“Yeah, I’m in my bag, but I’m in his too, and that’s why every time you see me, I got some new shoes” are the words you hear blasting through the speakers while walking on campus grounds. Depending on who you are, you know the lyrics that come next and start rapping along. You turn your head left and see a Carol’s Daughter Booth with representatives doing live demonstrations on how to use their new curling cream. Then you are met with the scent of shea butter, it turns out a business is selling their new scent of lotion. The song is “Cash” by Megan Thee Stallion, an up and coming African American female rap artist. Carol’s Daughter sells hair, skin, body products that caters to African American women’s type four hair. The shea butter products are mostly being sold by a black owned business. The common thread of African Americans is because the campus grounds you are walking on is a historically black college or university (HBCU).

If you were a white person walking the grounds of an HBCU there is no doubt you would feel left out of things surrounding you and as a black person it’s a rare sight to see a white person on the campus which causes you to double take. It raises the question “How has desegregation and multiculturalism had a negative impact on historically black colleges and universities post Brown vs. Board of Education?”. I find this question interesting because the foundation of HBCUs revolves around the empowerment and education of African Americans in an environment with people who they can identify with because in other higher-level institutions they won’t receive that same attention, especially if the institutions are predominantly white. The increase of the white population at HBCUs is having a negative impact on the African American population that these schools were made for. It can lead to tarnishing their legacy, reduce the need for them, an invasion of black spaces making African American students feel uncomfortable, and ignorant/racist white people can create racial tensions. They will again be put on the back burner and have something that they cherished taken away. No minority group should have to feel this way. With African Americans being discriminated against in an already corrupt education system, it would be gut wrenching for their last hope to also be a disappointment.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a 1954 Supreme Court Case in which it was unanimously decided that the racial segregation of children in public school was unconstitutional. It showed the “separate but equal” facilities were not equal. The case involves Oliver Brown who filed a class action suit against the Board of Education of Topeka because his daughter Linda Brown was denied entry into an all-white elementary school. It was determined that segregated schools were “inherently unequal” and under the 14th amendment Oliver Brown plus the other plaintiffs were able to win their case. Before the Brown v. Board case, education didn’t favor African Americans. Classes were taught by a single teacher teaching all subjects and grades. There was heavy underfunding which led to overpopulated schools and most of the time black children didn’t even go to school as a means of supporting their families. Seeing the treatment of Africans Americans in the school system led to the establishment of HBCUs. HBCUs are institutions of higher education that were founded before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to primarily serve the African American community. The term was created by the Higher Education Act of 1965 which expanded national funding for colleges. The first HBCUs were founded before 1861 in Pennsylvania and Ohio. They were founded to provide black youths with the basic education and training needed to become teachers and tradesmen. Before the Civil Rights era, most of the higher educational institutions were predominantly white and African Americans were not allowed to enroll or schools tried to limit admissions of them through quotas. Following the end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, HBCUs were founded throughout the South with support from the Freedmen’s Bureau, an organization which helped former slaves adjust to their new, freed lives. Desegregation ended the separation of races and opened the door for multiculturalism. Multiculturalism explores cultural diversity and believes society benefits from diversity, and different cultures blending/coexisting. Multiculturalism is a buzzword that overall is said to have a positive impact; however, I want to go into depth about how it can have a negative impact on a community like an HBCU.

One negative impact that it can have is tarnishing the legacy of HBCUs. The text states “HBCUs have provided the best chance, and at times the only chance, for access to education for African American students in higher education” (Taylor). African Americans, up until the past century, didn’t have the chance to participate in higher education systems and learn on the same level as whites to be able to make advances in society. For a while, they were banned from going to school, they had to sacrifice that chance to start working to provide a source of income for their families, or PWIs (predominantly white institutions) used race-based admissions policies which lowered their chance of getting in. In Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965, Congress defined an HBCU as a school of higher learning that was accredited and established before 1964, and whose principal mission was the education of African Americans. HBCUs offer culture, a rich history and rigorous academic programs. To know an institution whose mission involves dismissing all those ideas of inferiority and stereotypes of African Americans, possibly be dominated by the same race that created them, contradicts the whole point of their creation. This can be heartbreaking for people who chose HBCUs as a getaway from predominantly white learning spaces and mindsets of superiority. The text states “The establishing of Black colleges became a public initiative with the enactment of the first Morill Land Grant Act of 1862” (Karkouti). The Morill Land Grant Act was a federal legislation that gave states funding to build land grant colleges which would allow colleges for African Americans to be built. The passing of the Second Morill Act led to black supported institutions, but the curriculum enhanced the image of black inferiority. With every step taken forward, there would always be a belief that made it seem like African Americans were stagnant. The text states “HBCUs made substantial contributions to the American educational system by granting Black students over 40% of bachelor’s degrees in the fields of physical sciences, agriculture, biological sciences, and mathematics.” (Karkouti). The creation of state funded colleges for African Americans allowed for a higher level of learning, but they were underfunded and taught subjects to further project discrimination towards a race. The climb from that to now HBCUs being responsible for future African American doctors, engineers, scientists, etc. shows the arduous journey they had to make to become great. That is why HBCUs are legendary and meaningful to past alumni, because of where they came from to what they are now. The text states “We can’t have Black safe spaces and we can’t have HBCUs.” (Booker). The increase of white people in a school with such a strong foundation is seen as disrespect to those African Americans who sacrificed to make a HBCU what it is today and the modern-day ones who chose HBCUs for that specific reason.

Another negative impact would be it would reduce the need for HBCUs. The text states “At the same time, predominantly White institutions (PWIs) are required to admit and graduate a greater proportion of African Americans, thereby reducing the need for HBCUs” (Taylor). With the increase of initiatives to increase the number of African Americans at PWIs, African Americans are not inclined to go to HBCUs. PWIs have a reputation of having better resources, educational opportunities, research, etc. because of their huge endowments. Coupling that with allowing a race that is constantly oppressed, to have access to that is highly tempting. The text states “Institutions with high proportions of White students adversely affect minority students’ academic achievement and create social conflicts” (Karkouti). African Americans are so focused on the educational opportunities these colleges can offer that they dismiss the social aspect of college that can also impact grades. One social aspect is interracial friendships that isn’t common at PWIs but can correlate with a person’s academic achievement. The text states “Fries-Britt and Turner conducted a qualitative study…… The results derived from focus groups and individual interviews indicated that all participants had to prove their intellectual competence more often than their White peers” (Karkouti). This can cause racial stresses. Since African American are discriminated against at these PWIs, they must prove their academic abilities which is stressful and take up a lot of time. Increasing the white population at HBCUs causes African Americans to assume that they would also have a chance at PWIs. There is nothing wrong with this, but HBCUs want African Americans in their classrooms so they will try to make that opportunity attainable for them by knowing that grades can be deceptive (wrongful treatment of African Americans in high school) or full ride scholarships. PWIs don’t recognize that instead, it’s always a numbers game from grades to family income/name to legacy with the school.  There won’t be a great need for HBCUs if the African American college population shifted to PWIs. However, African Americans should know that going to a PWI instead of a HBCU can affect their academic record because of the constant expectation of proving yourself and the lack of social diversity.

The increase of a white student population can also be an invasion of black spaces. The text states “For African-American students enrolled at HBCUs, the presence of white students on campus raises questions about their ability to choose a learning environment centered on their own cultural experiences” (Dennis). HBCUs gives students a comfortable learning environment where they can express their opinions to people who can understand where they are coming from. Seeing a white student can disrupt that for an African American one creating racial problems that in previous scenarios wouldn’t have existed. An amazing thing about HBCUs is learning in a place that yours because it was created to serve you. It’s also to see yourself in not only the student body, but also the faculty. The text states “If you aren’t learning from someone that looks like you, you could think that it’s not possible for someone that looks like you to be in that position” (Dennis). This connects to “believing it is seeing it”. It’s important to see your dreams/goals being carried out by someone who looks like you because it not shows that it is possible, but also the person can be a future mentor. There has been an instance when the invasion of black spaces caused racial tension. The text states “WVSU is the only HBCU with a chapter of the controversial right-wing campus organization Turning Point USA” (Dent). The black student body felt the group was a white supremacist organization. The club had no black members also add to the feeling that the African American students didn’t appreciate this group. This group was an invasion of the student’s black space. They were supposed to be in an environment that allowed them to be free in their thoughts and outspoken in their views. To have a situation where a white supremacist group is on campus that threatens this freedom shows how important it is that a college’s foundation should include making everyone feel space. A white supremacist group doesn’t fit that goal and shows the kind of people who will take up a space who don’t understand or care for its creation in the first place.

White students not being able to connect with the black student body at these HBCUs causes disagreements and tensions about situations that African Americans care greatly about. In some cases, it can even be racist. The text states “they don’t possess an elevated understanding of race relations, white supremacy, or white privilege” (Booker). This doesn’t apply to all white people, but not all white people are “Woke”. There are times when they complain about “reverse racism”, defending their use of the n-word, and their comments on colorism to invalidate dark-skin women’s’ feelings. White students have also shared testimonials of their HBCU experience that only showed their ignorance and privilege. The text states “white HBCU student, Jillian Parker, admits she’s gotten more notoriety being so different at a place like Howard” (Booker). At an HBCU a white person sticks out like a sore thumb. They have so much privilege that become elevated and they receive notoriety for it while an African American doesn’t get that same notoriety. For example, if a white girl were to get cornrows, she’ll be trendy and get hundreds of likes on social media. However, when a black girl gets cornrows, it’s seen as ghetto or of a lower class when it’s a protective hairstyle. This tension can be a deterrent for African Americans, making HBCUs less and less black. The text states “At some, like Bluefield, blacks now comprise less than half of the student body” (Butrymowicz). In certain situations, HBCUs are dominated by whites when they were established to serve African Americans. In the case of Bluefield State University, it became a commuter campus after Edgar James, an African American student, set off a bomb in the dorms to protest the racially divided college. He and a group of other black students felt President Hardway had racial bias leading to the increase of the white student body. There was a lot of tension between college officials and the black student body leading to acts of vandalism.  The university is also in a white area so logically the increase of white students is understandable. With other schools where that isn’t the case, it’s sad to see an HBCU have a majority population of white students.

Others have said that desegregation and multiculturalism has had a positive impact on HBCUs because it allows for the colleges/universities to receive funding and it can help with academic achievements. The text states “that cross-racial and global engagement in the academic space improves academic outcomes and performance” (Stewart). For Jackson State, having this engagement and interracial relationships can ensure a positive and welcoming environment. This can also lead to different cultural and education programs to make sure no group feels ignored. The text states “The reality is that if HBCUs — with the exception of maybe the top five or six — do not diversify, they’re all going to die” (Butrymowicz). This is because they will need to become like other universities in the country in terms of demographics since they have financial problems. It’s in the best interests for HBCUs to fill up as much seats as they can during the admission process because it allows for them to receive federal loans. They fill up these students with white, Asian, and Latino students, increasing their demographics of those respective students. The text states “She also says recruitment of underrepresented students has been stepped up, even though the school has yet to achieve 10 percent non-Black enrollment.” (Stewart). The goal is to bridge gaps and create conversations by having a sense of cultural awareness. No matter the diversity a school will always be known as historically black and in the real world you must be able to navigate the global society. Multiculturalism makes that skill easier to learn.

With these two opposing viewpoints, it would be best to get the perspective of someone who is enrolled in an HBCU because they are living the reality of seeing a white student on campus or in their classroom and how it makes them feel. Aleysia Sylvain is a freshman at Howard University. She decided to go to an HBCU because she “needed to see black excellence and black people prospering in life” (Sylvain). She was “tired of experiencing white privilege and white people”. Sylvain had gone to a predominantly white high school, so she felt she needed a change. For her going to a PWI made her feel “like another number and something to fit in their quota”. Sylvain also notes that at PWIs “your growth can be stunted, or you have to prove yourself that much more” (Sylvain). Going to an HBCU is an atypical experience because “you have alumni always giving back, celebrities, walking on campus, and even libraries filled with rich history” (Sylvain). When asked about the diversity at Howard University, she gave the one-word answer of “BLACK” (Sylvain). An initiative to make Howard University more diverse is “unnecessary and defeats the purpose of why I went to an HBCU” (Sylvain) and she emphatically claimed that she wanted to go to an HBCU “to be surrounded by my people and feel comfortable” (Sylvain). “HBCUs should be allowed to stand and exist in their own right” (Sylvain). Her advice for white students planning to enroll into Howard is “You need to know if this is something you really want to do” (Sylvain) and the Why? Is a component that is very important to her.

In conclusion, there are negative impacts to desegregation and multiculturalism in HBCUs. It can lead to tarnishing their legacy, reduce the need for them, an invasion of black spaces making African American students feel uncomfortable, and ignorant/racist white people can create racial tensions. A lot of the positive impacts are opposites to the negative ones and focus on the diversity leading to a stronger community. These factors affect different HBCUs differently. In my opinion, it’s okay for white people to go to an HBCU but I think it’s in the school’s best interest to make sure that the black students which the school was founded on still have a comfortable place to learn and educate themselves about their black culture and still receive the black experience. At the same time the white students should have a level of knowledge and understanding to have intellectual conversations, get involved in the community, and bridge gaps.

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Booker, Sukhai. “My Beef with Whites at HBCUs.” The Odyssey Online, The

Odyssey Online, 17 Oct. 2019,www.theodysseyonline.com/my-beef-with-whites-

at-hbcus.

Butrymowicz, Sarah. “Historically Black Colleges Are Becoming More White.” Time, Time, time.com/2907332/historically-black-colleges-increasingly-serve-white-

students/.

Dennis, Deja. “What Does Diversity Look Like at HBCUs?” The Nation, 15 Jan. 2019, www.thenation.com/article/diversity-look-like-hbcus/.

Dent, David J. “Inside the Lives of White Students at Historically Black Colleges.” Vice, 27 June 2018, www.vice.com/en_us/article/a3ampj/inside-the-lives-of-white–

Students-at-historically-black-colleges.

Karkouti, Ibrahim Mohamad. “Black students’ educational experiences in predominantly white universities: a review of the related literature.” College Student Journal, vol. 50, no. 1, 2016, p. 59+. Gale Academic Onefile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A449929248/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=AONE&xid=8fe6647b. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

Stewart, Pearl. “Mixing the pot: three Mississippi HBCUs embrace diversity.” Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 11 Oct. 2012, p. 18+. Gale Academic Onefile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A306753783/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=AONE&xid=9b3856ec. Accessed 10 Oct. 2019.

Sylvan, Aleysia. Personal Interview. 22 Oct. 2019

TAYLOR, EDWARD, and STEVEN OLSWANG. “Peril or Promise: The Effect of Desegregation Litigation on Historically Black Colleges.” The Western Journal of Black Studies, vol. 23, no. 2, 1999, p. 73. Gale Academic Onefile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A55553510/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=AONE&xid=27568a2a. Accessed 10 Oct. 2019.