about me and I wasn’t just another number. I was pushed to my full potential. I was able to grow and develop into the person I am today because of Hampton. Hampton was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
If you are still at your HBCU, what are your future plans? If you’ve graduated, what have you done/what are you doing now?
I’m now at George Washington University pursuing my MA in Media and Strategic Communications. I’m also a fellow at Clyde Group (a public relations firm) in DC.
Leslie Swain- Morgan State University
Graduation Date: 1998
Degree Received: Major in Telecommunications with Public Relations concentration, JD obtained 11 years later at St. John’s University
Why did you choose your HBCU?
I went to a predominantly white high school in New York but for some odd reason, roughly twelve of the Black students who graduated the year before I did went to Morgan State. On top of that, several students from my elementary school had also gone there, but I wasn’t aware of any of this until I went there for a college tour. I saw SO many students that I knew, and they all gave me such positive insight about their experiences. It really just felt like I belonged there. Bonus—I was granted a full academic scholarship including room and board, and books. So it was a no brainer.
How has your time at your HBCU impacted or shaped you?
I still refer to my time in college as the best four years of my life. I learned so much about myself, and relished the opportunity to forget about code-switching and just be myself all the time. I formed lifelong friendships and developed a level of confidence that I doubt I would have found at a PWI.
If you are still at your HBCU, what are your future plans? If you’ve graduated, what have you done/what are you doing now?
I’m an attorney who focuses on data privacy and insurance products.
LaVone Hazell- Howard University
Graduation Date: 1964
Degree Received: Bachelor of Science in Psychology with minor in Allied Sciences
Why did you choose your HBCU?
The basic reason, and I realized this when I graduated, was that I wanted to be taught by people who looked just like me. And I respected and really loved my professors, they were geniuses, and they did not give you any breaks… you had to work for everything. The school in California [Pacific Union College, which she transferred from] really did not satisfy my needs as a student or as an individual. I mean, they only had eleven Black people on the whole campus… the whole school, teachers included. I left [Pacific Union], and then I realized that that was what I needed, and I felt not just a comfort level, but it just made me feel as if I knew I was going someplace with people who had the intellect that I wanted.
How has your time at your HBCU impacted or shaped you?
My professors had a very positive influence on me, and I think that’s one of the reasons why I took an Education course- just to impart knowledge to other Black students. Most of my teachers prior to that were not Black, and I think that makes a world of difference, having someone that looks like you and comes from a background like yours. And my professors were very brilliant, and they were doing good things in society.
If you are still at your HBCU, what are your future plans? If you’ve graduated, what have you done/what are you doing now?
After graduating from Howard, I went to Fordham University and got my Masters in Education and certification in Family Therapy. From there, I started my Doctorate in Education at Fordham, and then I decided that I wanted to do my lifelong love, which was funeral directing. So I dropped everything and found out how to be a funeral director, and that’s what I did and never regretted that. I went to the American Academy McAllister Institute and got my diploma in Funeral Service. That’s the love of all my professions, the one I love the most. I’ve now retired, however, if someone has an emergency or if they need a couple of people trained, I may come in and do a weekend training for them… Also, if a funeral director needs me to sign a body into the cemetery or sign a body out of the hospital, or do [a body’s] hair or something like that, I can rise to the occasion if I need to, and that I will always appreciate Howard for.
As these four students and graduates emphasized, HBCUs have greatly transformed the lives of many Black students for the better. According to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), even though HBCUs only make up three percent of US colleges and universities, they enroll ten percent of all African American students and produce almost 20 percent of all African American college graduates. UNCF also reports that 25 percent of African American graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) come from HBCUs. HBCUs have also historically produced 50 percent of Black teachers and doctors, and 80 percent of Black judges, according to the American Association of University Professors.
Unfortunately, HBCUs have dealt with many challenges, one of them being financial hardship. Most HBCUs have relatively small endowments compared to PWIs. According to The Brookings Institution, in 2020, the endowments of the ten largest HBCUs combined added to two billion dollars, while the endowments of the top ten PWIs added to 200 billion dollars. Underfunding has always been a great obstacle, and The American Council on Education found that public HBCUs rely more heavily on federal, state and local funding than their non-HBCU counterparts, as it makes up 54 percent of their overall revenue compared to 38 percent, respectively. The Council also found that private HBCUs saw a 42 percent decrease in federal funding between 2003 and 2015.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which forced schools across the country to switch to a virtual setting, has only intensified these challenges, depriving schools of money paid for tuition and room and board fees. Even though HBCUs are generally less expensive than other institutions, a Wall Street Journal analysis found that HBCU students have disproportionately higher student loan rates and graduate with more debt. This is because HBCU students come from households that, on average, earn less than the median white family income, according to the American Association of University Professors. This has manifested itself in relatively low graduation and retention rates, among other obstacles. After the shocking murder of George Floyd and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, many major companies and philanthropists donated large amounts of money to HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions. MacKenzie Scott, one of the world’s richest women, is reported to have donated 560 million dollars to 23 HBCUs.
Even more worrying to some is the threat of violence. Throughout the first two months of 2022, more than a dozen HBCUs have received bomb threats, some receiving more than one threat on different days. On February 1st, the first day of Black History Month, one round of threats targeted at least 14 HBCUs. Given that HBCUs were established with the intention of providing a comfortable space for Black students to thrive, these threats have raised questions about the safety of Black students.
Despite challenges, it is clear that HBCUs are a meaningful component of Black history and life today, and it is important that Black students can safely and affordably access an education in a vibrant community of people like themselves.