The History Channel recently aired the remake of the 1977 epic classic, Roots, a series documenting the resilient story of Kunta Kinte and his family from slavery to freedom. The irony in Roots is the continuous “uprooting” of the family experiences; this, too, has semblance to the challenges HBCUs encounter.
Roots is symbolic narrative in its reverence, depicting a family attempting to hold on to its “roots,” to its cultural connections and survival in the midst of one of the most violent periods for African-Americans in the United States. Slavery transformed into peonage and provided free labor to White elites with Black dispensable bodies building and laboring in institutions such as Duke University, Georgetown University and others.
The sons and daughters of former slaves entered the back door while the sons of plantation owners and the elite walked through the front door. Slavery ended in 1865 but numerous families and institutions continued to reap benefits from its profits.
The narrative of historically Black colleges and universities has roots in a history of social and racial injustice in the United States.
Designed to educate freed slaves, training focused on industrial and agriculture trades. Religious groups, White philanthropists, and, at a smaller level, business owners (e.g., Mary McLeod Bethune) funded HBCUs. HBCUs saturated Southern states, offering social mobility for African-Americans — unable to integrate Southern elite universities until the 1950s.
To date, North Carolina has the second-largest number of HBCUs and it is here SB 873 gained momentum and debate. Controversy ensued against a proposed tuition decrease and cap and name change across five universities; three were HBCUs (Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University and Winston-Salem State University). The momentum died down a bit and the three HBCUs removed from the bill; however, the debate continues.
HBCUs confront a narrative that questions whether public dollars should continue to support them. I am sure we will see similar legislation in the future; we exist in a “postracial” society where too many liberals and conservatives question the relevance of HBCUs let alone advocate for their funding.
