Black Colleges And Universities ( Hbcus ) Essay

Thesis: HBCU’s are necessary for the future of democratic America because they better prepare African American students as individuals and for the workforce.

“The Black Studies Program: Strategy and Structure” was published Fall of 1972 in The Jounal of Negro Education. It’s contents are a relection on the years before when colleges and universitys were allowing African Americans to attend , but did not provide curriculum about or for African Americans.

For almost two hundred years, Historically Black Colleges and Universities or HBCUs have played a pivotal role in the education of African-American people, and negro people internationally. These schools have provided the majority of black college graduates at the Graduate and Post-Graduate level; schools such as Hampton University, Morehouse University, Spellman University and Howard University are four universities at the forefront of the advanced education of blacks. For sometime there has been a discussion on whether or not these institutes should remain in existence or if they are just another form of racism. There were also concerning the quality of education provided at these institutions. In my opinion, from the evidence provided

The new generation of upcoming college scholars have been appearing to have a lot of debate over the criteria of an HBCU not being corresponding to a PWI. It is time to understand and be able to get involved with the debate about Historically Black College/University (HBCU) versus Predominantly White Institution (PWI). To proceed it is best to start with the definition of these terms because everyone needs to have knowledge when it comes to this subject. This subject also needs to be more than just a debate between students attending HBCUs and African Americans at PWIs. Quite shockingly, there are many out there that do not know what an HBCU is and if they do they think of these “black schools” as a form of racism. When it boils down to HBCU’s

This debate has led many scholars to question: Are HBCUs still relevant, and are they the best institutions to train our next generation of leaders?

The second Morrill Land-Grant Act specified that states using federal higher education funds must provide an education to Black students, either by opening the doors of their public universities to those of African descent, or by establishing schools specifically to serve them. Integration for white public and private institutions was completely out of the question due to the substantial racial divide within the United States so, many Southern states created a completely separate set of institutions serving Blacks. Thus were born many public and private Black colleges.

While attending a Virginia Union University, I am able to further my education while gaining a better understanding of my history. HBCU’s emerged at the conclusion of the Civil War. The constant debate on the importance of educating African Americans was at its peak. Whether it was industrial or liberal education, former slaves knew that it was a vital skill to obtain. Although the government passed the Morrill Act in 1862, providing each state with a facility for higher learning, African Americans were not able to attend these white facilities. It was

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), there are 101 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 defines HBCUs as “…any historically Black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation” (US Department of Education, 2017). It is important to note that unlike other Minority Serving Institutions, HBCUs, are only one of two types of institutions (Tribal Colleges & Universities or TCUs are the other) federally designated by law and therefore, cannot increase in number with an act of Congress (Li, 2007). In other words, every time an HBCU closes its doors, we get one step closer to the elimination of the historical and consequential institutions.

look around, and once again I'm in the minority'" (as quoted in Mangan, 2015). Students who attend HBCUs do so with the impression that they will be surrounded by a grand majority of black students, professors, culture and history. Most HBCU students do not enter their first day of college expecting to see a significant amount of racial diversity on campus, however, due to shifts in HBCUs, a significant amount of racial diversity is exactly what they encounter. This causes HBCUs to lose their identity of being historically black. For example, a student at Delaware State University states "I don't really think of Del State as a historically black college, even though it is, because it's so diverse" (as quoted in Madeline, 2015). This is a great

It is getting old hearing about what historically black colleges do wrong. Continuously hearing about what historically black colleges cannot do and what predominantly white institutions can. Hearing the phrase “HBCU” only to be followed by a negative comment. Mainly black colleges are needed for African Americans who were unaccepted for their race or undereducated about their history, but with such an adverse light on historically black colleges, it makes you think. Why are HBCU’s so necessary to save for survival and for the future?

Two people stand in a room looking at a vibrant painting and receive a totally different image. This is something we all realize can happen. It is our different perspectives that make us valuable too each other. When trying to solve a problem or create a new idea, we need each other to bring forth considerations and concepts that would never occur otherwise. This concept is something most of us grasp in theory, yet it never ceases to confound and confuse us if someone draws a conclusion tangent from ours when presented with the same information. This situation lies at the heart of the argument over affirmative action. Policies that are viewed by some as righting past wrongs are viewed by

For blacks, the history of higher education typically points to segregated education. Before the Civil War, the social system promoted the belief that blacks wouldn’t get return on their time spent in higher education. Brown and Ricard (2007) noted that most North institutions were reluctant to allow black enrollment in colleges and universities, and in the South, where slaveholder’s were still powerhouse businessmen, slaves would never be allowed to become more educated than their owners. The reluctance of the White leaders to allow blacks to formally be accepted into higher education programs held blacks back from achieving what many aspired to, and were fully capable of, experience.

Historically black colleges and universities, otherwise known as HBCUs, have played an integral role in advancing the education of underprivileged black teenagers since their inception after the American Civil War. They have had students extremely well known in their fields today, such as billionaire entertainer Oprah Winfrey, the first African American Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. Though their graduation rates tend to be around 1 in 3, they have produced a majority of successful African American professionals. For the continued advancement of African Americans, HBCUs are necessary for offering educational opportunities that their students had been historically denied and presently out of financial reach, while promoting strong family values and equality that may be lacking at traditional schools and displaying positive African American role models in their alumni and staff.

Education has always been valued in the African American community. During slavery freed slaves and those held captive, organized to educate themselves. After emancipation the value of education became even more important to ex-slaves, as it was their emblem of freedom and a means to full participation in American Society (Newby & Tyack, 1971). During this time many schools for African Americans were both founded and maintained by African Americans. African Americans continued to provide education throughout their own communities well into the 1930’s (Green, McIntosh, Cook-Morales, & Robinson-Zanartu, 2005). The atmosphere of these schools resembled a family. The

It was not until during the Civil War that Vincent Colyer, army chaplain, established the first school for freed people on July 23, 1863. Furthermore, in 1896 the United States’ Supreme Court established the “separate but equal” doctrine regarding the education between blacks and whites. This consisted of three main principles. The first stipulated that as long as the state provided education for whites, it must for blacks as well. The second stated that the treatment of black students must be the same as that of the white students. The third demanded that the educational building centers of the whites and blacks must be in the exact same quality. These requirements seem to be an automatic necessity now, yet then it was not. The educational system has changed so much, along with society