U.S. Representative Alma Adams of North Carolina
With the nation’s renewed attention on HBCUs given their record of lifting communities of color out of poverty and diversifying talent pipelines, particularly in STEM, the presidents argued that to support HBCU infrastructure is to support the country as a whole.
“I'm a former educator who has always extolled the virtues of a quality education. I know firsthand the importance of modernized facilities,” said U.S. Rep. Alma Adams D-N.C., who kicked off the panel as its honorary co-host.
A member of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is made up of most of the Black members of Congress, Adams opened by discussing the Ignite HBCU Excellence Act. That bipartisan infrastructure package for HBCUs was introduced in Congress this year.
“As we begin today and hear from these esteemed leaders in education and industry, let us continue to make the case that infrastructure improvements for our HBCUs will be the spark that ignites opportunity for our low-income, first-generation college students,” said Adams.
The session titled, “The HBCU Braintrust: Igniting Campus Infrastructure,” included a second half with corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion leaders discussing the private sector’s role in supporting HBCUs. Both panels were moderated by Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, a professor of political science and women, gender, and sexuality studies at Wake Forest University.
“Infrastructure includes things you see like buildings and roads. And things you don’t see. They all have a tremendous impact on academics,” said Dr. Larry Robinson, president of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, the only public HBCU in Florida. “The pandemic revealed a lot of what we do not see, especially information technology. It helped us realize the digital divide is alive and well.”
