THIS MONTH IN HISTORY – MARCH

The world changes constantly. On any given day, people make history and in some cases even change the future. The human race occasionally absorbs themselves in the now and totally disregards the past which has shaped this town, state, country and world. A dig into the past reveals suppressed history that has often been forgotten or overlooked. This forgotten, overlooked, untaught history must be remembered if we are to be united.

March, 2012

THURGOOD MARSHALL COLLEGE FUND LAUNCHES NATIONAL “I LOVE MY HBCU” MONTH CAMPAIGN

Born into slavery where education was forbidden to blacks, a man named Zachary Hubert experienced the unthinkable;all 12 of  his children went to college.

For people like Zachary Hubert the idea of blacks attending college was as insane as a person landing on the moon back in those days. Most blacks who were educated enough to even attempt to attend college were sent to a scarce few white colleges. Even there they were discriminated against.

It was not until after the Civil War till African American colleges and education began to blossom. Schools established by black preachers and ministers began to pop up and the once scarce amount of colleges that accepted black students turned into hundreds. Those schools are now known as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs.

As these HBCUs began to prosper, the want for higher education for African Americans heightened.The second Morrill Land-Grant Act established that  states must provide education for black students if they used federal higher education funds.

Schools in the South completely isolated African Americans instead of accepting them in their establishments. In response, the top HBCUs were born and became prosperous. Howard, Morehouse, Spelman, and Tuskegee all attracted young, intelligent black students who contributed to the making of black doctors, lawyers and teachers. According to the National Science Foundation, black colleges now represent 3 percent of schools in America and 35 percent of all bachelor degrees in astronomy, biology, chemistry, math and physics are earned by black students.

The lack of knowledge about HBCUs and false claims about the legitimacy and educational values that HBCUs have to offer divert them from giving the system a chance. HBCUs have impacted tons of young African Americans lives. It is a perfect place for young African Americans to connect with their culture, experience first hand black excellence in education and also be in a safe environment from harsh discrimination about race.

This month is national “I Love My HBCU” month. This campaign was created in 2012 by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to honor and celebrate the alumni and the staff of black colleges.

This month in history we celebrate the courage of our African American ancestors for creating a system where students can celebrate diversity, experience culture and prepare to become the future leaders of the world.