Life
After the rise of BLM, Black students and their families are heading back to HBCUs
A number of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are seeing an increase in Black students applying and enrolling after years of decline.
“The percentage of Black students enrolled at HBCUs fell from 18 percent in 1976 to 8 percent in 2014 and then increased to 9 percent in 2020,” according to the National Center for Education Statistics. HBCUs such as Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, have seen an increase in applications. At that school, the number went up over 60 percent in 2020 from the previous year, according to Data USA.
There are a number of factors behind the change — including boosts from famous graduates such as Vice President Harris, an alumna of Howard University – but some Black students and their families see a safer learning environment with these institutions.
The first HBCU was established in the 1830s, before the Civil War, giving Black Americans the opportunity to pursue higher education.