Should You Go to an HBCU?

HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) have the prestigious honor of always being committed to the mission of educating everyone regardless of race, but Evelyn and Hallease both attended a PWI (Predominately White Institution) and didn’t pledge Black Greek. In this episode, they discuss HBCU history and the myriad of reasons why prospective students consider attending them by touring Howard University. #HBCU #BackToSchool

CORRECTION: At 2:15 Fort Valley State University was not founded by the AMA.

– Over the decades we’ve enjoyed a solid handful
00:02
of references to HBCU’s and black Greek life
00:05
and pop culture.
00:06
– You could not tell me Hillman college wasn’t real
00:08
when I was a kid,
00:09
and I am so glad social media didn’t exist
00:12
when I was trying to recreate that Drumline scene.
00:14
Y’all know the one.
00:15
(drumming)
00:18
(crowd cheering)
00:23
– And while we swooned over
00:24
Janelle Monae’s Electric Lady music video,
00:27
and played bootleg recordings
00:28
of Beyonce’s Coachella performance on loop
00:30
until we had the chance to play
00:32
the Netflix documentary on loop,
00:34
we can’t all the way relate actually.
00:39
– I mean, to be clear, we are not these guys.
00:42
(quirky music)
00:45
But we attended a PWI and didn’t pledge a black sorority.
00:51
– Was that a mistake?
00:53
– I don’t know.
00:54
– We want to look past romanticized ideas
00:56
of house parties and step shows,
00:57
and understand the impact
00:59
that these institutions still have today.
01:01
– To do that, we have to understand the history
01:03
of black people in The United States
01:05
seeking higher education.
01:07
(funky music)
01:12
– Remember when we talked about reconstruction
01:13
after the civil war?
01:14
The emancipation of enslaved people brought with it
01:17
the challenge of building a new society
01:19
in which their humanity is now recognized.
01:23
(phone ringing)
01:26
– Freedmen’s Bureau hotline, how can I assist you today?
01:28
Alright, alright.
01:30
Oh, so you want to know if we have a database
01:31
of schools that actually accept black students?
01:35
Alright.
01:37
Right.
01:40
No.
01:41
They definitely wouldn’t do that.
01:43
(mumbles)
01:46
Hi, so sorry, yeah I will have to get back to you,
01:50
once a school like that exists.
01:52
– Black folks weren’t allowed
01:53
to attend existing universities
01:54
so they had to form their own.
01:56
The first colleges for African Americans were mostly
01:58
established by black churches
02:00
with the support of The Freedmen’s Bureau
02:02
and the American Missionary Association.
02:05
– The AMA was a non-denominational abolitionist group
02:08
founded in 1846, and during reconstruction
02:11
they founded 11 colleges,
02:13
including Huston-Tillotson University here in Austin, Texas.
02:17
And together with the Freedmen’s Bureau, Howard University.
02:20
– We personally may not have an HBCU connection
02:23
but we got the PBS hook up and toured Howard,
02:25
thanks to our friends at PBS member station, WHUT.
02:29
– Hey y’all so I’m here in Washington D.C.
02:32
on Howard University’s campus at WHUT
02:36
and I am here with my friend
02:38
– Mikael, I’m the Creative Services Manager
02:40
here at WHUT, the first and still only HBCU
02:45
licensee of a public work out station.
02:48
So, I will be taking E out of these streets.
02:51
So, we gonna make sure that we can
02:53
get the gist of this campus.
02:57
– There you go.
02:59
– For those of you who don’t know, fun fact.
03:01
Howard was actually founded by a white guy.
03:04
– So Howard is named after
03:05
a union general Oliver Otis Howard.
03:08
Who was, at the time,
03:09
the commissioner of the Freedmans Bureau.
03:11
– Oh, he was about it.
03:12
And as much as a white guy
03:13
in post civil war US could be about it.
03:16
– Yeah.
03:17
– But he invested something into the university.
03:21
Or into our experience that we would not have gotten.
03:25
That’s sometimes what you need is that first step
03:27
to make something as amazing
03:29
and as valuable as Howard university.
03:33
– While it’s not the oldest HBCU in the country
03:36
– That title goes to the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.
03:39
Founded in 1837,
03:41
it was originally called the African Institute,
03:43
and then the Institute for Colored Youth.
03:48
The times.
03:48
– Howard’s brand recognition comes from it’s
03:50
impressive alumni, making it an epicenter of culture.
03:53
– So, this is how change tends to happen.
03:56
People take action, and legislation follows.
03:58
It doesn’t quite fit, people take more action,
04:01
and legislation is updated.
04:03
It’s these series of steps over time
04:05
that create what future generations see as progress.
04:09
The first HBCU’s were private, funded by religious
04:12
or philanthropic groups and individuals.
04:14
But in 1890 the second Morrill Land Grant Act
04:17
specified that states using Federal higher education funds
04:21
must provide an education to black students.
04:23
Either by opening the doors of their public universities,
04:27
or by establishing new schools
04:28
specifically to serve black students.
04:31
Now, this is almost 70 years
04:33
before we even get to the integration
04:35
of our Alma Mater.
04:36
– In 1928 the Southern Association of Colleges
04:39
and Schools began formally surveying and accrediting HBCU’s.
04:43
It wasn’t until 1965, almost 100 years after
04:46
a school like Howard was founded,
04:48
that the Higher Education Act of 1965
04:50
formalized the HBCU definition.
04:53
Officially recognizing their contribution to education.
04:56
– Today, there are 105 HBCU’s.
04:59
They enroll 11% of black students in the US
05:02
while only representing <3% of colleges and universities
05:06
in the country.
05:07
Let that sink in.
05:08
– Though HBCUs were founded to educate black Americans,
05:12
anyone seeking education,
05:13
regardless of race, can enroll.
05:15
But think about it.
05:16
How cool is it to say your university has a legacy
05:19
of wanting to educate you.
05:21
Not through protest, but from the very beginning.
05:24
– And scholars have studied what HBCUs provide
05:27
through community cultural wealth.
05:29
School isn’t just about academics.
05:31
It’s also about adjusting to a new,
05:33
and somewhat controlled environment.
05:35
And if you feel socially estranged, alienated,
05:38
or even threatened by your peers,
05:40
it can take a toll on you and your grades.
05:43
– So, it’s no surprise that according to a report from
05:45
the National Science Foundation,
05:47
eight of the top 10 US institutions
05:49
producing black undergrads who went on
05:52
to earn science and engineering doctorates were HBCUs.
05:56
– So, this is the valley.
05:57
Known to most of our students as the valley,
06:00
it’s the home of all of our sciences.
06:01
– Got it.
06:02
– So, biology, chemistry, physics, and even pharmacy.
06:06
But this is where we make doctors.
06:09
– Now, what do you have to say for that decision
06:11
that 18 year old Hallease made?
06:13
– I wanted to become a film maker.
06:15
More specifically, a feature-film editor.
06:17
And the University of Texas at Austin
06:19
was the only affordable film program I knew about
06:22
at the time.
06:23
It really did come down to monetary resources
06:25
and income for me.
06:26
Which I think is something a lot of students
06:28
have to work through.
06:29
– That’s true.
06:30
– P.S., thank you Mom & Dad, for not cutting my funding.
06:32
Look at ya girl now!
06:33
Look at me.
06:33
We out here.
06:34
What about you?
06:35
– So, imagine my surprise when I learned after the fact
06:38
that an HBCU is literally down the highway from us.
06:40
– Yeah.
06:41
– So, admittedly, I was a teenager
06:43
who was influenced by name recognition.
06:46
Nobody from an HBCU came to my High School
06:48
during those college fairs.
06:50
I didn’t know any Alumni.
06:51
And I always assumed HBCU’s were private,
06:54
out of state schools.
06:55
Which I could not afford.
06:56
– And affordability is an issue that can come up
06:59
among those seeking higher education.
07:01
HBCU’s, just like PWIs,
07:03
have received their fair share of scrutiny
07:05
when it comes to financial aid and available resources
07:07
to their students.
07:08
– But who knows, though?
07:09
If someone told us all this in High School
07:11
I could’ve been a Bison.
07:13
Or like, a Rattler.
07:14
– I also regret not participating
07:15
more in black Greek life while attending college.
07:18
As we mentioned before, it all adds up
07:20
to a collective of community cultural wealth.
07:22
And I missed out on establishing
07:24
potential professional relationships.
07:26
– While I didn’t pledge a sorority, black Greeks were
07:28
my social life saving grace.
07:31
Their events encouraged academic excellence,
07:33
made sure I was aware of resources, and yes, parties.
07:36
I attended all the parties.
07:38
– Greek life started here, really.
07:40
Because if it stayed at Cornell,
07:42
we’re not sure how well it would have caught fire.
07:46
You know, ’cause it’s a PWI, and there’s
07:50
in 1906 there’s a very limited amount
07:52
of African Americans that were going to Cornell University.
07:56
Without Howard sparking that fire,
07:58
Greek life may or may not have even happened, so.
08:01
– Yeah. – Kudos!
08:02
– And then it would have never trickled down
08:03
to where I went to school, University of Texas.
08:05
– Woo!
08:06
– So.
08:07
– As in Longhorns?
08:08
– Yep!
08:08
– Hook ’em horns!
08:09
– The national Pan-Hellenic Council
08:11
was formed on May 10th, 1930
08:13
and included the Omega Psi Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi,
08:17
Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, and Zeta Phi Beta.
08:21
The following year, Alpha Phi Alpha,
08:23
and Phi Beta Sigma joined.
08:25
And by 1997, what we now call the “Divine Nine”
08:28
was complete, with the additions of Sigma Gamma Roe
08:31
in 1937, and Iota Phi Theta in 1997.
08:35
– The mission of the Divine Nine is unanimity
08:38
of thought and action as far as possible in the conduct
08:41
of Greek letter collegiate fraternities
08:44
and sororities, and to consider problems
08:45
of mutual interest to its member organizations.
08:48
– Basically, it’s like Harry Potter.
08:50
– Oh.
08:50
– You can be a Hufflepuff, or a Gryffindor.
08:52
– Gotchu.
08:53
– But at the end of the day, y’all all rep Hogwarts.
08:54
– And like the wonderful wizarding world,
08:57
they’re all down for some friendly competition.
08:59
– My name is Taylor Smith, I go to the
09:02
University of Texas at Austin,
09:03
and I am a member
09:04
of Delta Sigma Theta sorority incorporated.
09:06
So, Delta has been present all my life.
09:08
I’m not a legacy, so with me it was
09:11
that organization was heavily influenced
09:14
in my community.
09:15
So those are the women that I saw
09:17
doing most of the community service in my community,
09:20
my school teachers, people that was like sponsors
09:23
in certain organizations,
09:24
so they was like heavily influenced.
09:26
So, that was what made me wanna go that route.
09:28
So, strollin basically looks like an outside dance.
09:31
So it looks like a lot of people on a dance,
09:34
doing similar moves, the significance is Charlan.
09:37
To me, personally, I feel like
09:39
it’s a form of unity.
09:41
Showing that we’re all doing something together.
09:44
Okay so there’s nine black Greek organizations.
09:47
But then you have several different chapters
09:50
that falls under those organizations.
09:51
So, you may have one chapter, they have a certain
09:54
stroll that they do, that everybody knows
09:56
oh, this is that chapter that’s doin’ that.
09:58
– It’s because of their history
10:00
that HBCUs are still relevant today.
10:02
Classroom discrimination, hiring bias,
10:05
salary inequality, the chances of finding
10:07
someone who can guide you through these issues
10:10
is higher at an HBCU.
10:12
– Your network is your net worth.
10:13
– Preach.
10:14
– The community you cultivate through higher education
10:16
goes on to impact your adult life and connect you
10:19
to people you haven’t even met yet.
10:21
– There have been connections that’s been formed
10:23
I’ve met a lot more journalists,
10:25
’cause I’m a journalist major.
10:26
At your college undergrad year,
10:29
don’t let not being a part of an organization
10:31
or Greek organization in general, stop you
10:33
from building those connections.
10:35
So, however you were before you came into the Greek world
10:37
is how you’re gonna be once you go into the Greek world,
10:40
so if you use that person that’s making those connections
10:42
before, you’re gonna be the same person.
10:43
(laughs)
10:44
– So, if you had to give anybody watching that final push
10:50
to come to an HBCU, what would you say?
10:53
– First, I’m not gonna push you to go to an HBCU.
10:57
The choice is yours,
10:59
and just like anything else, not for everyone.
11:04
But, if you were to choose,
11:05
or you’re thinking about Howard University,
11:08
the historical value is not what you’re going to rest on.
11:14
What you make of this experience is what grows
11:18
the university, is what make HBCUs.
11:22
So, definitely do not choose Howard University
11:26
or any HBCU just because of the legacy.
11:30
Build on it’s future.
11:32
So, come in with a purpose.
11:34
Come in with intent.
11:35
Choose it because you value it,
11:39
and give it your all.
11:41
(claps)
11:42
– That is good.
11:43
Back to you, or us.
11:45
– Just as a Harvard grad will perk up
11:47
a little bit more when a fellow Harvardian walks
11:49
into an interview, or if someone in a building yells.
11:52
– [Woman] Texas!
11:53
– [Both] Fight!
11:54
– At the end of the day, choosing an institution
11:56
for your higher education is a big decision
11:58
that only you can make.
12:00
HBCUs have a prestigious legacy of doing what
12:03
literally no other school wanted to do.
12:06
Educate us.
12:07
– For that reason alone, we can go ahead and dead these
12:10
HBCU vs PWI twitter wars.
12:13
We all got student loans, and made decisions based on what
12:16
we thought was best for us at the time.
12:18
As with any institution, you get what you put into it.
12:21
So, join organizations, don’t cut class,
12:23
don’t break a stroll line, and get to know your peers
12:26
because you never know.
12:27
You may just end up producing a PBS Digital Studio show
12:30
with one of them.
12:31
In the comments, we want to hear from y’all.
12:33
If you’re headed to an HBCU tell us why you picked it.
12:36
– If any alumni are watching,
12:37
drop some wisdom in the comments,
12:39
because we need them to focus on these books, okay?
12:41
– Give this episode a like,
12:43
subscribe, and follow us on social media
12:45
@sayitloudPBS and click here to watch
12:48
Sound Field explore New York’s
12:49
underground ballroom scene,
12:51
including Voguing and musical crashes.
12:53
And we’ll see you next time!
12:55
– [Both] Bye!
12:57
(upbeat music)
13:05
(dramatic music)

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