By Terrie Johnson | UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have a history in the United States of being underfunded due to varied underlying factors. One of the reasons may the history of systematic inequities. In other words, the discriminatory practices prevalent during the history of the United States, may still impact Black institutions today. Throughout the history of HBCUs, the principal mission has been to education the African American population. Since HBCUs have been tied to the Black population, they are often on the receiving end concerning limited funds allocation (Bagasra et al., 2022). Over time, this issue has caused chronic state underinvestment in HBCUs. Thus, such institutions continue to suffer from a lack of critical funds to run operations.
Additionally, lower alumni contribution is a factor in the continued underfunding of HBCUs. However, this issue is also linked to the socioeconomic position of many African-Americans within the United States. For example, most HBCU alumni earn less when compared to their White college graduate counterparts (Bagasra et al., 2022). This situation creates a gap in the level of contributions that Black alumni from HBCUs can make to advance the institutions. The amount of Black wealth in the United States is comparatively lower. As such, it cannot provide the needed funding to advance the functionality of HBCUs. The current situation in the country, whereby Blacks have limited economic opportunities, further perpetuates the financial circumstances of HBCUs (Bagasra et al., 2022).
Despite the financial pressures experienced by many HBCUs, can be increased through the adoption of critical best practices. For example, a public-private partnership can be encouraged to increase funding sources for institutions. The creation of greater awareness regarding this initiative will advance contributions toward the improvement of HBCUs (Jones et al., 2017). Moreover, greater advocacy for equity at the state and federal level can lead to changes in policies that provide greater support to HBCUs. Improved educational experiences may lead to advancements in African-American capital, which in turn would allow for alumni to give back to their HBCUs. This is why all African Americans should consider contacting (i.e., tweet, email, letters, phone calls, etc.) their state and federal representative and government leaders advocate for more HBCU funding. Check out this link for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to learn more and advocate. Share your advocacy story with us in the comments section or on Facebook.
References
Bagasra, A., McLetchie, A., & Wesley, J. (eds.). (2022). Contributions of historically black colleges and universities in the 21st century. IGI Global.
Jones, T., Jones, S., Elliot, K., Owens, L., Assalone, A., & Gándara, D. (2017). Outcomes based funding and race in higher education: Can equity be bought? Springer.
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