From the outside looking in, competing for the title of “Miss” and “Mister” (also known as the kings and queens) may just look like a pageant or another exclusive title held on HBCU campuses. In reality, those elected for these roles serve as ambassadors and faces of the student body. Fun fact: Young women have […]
Education
Posted inHBCUs
At Southern University, Power Outages Are Turning College Life Into a Daily Struggle
BATON ROUGE, La. — Last month, Cherie Allen, an 18-year-old first-year college student, successfully accomplished what many teenagers struggle to do: wake up on time. She made the 8 a.m. shuttle bus that comes once an hour to take Southern University students to campus with some time to spare and arrived at her 9:30 a.m. […]
Posted inEducation, HBCUs
Cause of Death Revealed for Ohio HBCU Student at Center of Alleged Hazing Lawsuit
An Ohio coroner has revealed the cause of death for Savanna Jones nearly five months after the Wilberforce University freshman’s body was discovered in her dorm room. Released Sept. 28, the Greene County coroner’s report said Jones, who died in April, passed from acute ventricular dysrhythmia and acute alcohol intoxication, the Jones’ estate said. “The […]
Posted inHigher Education
Black UNC Students Say the University Failed Them After a Racist Attack
Less than 30 minutes into a Love Island watch party on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, all hell broke loose. On Aug. 31, several Black student organizations had gathered in a small building to watch the popular reality TV show when a white man walked in, yelling racial slurs. […]
Posted inEducation, HBCUs
HBCUs to Receive $174 Million Federal Funding Boost
Historically Black colleges and universities will get a one-time $174 million investment in what the Trump administration has called keeping its pledge to support institutions that have played a role advancing opportunities for generations. “For nearly 200 years, HBCUs have been engines of opportunity in communities, advancing critical innovations and uplifting local industries across the […]
Posted inHigher Education, Politics & Policy
The Slow Disappearance of Black Studies on College Campuses
For Northwestern University alumna Keala Uchôa, the university’s recent decision to restructure its African Studies program and cut two staff positions is hardly surprising. The move isn’t isolated. Over the years, the university and students have clashed over protests, a faculty member has sued over not getting tenure, and some current and former students – […]
Posted inHBCUs, Higher Education, Mental Health
HBCUs Are Building New Support Systems for Black Male Students
This story was produced with support from the Education Writers Association Reporting Fellowship program. COLUMBIA, South Carolina – Before heading to Howard University in fall 2021, Christopher Davis was determined to be the first Black man in his family to graduate from college. Not even a pandemic or financial insecurity could keep him from his […]
Posted inHigher Education
Black Academics See Their Own Struggles in the Death of a British Professor
The headlines about a Black British professor’s death in London and the plagiarism allegations about his work hit too close to home for Emmitt Riley. Jason Arday, the youngest Black professor in the University of Cambridge’s history when he was appointed in 2023, died Aug. 14 after weeks of intense scrutiny of his background and […]
Posted inCulture, HBCUs
Before Classes Begin, Morehouse Gives Its Freshmen a Lesson in Belonging
“I’ve got a feeling somebody’s trying to sneak in my house … Morehouse!” A boisterous crowd sang into the summer night air as they flanked a long line of young men dressed in white shirts and maroon ties as they exited King Chapel. It is with those words, sang by upperclassman and alumni, that Morehouse […]
Posted inHBCUs
Black Colleges Are Building More Dorms Amid Enrollment Growth
Housing has long been a strain on Black colleges, but this summer, several HBCUs flipped that narrative. They are breaking ground on new dorms and announcing housing developments just as enrollment climbs. HBCUs make up just 3% of U.S. higher education institutions, yet they educate more than 10% of Black Americans with college degrees, according […]
