Historically Black Colleges Becoming More Diverse

An article in Time Magazine this past summer was written about the increasing amount of White students and other students who do not identify as Black at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. I thought this article was somewhat interesting when I read the headline but definitely did not think the article would raise as many complexities as it did. I rather assumed the article was just applauding the increasing amount of diversity in higher education by using HBCUs as a prime example.


The article states that according to a study done by the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, one in four students attending an HBCU is not Black. It also referred to the 2011 enrollment data from the U.S. Department of Education which cited statistics from schools such as Alabama’s Gadsden State Community College, which is classified as an HBCU, where 71 percent of the students are white and only 21 percent are black. Schools such as Gadsen State that are classified by the Federal Government as HBCUs are eligible to receive a share of the quarter of a billion dollars that is set aside specifically for HBCUs and can also apply for federal loans through the Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program, which dished out $303 million worth of loans last year. Some have argued that HBCUs should no longer receive this financial assistance. Richard Vedder who is an economist was quoted in the article saying “If you’re going to give subsidies for institutions, you shouldn’t give it on the basis of some sort of historical [legacy]". Anthony Bradley, a professor at The King’s College in New York City says that "broadly targeting disadvantaged students isn't enough to merit continued special funding from the federal government, since many other colleges and universities also do this." Others that are in support of HBCUs receiving this federal funding have stated that HBCUs still do what they were created to do, and that is to provide the opportunity of higher education to those who are disenfranchised.


I have also read differing opinions of the conversation that focuses more on the importance of cultural preservation rather than economics. One essay in the Washington Post that was very critical of recent viral news stories about white students selecting to attend HBCUs asked the questions of "Is attending an HBCU for white students the equivalent of spending a summer in Ghana?" and "does practicing being a minority get anyone closer to understanding the daily struggle of being a minority?". An interview in The Huffington Post in which Rob Shorette, a Ph.D. student at Michigan State University, discusses why he as a white person chose to attend an HBCU and his experience there which he described as very beneficial and influential in what he is now doing with his life in higher education.

This is a very complex discussion that can be talked about through many facets such as economics, sociology, and history. I believe that preserving the culture of African-Americans is important and do not subscribe to the ideology of color blindness that says that race no longer plays an important role in American culture. HBCUs have historically played a significant role in preserving African-American culture and emphasizing its importance and I do not believe that HBCUs will cease to do that because of an increasing number of white students at HBCUs. I also believe that HBCUs should continue to receive federal funding because of their commitment to giving the opportunity of higher education (which I believe education to be the most important civil rights issue of our day) to those that are currently and historically have been disenfranchised by past legislation in our country.

In my experiences in the majority black school district I attended growing up and in many other short term settings in life, I claim no right to say that I have ever experienced the feelings or real consequences of being a "majority minority" in America just because I was a minority as a white person in certain contexts. I can say however that from these experiences of being engaged in diverse communities I have been able to better understand the different perspectives of nonwhites and am constantly being made more aware of my privilege as a white male in America. I believe it is very important for those that are part of the larger majority culture to engage in community among people that do not act, look, or think like them, and that reconciliation, trust, and understanding happens within this community. I believe that any context that fosters this community to be beneficial to our nation as a whole.