UNCF kicks off UNIT HBCU Summit

BY NOAH WASHINGTON

Monday, July 17 was the first day of the UNCF UNITE summit, celebrating the unity of “HBCUs” and “PBIs”. The conference launched with a reception focusing on Afrocentricity, which included kente clothes of different colors and patterns located on every attendee's chair. A rendition of the negro national anthem which was recited by Sydni Allen and called the entire room into attention. This was all building up to a live musical African drum performance leading into the introduction of the keynote speaker of the evening, former Spelman College President Dr. Johnetta Cole.

Atlanta is the home of Atlanta Universities and Colleges (AUC) and is colloquially considered to be the mecca of African-American culture in the United States of America.

"Atlanta is the black mecca and is often seen as a place for black achievement, black entrepreneurship, and political power. We forget that a lot of that has its roots in the Atlanta University Center here. We have had black colleges propelling Atlanta and the Black Community of the South. I'm glad we are here now at a time when HBCUs are experiencing a renaissance," Dr. Lomax told The Atlanta Voice.

The opening reception featured multiple speakers, such as Mr. Milton Jones, UNCF Board of Directors, and Dr. Michael Lomax, President of UNCF. During the evening, Dr. Lomax gave a declaration of intent regarding legal action towards the Supreme Courtin regard to the latest Affirmative Action decision. A talking point for each speaker throughout the night, either directly addressed or alluded to.

On June 29th, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States' ruling on affirmative action put an end to racial segmented admissions policies in higher education, up-ending 40 years of precedent in the United State educational system.

The 14th Amendment's equal protection clause, which was designed to address Black Americans' discrimination, was cited by the majority in a 6-3 decision to abolish the practice of race-conscious admissions.

"These are difficult times, and to have the Supreme Court, the highest court in our country, deliver an assault on my rights and the rights of all women has been very difficult. To have that followed by an assault on the ongoing struggle for diversity in American higher education is a deep blow. Yet, I know I can only spend so much time being outraged because then what I continue to have to do is be the activist that I have always have been corporate executives, Evans said that they “work with each of the teams, both in small cohort groups of five to eight and then one on one.”

“And so those individuals are really the ones who are helping the students understand how to apply that curriculum to their businesses,” said Evans.

What makes HBCUFI different is that it exclusively focuses on HBCU founders. According to Evans, the initiative is a message to other investors, “serving as kind of a catalyst to other investors to say, hey, there’s enough deal flow coming out of HBCUs that you really should be taking a second look, you know, in the same way that investors will go to MIT and Stanford and look for opportunities. We want them going to North Carolina and to Howard with that same type of interest and intensity around.” been and push back against these assaults. I deeply believe that people of color and people of all marginalized communities have to continue to sing the song that Ella Baker sang. We who believe in freedom will not rest until it comes," Dr. Johnetta Cole told The Atlanta Voice.

Programs and foundations like the one Marlon Evans has manifested are vital to the HBCU community and even beyond to the Black diaspora. These initiatives pave the way to closing the racial wealth gap by providing opportunities to previously overlooked founders. Similar to Evans, there are many leaders from the black community, especially from HBCUs, who have determinedly worked to achieve positions that allow them the opportunity to further uplift their community. Many of these leaders attended the UNCF summit to collaborate, share ideas and projects, and possibly gain sponsorship, with the intention of creating a black intellectual ecosystem.

This decision also comes upon the banning of Black and progressive literary works by legislation such as "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker, "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison, and "Ulysses" by James Joyce.

But, UNITE also celebrated HBCUs and the revitalization that they have received in the last decade.

“Knowing about the power of these institutions, while I was knee high to a duck. From my parents, from my great-grandfather and to now see in the middle of these troubled times- to see a resurgence of respect for our HBCUs is heart-warming. It certainly gives each of us who believe in these institutions great joy,” said Cole.

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