C O M M E N TA RY
LEVELING UP HBCUS MUST RECLAIM POSITION AS INTELLECTUALS AND ORIGINAL TEACHERS OF THE WORLD. BY PAMELA KEYE, PH.D.
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he levels of social unrest due to the continued exploitation and mistreatment of melanated people have agitated a height of consciousness reminding us that the goals of the Civil Rights Movement have not been reached. In response to the collective consciousness of “Black Lives Matter,” there has been a worldwide outcry to address hundreds of years of torment targeting people because of their skin tone. The causes and effects of racism as a disease created a social pathology at odds with equal opportunity in America. While democracy suggests politically that this should not occur, the reality of capitalism ensures that the continued denial of access to quality education and economic mobility is an injustice that Historical Black Colleges and Universities, (HBCUs), sought to address at their inception. The birth of HBCUs was a response to the use of skin tone discrimination to block access to education for African Americans. In Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965, Congress officially defined an HBCU as “a school of higher learning that was accredited and established before 1964, and whose principal mission was the education of African Americans.” The four schools that formed the foundation for the continued existence of today's HBCUs are: • 1837 – Cheyney University, the nation’s first and oldest HBCU—established in Pennsylvania. • 1854 – Lincoln University, the first degree-granting HBCU—established in Pennsylvania. • 1865 – Wilberforce, the first Black-owned and operated HBCU—established in Ohio. • 1865 – Shaw University, the first HBCU in the south—established in North Carolina. The establishment of two HBCUs was noteworthy before the American Civil War (186165). The Cheyney University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1837 and Lincoln University, was founded in 1854. I am connected to both institutions. I currently serve at Cheyney as a senior advisor to the president, and as director for Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Responsi12 ONYX MAGAZINE
bility, including the development of an applied research center, called the Institute for the Contemporary African American Experience. I attended Lincoln as an undergraduate student and recently provided leadership to the School of Adult and Continuing Education. Ironically, both schools have gone through tumultuous periods over the last decades, where the continued existence of Cheyney as an HBCU came under fire. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, there are 101 HBCUs located in 19 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virginia Islands. Of the 101, 52 are public institutions and 49 are private. At one point, there were 107 HBCUs. What happened? Suppose today’s 101 HBCUs’ survival is not a given. In that case, they must be committed to examining why current levels of performance as pathology have become so entrenched, often providing less than stellar outcomes. The current climate elevates the need to modernize and capitalize on the resurgence of interest in the atrocities plaguing communities of poverty. The role of HBCUs as the great equalizer and economic social mobilizer must be our competitive advantage based on excellence. How are we going to save ourselves from ourselves to continue to enlighten, equip, and empower the minds of the marginalized and disenfranchised, and not just those minoritized to assist with healing all of humankind? We must remember and reclaim our position as intellectuals and original teachers of the world. The first universities in the world were created in Africa as the center for learning. The University of Al Quaraouiyine is the oldest existing, continually operating degree-awarding educational institution in the world according to the United Nations Education SCO and the Guinness book of World Records, founded in 859. It was founded by a woman, Fatim bint Muhammd in Fez, and is located in Fex, Morroco a North African country south of Europe. The centers of learning in Alexandria, located in Egypt taught the Greeks and Romans, who have been celebrated as thought leaders of Western civilization.
Famous dedication statue to Booker T. Washington named Lifting the Veil located on the campus of Tuskegee Institute.
In truth, they were educated by Africans and they plagiarized ideas and stole the knowledge as their own, much of which is preserved in the Vatican’s library. Leveling up means striving to garner the same respect that Harvard University holds internationally. Harvard University was founded on September 8, 1636, and is considered to be the higher education standard in academia. Their alumni assume positions of power in government, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses worldwide. Faculty often are sought after as thought leaders in every field you can imagine. Harvard harnesses intellectual prowess incubators for innovation. Their work and a well-organized network of faculty, staff, and students serve as ambassadors of the brand and reverberate the messages of what makes Harvard “Harvard.” Strategically through substantive performance metrics of quality and student success, they are to tell their story. However, even Harvard has recognized that it must also level up by intentionally becoming more diverse and inclusive. They have committed $100 million to study the role of slavery
