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In Baltimore, the Henry Highland Garnet Elementary School is a significant part of the city and the nation’s history. Located in the heart of Baltimore’s Black culture, it is where many of the city’s Black leaders, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, began their education. Although the school was closed in the early 1970s and fell into disrepair through neglect and was nearly destroyed by a fire, it was saved and recently reopened as a community hub thanks to alumni and public support.
This success story must inspire us to save our historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) nationwide, which now face similar existential threats.
America’s HBCUs are monuments to the beginnings of higher education for Black Americans. However, these institutions, with their rich legacies and historic campuses, are crumbling before our very eyes. The repercussions of inadequate maintenance are extensive, impacting everything from the physical infrastructure to student health and well-being, threatening learning outcomes and financial stability.
Most HBCUs are in the southern United States, where extreme weather exacerbates challenges for campuses trying to manage deteriorating buildings. Sweltering heat, extreme humidity, and natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes strain aged buildings. A lack of adequate air conditioning, leaky roofs, outdated HVAC systems, and poorly maintained facilities promote rot, mold, and other issues, destroying the foundations of these venerable colleges.
Today, students have more choices than ever. HBCUs must compete in a crowded higher education marketplace, and students will not choose schools that endanger their health and well-being. Similarly, faculty and staff will avoid unsafe environments. Potential lawsuits resulting from these unhealthy living, learning, and working environments could further damage these institutions’ ability to survive.
HBCUs find themselves in this position because of years of systemic underfunding. According to a Forbes analysis, “How America Cheated Its Black Colleges,” Black land-grant universities have been underfunded by at least $12.8 billion over the past three decades. This systemic underfunding, coupled with a pervasive threat of violence, including an increasing number of bomb threats rooted in racial bias, has heightened anxiety levels on campuses. Although no bombs have been found so far, these threats create constant tension, adding significant mental stress to students, faculty, and staff, in addition to draining resources to respond and manage the threats.
Earlier this year, the Biden-Harris administration announced more than $16 billion in support for HBCUs, exceeding the billions in systemic underfunding. However, the money was designated for COVID relief, research, student debt relief, mental health, STEM, and educational/research program development. No money was earmarked for capital improvements, leaving HBCUs in desperate need of additional funds for infrastructure.
Now is the time to take a lesson from our ancestors — strong Black men and women who, despite racial segregation and discrimination, established higher education institutions for Black Americans. Their courage and determination led to significant educational achievements. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, approximately 26.1% of Blacks over the age of 25 have earned at least a bachelor’s degree.
Will we let their valiant efforts go to waste? Or will we confront the system of racial inequity and inadequate government support to ensure our HBCUs thrive, continue to grow, and enhance their success rates? This is our American Black history and our American Black future — our family, friends, children, colleagues, mentors, and peers.
If you are an HBCU alum, will you donate to infrastructure improvements? If you believe in higher education equality, will you support HBCUs even if you did not attend one? Do you own a construction or plumbing business that could offer maintenance services to these schools?
The only way to save our HBCUs — tributes to the brave work of our Black ancestors — is through financial support or donated time and expertise. Please contact an HBCU and offer what you can. Honor our Black forefathers, show that their legacy is not forgotten, and demonstrate that together, we can ensure these vital institutions stand strong for generations to come.
Dr. Adriel A. Hilton is the director of Programs, Transitions, and Youth Success Planning at Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families. He previously served as vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management and associate professor of education at Southern University in New Orleans.
Dr. Cheron Hunter Davis is an associate professor of reading education at Florida A&M University.