In an effort to cut costs in Mississippi, Gov. Haley Barbour suggested merging the state’s three historically Black institutions. Let me tell you what is wrong with this recommendation.
First, Barbour makes the false assumption that Black colleges are all alike and lack diversity. Recommending that the urban Jackson State merge with rural Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State is uninformed. These institutions have different missions and serve different student populations. Barbour fails to understand the logistics of trying to manage one larger institution split up by miles of highways.
Second, why merge all the black institutions and not consider merging all the white institutions as well? I realize Barbour also proposed merging the Mississippi University for Women with Mississippi State, but what about the state’s other White institutions – Ole Miss or Delta State, for example? They’re both predominantly and historically White so they must all be alike – right? They must serve the same constituency – right?
Third, what happened to that little old legal battle called Fordice. Here you have a historic case whose settlement promised resources to the historically Black institutions in the state. Why? Because for decades these institutions were the victims of immense racism and stalwart segregation. The Fordice settlement was aimed at bolstering Black colleges and making them stronger so they could provide an education all students. Have we forgotten about the past? One need only look at the state’s treatment of Jackson State and its students during the civil rights era or the arguments by the state in the Fordice case for evidence of uneven treatment.
