The Resurgence of HBCUs By Ryan Kouame
H
istorically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) foster a sense of belonging for students of color, provide tools for economic advancement and produce some of the nation’s greatest leaders, like Martin Luther King, Jr., Kamala Harris, Thurgood Marshall, Spike Lee, Toni Morrison and Oprah Winfrey. HBCUs were established after the end of slavery by Black and other leaders in communities throughout the country because most colleges and universities in the South did not allow African Americans to attend these segregated institutions.
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Notable HBCU Graduates
There are about 106 HBCUs in the U.S. making up three percent of the nation’s colleges and universities but producing 20 percent of African American graduates, according to an article published on uncf. org in April 2020. Although HBCUs have been around, they have gained more
caliber of education, if not higher, which creates a larger return on investment and lowers student loan debt. For example, a semester for a 2021-2022 undergraduate student at a prestigious Black school like Howard University is $28,450 compared to an Ivy League school like Harvard where tuition comes in at $67,720. Affordable tuition is vital because African American households are more likely to incur student debt due to a lack of funding and scholarships. The United Negro College Fund reported last year that nearly 54 percent of Black college graduates between the ages of 25 and 40 have student loan debt compared to 39 percent of White college graduates. The Gallup-Purdue poll, an index study that provides insights
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Actor and 1972 graduate of Morehouse College, Samuel L. Jackson
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Vice President of the United States and Howard University graduate, Kamala Harris
The Howard University Showtime Marching Band
attention and funding over the past few years. With tuition and student debt on a steady incline, this rise in interest and enrollment suggests their relevance in education is more important now than ever. President Barack Obama presents Howard University graduate and novelist, Toni Morrison, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.
Money Matters Tuition rates at HBCUs are nearly thirty percent lower than most predominantly White schools while providing the same
and measurements for meaningful improvements in higher education, found that the unemployment rate for recent African American college graduates was 56 percent compared to the 44 percent of their White counterparts. The growth in HBCU enrollment, grants, and donations generate more funding and increases the quality of education and opportunities for students, which in turn November-December 2021 | Pride Magazine
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