Pathways and Roadblocks to Educational Equity in AmericaThe rich history of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) began before the end of slavery, flourished in the 20th century, and profoundly influenced the course of the nation for over 150 years — yet remains largely unknown. With Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities, the latest documentary from Stanley Nelson (Black Panthers, Freedom Riders) and Marco Williams, the powerful story of the rise, influence, and evolution of HBCUs comes to life.
A haven for Black intellectuals, artists, and revolutionaries — and a path of promise toward the American dream — HBCUs have educated the architects of freedom movements and cultivated leaders in every field while remaining unapologetically Black for more than 150 years. These institutions have nurtured some of the most influential Americans of our time, from Booker T. Washington to Martin Luther King, Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois to Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison to Oprah Winfrey, Alice Walker to Spike Lee to Common. A key driver of Black social, political and economic progress, HBCUs were also a place of unprecedented freedom for African American students and a refuge from the rampant racism that raged outside the campus walls. Tell Them We Are Rising captures this important history to tell the dynamic story of Americans who refused to be denied a higher education and — in their resistance — created a set of institutions that would influence and shape the landscape of the country for centuries to come.
Time: Doors Open @ 5 p.m. – Film Starts @ 5:30 p.m.
Location: Student Center, Ballroom (4200 Connecticut Ave. NW)
Historically black colleges and universities initially served as the main means for African Americans to pursue higher education. Even as the walls of segregation at majority institutions were broken down by the civil rights movement, black colleges and universities retained their importance as centers of African American heritage and identity.
The evolution of black institutions of higher education mirrored larger disputes in the African American community. Many schools, such as Tuskegee and Hampton Institute (now, Hampton University), originally emphasized industrial training and integration. The leading proponent of this philosophy was Booker T. Washington, supported by white philanthropists who provided a significant proportion of the funding for the establishment of many black colleges and universities. In the early twentieth century a movement led by W. E. B. Du Bois gained ascendancy. Du Bois emphasized African American culture and history and was much more intellectually and politically militant than Washington and his supporters.
The importance of the historically black colleges and universities to the evolution of the African American community cannot be overemphasized. Many prominent leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr. (Morehouse College, Atlanta), were graduates of these institutions. In addition, these colleges and universities continue to graduate a vast majority of African American professionals. For instance, Tuskegee University alone has produced more African American military officers than any other college or university, including the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. By the end of the twentieth century, more than one-third of African American medical doctors and dentists were educated at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. In total, sixty-five percent of African American physicians, fifty percent of African American lawyers, and thirty-five percent of African American engineers are graduates of black colleges and universities.
Today, there are 103 historically black colleges and universities in the United States, divided among the states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (although 14 are in Alabama alone). These institutions include both public and private colleges and both two-year and four-year universities. The importance of black colleges and universities has been recognized by successive presidents, including Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, who supported programs linking various federal programs to assist historically black colleges and universities.
Lansford, Tom M. "Black Colleges and Universities." Encyclopedia of American Studies, edited by Simon Bronner, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1st edition, 2018.
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