According to counsel from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, “Public universities receive 43% of their revenues from grants, federal contracts, or appropriations on average, while HBCUs only receive approximately 1%.”
On December 11, 2018, Bennett College, one of the nation’s two all-female historically black colleges, was told it would lose its accreditation unless it could raise $5 million in 55 days. In that time, it raised $8.2 million. Doing so involved a combination of grit, sisterhood, and an unusual display of nonprofit solidarity.
An equity lens demands that we do more to sustain historically black colleges and universities as critical American institutions and acknowledge their powerful place in our past and in our future.
A $5.4 million grant from the Walton Family Foundation aims to encourage students in three Atlanta-area historically Black colleges and universities to pursue careers in art history and curatorial studies.
One year ago, white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia rocked the nation. It also spurred a national conversation regarding historic preservation and the need to more adequately acknowledge Black contributions in the nation’s historical narrative.
In terms of strategy, the CBC’s meeting with the president was not only staged well but also contained valuable substance and policy guidance. As one member said, they were definitely not there to be treated as props.
Over the last half-century, individual nonprofits and even whole fields have sought exceptional favor successfully from some of the most hostile of administrations. But, the rules that underwrite such covenants may no longer apply.
The nonprofit United Negro College Fund has published an excellent report on the effects of student debt on perpetuating race- and class-based inequities.
“New day, same story. I am the only person of color. In a meeting comprised of senior leaders in education, I am the only black face.” This is the latest in the NPQ/YNPN series by young writers on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
What do you do with a tainted donor, especially one who has contributed to so many institutions for higher learning and who has not yet been formally convicted of a crime?
