“The class system is our next big civil rights movement.”
-Carla Gibbs, TSU freshman, standing at the King Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Fifteen Harvard students walked out of an economics class when the faculty member posited that 99 percent of the poorest of the poor, defined as those at 50 percent or less of the official poverty level ($5,570 for an individual and $11,157 for a family of four) were suffering from economic envy and concluded that inequality hadn’t increased in the United States. This is occurring at a time when 1 in 15 Americans are considered the poorest of the poor and the same time that those fortunate enough to attend college, leave with an average of $20,000 in loan debt. At Alabama A&M, for example, the average debt was $32,000, while at prestigious Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., the debt level was only about $8,000. The question I ask us to consider together is where do HBCUs stand on these issues of ever pressing concern?
Our rich TSU legacies reflect an understanding of what it took to succeed post-Civil War and beyond. These institutions’ founders knew that the effects of racism, poverty and ignorance were major detriments. Therefore, and without waiting for others to fix the problems, they put significant systems in place including quality instruction, strategies for economic survival, workforce preparation including walk, talk, dress and etiquette; keys to progress all. Students enrolled, absolutely hungry for knowledge and willing to do what was asked to benefit themselves, their families and society. Thus, is it not just as important to ask: What systems have HBCUs put in place to empower students to take charge of their future in a society such as this?
President Obama stated the imperative with: “Providing a high-quality education for all children is critical to America’s economic future,” and he was speaking to all of us who head school systems and colleges. To help, he sought to increase funding for financial aid, reduced loan interest repayment to a 10 percent cap and provided funding for improving education from pre-school to college levels. These resources are critical because HBCU rates of college completion range from a high of almost 80 percent to single-digit lows, with the average range at 42 percent. When accounting for income levels of those able to attend college and meet entrance requirements, Black students’ graduation rates at Historically White Institutions range from 95 percent down to about 68 percent. Of greatest importance is the fact that fewer African-American students are eligible to attend college due to inferior K-12 preparation, fewer role models in their families, the esteem to seek college as viable and lack of means. And, it also is known that those who enter HBCUs experience greater financial hardships than those who go to HWIs. Still, rates of college attendance overall for Blacks and graduation, especially for Black women are rising. Herein lie the basis for the question posed above. Once we get them in, we have an obligation to do everything possible to get them out — with degrees in hand, opportunity for post-graduate study and gainful employment.
