Why Don't Ya Save Our HBCUs?!

Writer: Alexandria Morgan

For many years, HBCUs have served as the core foundation, the glue that has held together with the black community for over two hundred years. Many black students, all over the country, flock to these prestigious HBCUs to find the acceptance, love, and support that they have failed to gain for years with much success; but what happens when funding for HBCUs is no more? What happens when black students are denied that safe space that has made up the core component of their history for years? Black students are saying no to this and are fighting to keep HBCUs in America.

The showdown of the decade between the House and the Senate comes down to one significant disagreement: the funding for many HBCUs in America. After Congress failed to extend the deadline for funding, both parties have been unable to agree with the hope of one party according to the other's tactics. The Senate Republicans have refused to extend the funding for another two years and instead have attached the HBCU funding legislature to the Higher Education Act, which hasn't been updated for more than a decade. Senators and Secretary of Education Betsy Devos states that there is more funding to last HBCUs into the next school year and that increases in Pell Grants will allow HBCUs to be more financially secure. Lamar Alexander states that the extension won't make it pass both houses but suggests that the Democrats support his proposes in funding HBCUs, which also allows bipartisan changes to the Higher Education Act.

This change came to fruition when the Senate passed a bill on Thursday to permanently fund HBCUs. Senate leaders Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer urged the passing of the bill stating that it "is a lifeline for these institutions to strengthen their academic, administrative, and fiscal capacities. The bipartisan bill, also known as the FUTURE ACT, will provide $255 million annually to strengthen HBCUs. This will also allow 22 questions from FAFSA, an annual financial aid report, to be eliminated to ensure that students are adequately funded.

Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, said in a statement, "It's hard to think of a piece of legislation that would have more of a lasting impact on minority students and their families than this bill. First, it provides permanent funding for HBCUs and other Minority Serving Institutions attended by over 2 million minority students. Second, it takes a big first step in simplifying the FAFSA for 20 million American families, including 8 million minority students, and eliminating the bureaucratic nightmare created by requiring students to give the federal government the same information twice." The bill will also eliminate student debt and allow the federal government to make payments based on income.

All schools should be equal. To all HBCU students, we must stand together to ensure that our education is of the utmost importance. We must strengthen our beliefs and ensure that HBCUs are not only a tradition but one of the core foundations that will continue for generations to come.