NO WAYS TIRED & STILL STANDING… THE HBCU STORY ENDURES BY KYRA M. ROBINSON Adams v. Bennett (Adams v. Richardson). Geier v. Dunn. U.S. v. Fordice. When I wrote my master’s thesis-turned-book, No Ways Tired: The Public Historically Black College Dilemma, over two decades ago, these court cases were not unfamiliar to those in HBCU circles. During that time, quite a few public HBCUs were at the center of state-mandated integration lawsuits, grappling with states’ dismantling of dual systems of higher education and concerns about program duplication, trying to balance diversity and maintain HBCU heritage, and confronting other related matters. Back then, some HBCU higher education experts may have argued that state-mandated integration would be one of the most controversial issues facing HBCUs. A Long Way from Where HBCUs Started These matters have had a lasting impact, but time has proven that there is always something else – another giant that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) must wrestle and slay. Even though HBCUs have been beacons of hope and access for a people who have been historically denied these freedoms in the mainstream American higher education system, they continue to combat the age-old battle of proving their worth and fight daily to maintain their historical, educational, and cultural significance.
12 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue
Throughout HBCUs’ 183-year existence, there have always been external and internal forces threatening their survival. Today’s ever-changing political, economic and legal climate can either be a blessing -- or curse -- for HBCUs. There has been renewed interest in HBCUs, as displayed in the critically acclaimed documentary, Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities. Airing on PBS stations nationwide in February 2018, the film was the brainchild of award-winning director and filmmaker Stanley Nelson. Before its release, HBCUs were experiencing an uptick in enrollment for a myriad of reasons -- nuanced recruiting strategies, expert use of social media, lower tuition costs, and most notably, the shift in the country’s racial climate (as reported by PBS News Hour and other media outlets). Even so, HBCU enrollment numbers continue to fluctuate, with some years seeing lower growth than others. The last enrollment increases were in 2017, which HBCU Digest noted in February 2019. The Road Isn’t and Hasn’t Been Easy Nonetheless, challenges still exist for these beloved institutions. The COVID-19 global pandemic endangers the enrollment and financial stability of all higher education institutions, particularly HBCUs. Diverse Issues in Higher Education reports that
