With the 2024 election fresh on our minds, it is fair to say that Vice President Kamala Harris, a graduate of Howard University and outspoken advocate of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), brought renewed attention to HBCUs during both her time in office and the presidential campaign. VP Harris even chose to give her concession speech on the campus of her alma mater.
It was over 180 years ago that HBCUs were founded, at a time when Black Americans had little to no access to higher education. Still today, they are central to the education and empowerment of Black Americans—offering more than just a degree but also a legacy of opportunity and possibility.
Dr. Patricia Green-Powell
An early example of opportunity and possibility comes from one of the first college-educated Black men, Dr. James Monroe Gregory, who worked with the notable abolitionist, writer, orator and self-educated Frederick Douglass to push for social change. Together, the legacies of these two Black men reflected a blend of education and personal talent, respectively, which they combined their abilities to effectively advocate with the alliance of prominent Washington politicians and sympathizers.
This one example speaks volumes of what education can do for an individual—confidence, strategic thinking, a job, money, power, and respect. From the time the first institution, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, was founded in 1837 to the numerous schools that followed, HBCUs have created spaces for Black intellectualism, creativity, and leadership.
They have generated leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, groundbreaking artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and activists who shaped the Black experience and the fabric of American society. The significance of HBCUs is still relevant today because many undergraduates are first-generation college students, and these institutions are imperative in providing a safe space for students of color to learn, explore their identities, develop their passions, and become leaders by their own achievements.
Despite evidence of this rich history and cultural significance, HBCUs have often been sidelined in mainstream discussions about higher education. Today, they make up just 3% of the nation’s colleges and universities but enroll nearly 10% of all Black students, producing over 20% of all Black graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, along with nearly 25% of Black graduates who earn doctorates.
