#64 What are HBCUs?

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Your faithful writer,
Dr. Daniel Smith

ART OF THE DAY

What are HBCUs?

Today’s newsletter covers a topic with a rich history in the U.S.: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

HBCUs are defined as institutions of higher education for African-Americans that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Before the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, African-Americans were largely barred from attending America’s private and public universities.

While America’s universities have been integrated since then, HBCUs have continued to serve as key hubs for African-American education and culture in the 21st century.

HBCUs have played a major role in the history of American education over the past 150 years, providing African-Americans with access to higher education during a period of systemic anti-Black racism in America.

Key facts about HBCUS:

• Of the 4,298 federally-recognized institutions of higher education in the U.S., 101 of them are HBCUs

• 89% of HBCUs are in the southern U.S.

• Over 100,000 students are enrolled in HBCUs across the U.S. today

• 52% of HBCU graduates are first-generation college students, meaning that they're the first members of their family to attend university

A list of prominent HBCU grads includes:

• Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice

• Martin Luther King Jr.

• Vice President Kamala Harris

• Filmmaker Spike Lee

The History of HBCUs

Most HBCUs were established between 1865-1900.

A large number of HBCUs were created in 1867, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation officially ended slavery in the United States.

Many of these institutions were created with the help of the Freedmen’s Bureau, a federal agency that existed between 1865 and 1872 to help newly-freed slaves acclimate to life after slavery.

The first HBCU, the Institute for Colored Youth in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, was established in 1837 by Quaker philanthropist Richard Humphreys.

Humphreys wanted to to create a school where formerly enslaved African-Americans could learn the reading, writing, and math skills needed to navigate the world as free individuals.

HBCUs after the Civil Rights Movement

After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and associated legislation ended Jim Crow-era segregation policies, African-Americans could finally attend predominantly white institutions (PWIs).

As a result, the percentage of African-American college graduates who studied at HBCUs has declined in recent decades.

In 1976, HBCUs awarded 35% of bachelor's degrees granted to black students.

By 2015, that percentage had fallen to 14%.

Promoting Black Excellence

Studies have shown that African-American medical students who attend HBCUs report having a greater sense of belonging and confidence in their own abilities than African-American medical students who attend predominantly white medical schools.

And HBCU graduates make up a significant percentage of African-American professionals in the U.S., with HBCUs producing:

• 50% of Black public school teachers

• 80% of Black judges

• 40% percent of all Black engineers

• 70% percent of all Black doctors and dentists

• 12.5% of U.S. CEOs

The Future of HBCUs

At a time when college enrollment is dropping across the U.S., the future of HBCUs looks surprisingly bright.

More students are applying to HBCUs than before 2019, with some schools seeing application numbers jump by nearly 30%.

Khala Granville, director of undergraduate admissions and recruitment at Morgan State University in Baltimore, explained:

The Biden Administration re-launched a White House Initiative on HBCUs with a plan to:

That plan has come with over $7B in funding for HBCUs, helping to ensure that these historical institutions will continue to play the vital role in America’s democracy that they have for over 150 years.

Thank you for reading. Please reply to this email if you have any thoughts or feedback.

Yours,
Dan