Florida A&M University has in recent weeks been at the center of negative press and publicity. The state of Florida has even threatened to close the school. Some would see this closure as a tragedy because of the rich history and legacy of FAMU and black colleges in general.
The story of black education in America is one of struggle, focused determination and triumph against all odds. Before the end of the Civil War, blacks were prohibited from education in many Southern states. Those blacks who did receive education often taught themselves at the threat of punishment and even death. After the Emancipation Proclamation, some schools were established by ordinary people who believed education was the key to true liberty. They pooled their money, labor and resources to make sure their children would learn. Other private institutions were set up by churches and the Freedmen’s Bureau. One such private church-sponsored school is Edward Waters College, the oldest black college in Florida. It was established by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in 1866.
Later, the United States government thought it was necessary to extend educational opportunities to more than just the wealthy. In 1862 the U.S. legislature enacted the Morrill Act to provide for the higher education of America’s ordinary folk. This act gave land to the states to be used for building colleges and universities to train working class people. These schools were called land-grant institutions. However, this act did not guarantee the education of blacks. Therefore, a second Morrill Act said states that received federal land-grant money had to provide for the education of African Americans as well. As a result of this act, FAMU was founded in 1887 as a land-grant institution. Many other black colleges and universities began as public land-grant schools as well.
The privately founded and funded institutions along with the public land-grant institutions went on to nurture and train many generations of black leaders. Toni Morrison (Noble Prize Winner and author), Sean Combs (producer and entrepreneur), Spike Lee (filmmaker), Common (Hip Hop artist), Keith Clinkscales (former editor of Vibe and CEO of Vanguard Media), Kwame Kilpatrick (youngest mayor of Detroit), Darrell Armstrong (NBA player), Samuel L. Jackson (actor), Ronald McNair (astronaut), and Steve McNair (NFL player) are just a few examples.
Today many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are in serious financial and management trouble. FAMU is only one example. There were originally 117 HBCUs. That number is declining as these historic schools lose accreditation, funding and students turn to majority schools.
Proponents of HBCUs argue that they are still very necessary. Some reason they give are that ¾ of all black Ph.D.s did their undergraduate work at black schools, black students succeed at a higher rate at black schools and black students gain the unquantifiable benefits of self awareness, confidence, leadership experience and pride when attending black schools.
Others argue that the country is moving beyond the need for separate schools for minorities. They say these schools violate laws against segregation. These schools only serve to separate the races and dilute funding sources and support for all students.
So are HBCUs still necessary or are they hurting us? Please comment about this issue. Make sure to indicate your age and where you are from.
HBCU's are they still necessary? That's hard to answer. Alot of people get tired of hearing about the old days. However the old days taught a generation of black minorities something. A special something/concept which enabled Blacks to competantly deal with the oppression, abasement and denial of basic human rights. Black minorities learned how to work together to achieve a common goal. Black minorities learned to band together and to work to improve themselves. In their work to improve themselves they found that education was a weapon. A weapon that could be made to work both ways. With education Blacks demostrated that they could indeed learn, grow and thrive. Throughout times change was not made by just one voice, but through the voices and actions of many. The many who took the time to listen, to consider and then to act. HBCU's were Institutions where like minded individuals could meet and learn. It was in the learning that they grew, and in the growing that they learned to act and in the acting learned how to change a nation. We as a Black society have lost something. We have taken our eyes off the prize. HBCU's have become institutions where partying is a priority, instead of institutions concerned with developing the advancement of people. The only way to have HBCU'S go back to being a necessity is to go back. To go back to the basics where the growth, advancement and development of strong individuals cultivated a strong, unified Black race. A downtrodden race that knew there was strength in numbers. A race that knew that in having "our own" was a hurdle that was worth having, sustaining and attending with pride.
ReplyDeleteHBCU's are they still necessary? That's hard to answer. Alot of people get tired of hearing about the old days. However the old days taught a generation of black minorities something. A special something/concept which enabled Blacks to competantly deal with the oppression, abasement and denial of basic human rights. Black minorities learned how to work together to achieve a common goal. Black minorities learned to band together and to work to improve themselves. In their work to improve themselves they found that education was a weapon. A weapon that could be made to work both ways. With education Blacks demostrated that they could indeed learn, grow and thrive. Throughout times change was not made by just one voice, but through the voices and actions of many. The many who took the time to listen, to consider and then to act. HBCU's were Institutions where like minded individuals could meet and learn. It was in the learning that they grew, and in the growing that they learned to act and in the acting learned how to change a nation. We as a Black society have lost something. We have taken our eyes off the prize. HBCU's have become institutions where partying is a priority, instead of institutions concerned with developing the advancement of people. The only way to have HBCU'S go back to being a necessity is to go back. To go back to the basics where the growth, advancement and development of strong individuals cultivated a strong, unified Black race. A downtrodden race that knew there was strength in numbers. A race that knew that in having "our own" was a hurdle that was worth having, sustaining and attending with pride.
ReplyDeleteAge: 31
ReplyDeleteFrom: Sanford, FL
I hope and pray that this is not the end of era of Black College Pride. Education is very important and needful in this era. Education is always necessary. With the growing population and technolgy, I feel that the more education that an individual, the better chances are for that individual to succeed. By keeping the black colleges open will make it better for the African-Americans keep the history and their cultural. Black colleges help gives us hope, confident, self-esteem, faith to know if someone did it before me, than I can do it too.