mercredi 10 novembre 2021

U.S : Lawmakers must invest in Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

 

 

 

Friend, while growing up in the 90s, I had the opportunity to watch shows like the Cosby Show, A Different World, and Martin, which each showed both the beauty, and the necessity, of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to the black experience. 
 

As a kid, I desired to be a part of that rich legacy and dreamed of one day walking through those hallowed halls. My dream eventually came true when I graduated from THE Fort Valley State University (FVSU). Founded in 1895, shortly after slavery, FVSU is one of the few colleges that were founded by former slaves. The founders believed that even though the chains of physical slavery were lifted, only through education could the mental chains be broken. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There are currently over 100 HBCUs across the country. HBCUs have long been colleges that trained and equipped Black scholars, when predominantly white colleges wouldn’t accept them. More than 300,000 students attend HBCUs each year, 80% of them Black. One example of the extraordinary legacy of HBCUs is, although Blacks only make up 4% of all physicians, 80% of Black doctors and dentists graduate from one of two of the country’s oldest HBCUs. 
 

President Joe Biden assured Black colleges that his ambitious agenda for their schools would be included in his Build Back Better Plan. The Biden administration proposed a total of $45 billion for HBCUs to upgrade research infrastructure and bolster STEM education. And as with any legislation that is a priority for Black people, House Democrats, however, are only proposing $2 billion in grant funding that would force HBCUs to compete with better funded universities. 
 

For decades, the United States government denied funding to build research facilities and conduct projects that predominantly white institutions were afforded. Because of a lack of access to capital and small endowments, many HBCUs have failed to close the inequities that still exist on many campuses. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Yours in the struggle,
 
 
 
 

Marquese Averett, Daily Kos.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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