HBCUs offer opportunity to us all

By Brian Dickens, Contributing Writer

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

To some, Central State University is the school that does not turn down anyone’s application. To some, Central State University is considered an academic “ghetto.” For others, Central State University is the only school that gives students a fair chance at academic success. Black colleges/universities were created so blacks who were illiterate could learn the basics of reading and writing. They rescued students who were rejected by other institutions.

To understand the history of black colleges — and why it’s important for African American students to attend HBCUs — it is useful to consider the policies that led to their creation.

Cheyney University (founded in 1837), Lincoln University (founded in 1854) in Pennsylvania, and Wilberforce University in Ohio (founded in 1856) were the first historically black colleges. Students attended these black colleges in pursuit of equal education, though in a separate environment.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 recognized “historically black colleges as positive instruments for integrating society, being able to accept students who were rejected elsewhere.”

Presently, at historically black colleges, African American students have the opportunity to become the student government president, homecoming queen or quarterback of the football team.

Graduates of HBCUs are connected to one another. That “historically black college” bond ties us together and follows us everywhere. Graduates such as Phylicia Rashad(Howard University), Thurgood Marshall(Lincoln University of Pennsylvania), Samuel Jackson(Morehouse College) and Leontyne Price(Central State University) play vital parts in all walks of life.

America would have been denied the light of these individuals if black colleges and universities hadn’t given them the chance to succeed.

 

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