Why Going to an HBCU is Important Part II

 

This is an update to the original post I wrote in August of 2019:  

Let me first of all say, I am NOT a Stephen A. Smith fan.  I understand what he does and, perhaps, why he does it but I don't like his antics with all of the yelling and "I know it all" attitude.  I do, however, respect him a lot because I truly understand that to get where he is today has been no easy task.  He is to be applauded for that.  Another black man paving the way......

Today, I was watching First Take with Stephen A.  and Max Kellerman and I was rather moved by Stephen A's tribute to HBCUs.  I watched him do it last year but this time it was different.  It seemed more sincere.  LESS of Stephen A. and more about the HBCU he represents--Winston-Salem State University (WSSU).  I got to hear from students who went there and their reasons why---they ALL said the same thing:  They felt like they were a part of a family there and were nurtured in addition to being educated.  Their motto:  Earn to Learn, Depart to Serve.  That resonated so deeply with me because I never thought of my alma mater as very nurturing (as a matter of fact, it was just the opposite. At Ohio University, I felt like I was being thrown into the lion's den and had to fight daily to escape). I have no doubt I received a good education there but that's all it was.  I went out into the world to show everyone what a great school I went to.  OU did not encourage me, in any way, to go out and serve in the same way HBCU students are indoctrinated to do.  I have often wondered had I gone to an HBCU would I have had similar success in radio and television news?  Perhaps, I would've had even more.  But who knows.

I am so happy my daughter chose to go to an HBCU (North Carolina A&T University) even though I had my heart set on her going to my alma mater.  And I can honestly say right now I am excited to be affiliated with another HBCU--North Carolina Central University (NCCU), where I work part-time as a Writing Consultant--helping students find their unique voices through their writing. Their motto is:  Truth and Service.    It is a position I absolutely LOVE and it is my way way of giving back.  It is my way of nurturing young minds and being connected with a "family."   

Here are some other HBCU Facts you may not know:

60 percent of all Engineering degrees are earned by black students

70 percent of black dentists and physicians earned degrees from an HBCU

40 percent of blacks in Congress come from HBCU's

HBCU's  only have 1/8 of the average size of endowments that PWI's have

Cheyney University of PA was the first HBCU founded in 1837

In addition to Stephen A. Smith (WSSU), other celebrities attending HBCUs include Oprah Winfrey (Tennessee State), Samuel L. Jackson (Morehouse College), Taraji P. Henson (NC A&T/Howard University) and Chadwick Boseman, a.k.a "The Black Panther" (Howard University).

And there were many notable Black Scholars including:  Poet/Playwright Langston Hughes (Lincoln University),  Biologist Ernest Just (South Carolina State University) Mathematician and computer scientist Katherine Johnson (West Virginia State University), and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Colbert King (Howard University). 

These are just a few examples of what makes going to an HBCU so special.