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You are fresh out of high school or just now deciding to go to college and you are ready for a fresh new start. You have probably looked at local colleges and they just don’t fit your taste; or you have probably ruled out attending an ordinary community college.

So what’s next? Well if you are a college-bound African-American student, than attending a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) just may be the answer.

College can be fun and it can also be culturally stimulating. Attending a black college is one of the best experiences that an African-American or a non-African-American can have. The struggles, the history, and the successes of most Historically Black Colleges/Universities are astounding. It is truly a privilege to follow the legacies of some of America’s most profound black leaders by attending and graduating from a Historically Black College/University.

I have had the opportunity to attend two of the countries top HBCUs. I would have to say that this was definitely one of the best experiences in my life. I was able to grow and understand who I was and the struggles that African-Americans have gone through in order to get me there. Besides all of the parties, different cultures, and excitement, I did end up learning more than I thought that I would. My experience at an HBCU has helped shape the person that I am today.
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Source: News You Should Know
The Nashville institution is getting flack for trying to sell a prestigious art collection
Fisk University in Nashville, like many historically Black colleges, is facing some hard financial times. In fact, Fisk’s money woes are such that to stay afloat fisk-university.jpgit must sell half of its stake in an astonishing collection of artworks for $30 million. (more…)

Jackson State University became the first historically Black Institution to have its golf team invited to Division 1 tournament of the National Collegiate Athletic association.
Jackson state being a historically black university has an all white golf team. Some say that Jackson State’s inclusion into the tournament is as ironic as it being historic. It is thought that situations such as this undermine the mission of black youths excelling in majority white sports teams. Whites being the minority at colleges and universities such as Jackson State get much more appealing scholarships and financial aid.

Whether or not white students validate a historically black college being Division 1 in golf is still up in the air. Raymond A. McDougal states, “I believe you should call the white schools that have predominantly Black basketball and football teams and see what they say. It is not who plays: it is the school that counts.”

I would agree with the statement. Most college/universities black or white have a predominant black football or basketball team. To say that the University of Florida would undermine its basketball program due to it being a majority white school and it having a predominant black basketball team would be absurd. Likewise Jackson State should get the benefit of the doubt.

De’Angelo

This article is exceprted from 8 Steps to Help Black Families Pay For College by Thomas LaVeist, Ph.D. and Will LaVeist.

A school’s atmosphere is very important.It determines whether you’ll feel comfortable there, whether you’ll find your niche. We once heard it put like this: “Going to college ain’t about getting in, it’s about fitting in.” This issue has raised for many African American students the question of whether to attend a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) or a predominantly white institution. African American students can be successful at either; it’s up to the student.

The Scoop on HBCUs
First of all, by definition, an HBCU is a school that was established before 1964 with the intention of serving the African American community. Often people talk about HBCUs as if they were all the same, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are more than 100 HBCUs in the United States, and they come in all types and sizes. HBCUs can be public or private, and come in both the two-year and four-year variety. Some are large, and some are small. HBCUs are located in 20 states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands, in both urban and rural areas. Some have competitive admissions standards, whereas others offer quality educational opportunities to students who have less than stellar high school grades. Some, such as Lincoln University of Missouri, actually have large white populations. And few, if any of them, are really all black.

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