Hidden in Plain Sight: Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America

Abstract

Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois held different visions for Black Higher Education. Should college prepare “Talented Tenth” leaders to advocate for full Black equality or teach vocational skills for separate economic development? Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) play significant roles in American culture and society. HBCUs exert outsized influence producing notable Black scholars, political leaders, professionals, and media stars. However, Anti- Black Racism and White Supremacist attitudes minimize or dismiss these important contributions. We critically examine HBCUs in the US higher education landscape from 1976 to 2015 to overview Black college student attendance and graduation patterns. In 2018, HBCUs (3 percent of US universities) awarded 13 percent of BA degrees, 6 percent of MAs and 11 percent of doctorates earned by African Americans. The percent of total degrees HBCUs awarded Black students declined from 1977: 35 percent BAs, 21 percent MAs and 11 percent Doctorates. Emerging from the fiery furnace of American Slavery, Jim Crow Racism and Racial Oppression, HBCUs provided higher education opportunities to lift the Black community and advance American society. HBCUs are a national treasure that must be preserved and strengthened by dismantling systemic inequities in attitudes, funding, resources, and legislation.