U.S (NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE) : Fully Fund HBCUs !

 

 

 

Friend,    Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been underfunded by $13 billion over the last 30 years according to a just released analysis. Now, the Biden administration is taking action and they need our help. The Secretaries of Agriculture and Education have a letter to governors nationwide demanding they rectify these inequities in state funding for HBCUs. Will you back them up by becoming a grassroots co-signer on the Biden administration's letter to Governors now? TAKE ACTION Let me get into the specifics. HBCUs are land grant institutions, created by the Second Morrill Act of 1890, when states had a choice of enrolling Black students in their (predominantly white) land grant colleges established in 1862, or creating new, separate colleges for Black students, known as the “1890 universities.”   The law required that, if states chose to open new colleges for Black students, the 1862 and 1890 universities must be funded equitably. Now, a federal analysis of state spending per student has revealed that, from 1987 to 2020, 16 of the nation’s 19 HBCUs were underfunded by a total of $13 billion. Only the states of Ohio and Delaware were found to have provided equitable funding to their HBCU land grant institutions. The funding gaps in other states ranged from $172 million to $2.14 billion over this 33 year period. Matching funds is good for students, faculty, and state and local economies. Back up the Biden administration demand for action by showing your grassroots support for equitable funding for historically Black colleges now! The specific actions recommended by the Secretaries of Agriculture and Education vary from state to state, but the departments aren’t just making demands. They’ve offered to conduct workshops on the data in each state and help devise solutions. Their goal is to go beyond one-to-one matching of state to federal dollars, to consider matching at rates of two-to-one or greater to make up for this historically devastating inequity. They also note that in some states, students and alumni have formed coalitions and filed lawsuits against the states, seeking the legally required parity. Formalizing plans to address the funding deficits, they note, can help the states avoid this costly litigation. The bottom line is the increased funding will support critical infrastructure, student services, and competitiveness for research grants -- and finally begin to right decades of inequity. This is our chance to back up these efforts and help to make it actually happens. Support the Biden administration's demands by taking action now. The impact will be deep and long-lasting for students, faculty, and local economies. Thank you for helping bring the historically Black colleges and universities levels of support intended as long ago as their founding in 1890. LeeAnn Hall Director, National Campaign for Justice SUPPORT OUR WORK

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