Malcolm X once said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” It is no wonder, then, that political movements seeking to revert society to a time of segregation and inequality often target educational opportunities for Black students, attempting to deny them that proverbial passport.
Separate and Unequal
In just his second week in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating that officials develop plans to eliminate federal funding for schools he claimed were indoctrinating students with “gender ideology” and “discriminatory equity ideology.”
This vague language has left school districts and universities scrambling to interpret the order. Even Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, was unable to definitively say whether public schools offering African American studies courses would lose federal funding.
This is part of a broader effort by conservative politicians to erase Black history and limit educational opportunities for Black students — including nonbinary students.
In 2023, Florida banned an AP African American History course, claiming it indoctrinates students. The state also revised its educational standards to suggest that some Black people benefited from slavery. In 2023, Arkansas declared that AP African American Studies would not count toward graduation requirements, and in 2024, South Carolina went so far as to cancel the course altogether. In total, since 2021, 44 states have introduced bills, and at least 18 have passed laws restricting or outright banning Black studies and related literature. With Trump’s latest decree, this will only get worse.
The assault on Black education is not confined to K-12 schools; colleges and universities are also under attack. In 2023, the United States Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, effectively ending race-conscious admissions policies which were put in place to combat systemic discrimination. That same ruling is now being used to challenge minority scholarships. Since the decision, Black enrollment at some top colleges and universities has declined.
Discrimination in education is not new for Black Americans. Enslaved Africans were forbidden from learning to read and write, and even after emancipation, Black schools remained underfunded and neglected throughout the Jim Crow era. Today, majority-Black school districts continue to suffer from severe underfunding, significantly impacting the quality of education Black students receive.
HBCUs: A Legacy of Excellence
The persistent lack of educational opportunities for Black Americans led to the establishment of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Richard Humphreys established the first HBCU (the African Institute now Cheyney University) in 1837 to teach free African Americans reading, writing, and basic math. The majority of HBCUs were established during Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era from 1865 – 1900. These institutions provided higher education access to the formerly enslaved and their descendants.
HBCUs have long been hubs of Black academic excellence, producing Civil Rights leaders such as Stokely Carmichael (Howard), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Morehouse), Ella Baker (Shaw), and Bayard Rustin (Cheyney). They have also educated Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (Howard), Vice President Kamala Harris (Howard), Hall of Fame athletes, prominent lawmakers, and award-winning entertainers. Additionally, HBCUs have been a training ground for Black activists.
Today, HBCUs are as crucial as ever. While they represent only 3% of all colleges and universities, they enroll 10% of all Black students and produce 20% of all Black graduates. Additionally, 70% of Black physicians have attended HBCUs.
Despite their critical role in Black education, HBCUs face significant challenges. Sixteen of the country’s 19 historically Black land-grant universities have been underfunded by their respective states by a combined total of $13 billion. Only two states, Ohio and Delaware, have properly funded their HBCUs.
The funding disparities range from $172 million to as high as $2.14 billion compared to predominantly white institutions. In 2024, the Tennessee state legislature took control of Tennessee State University by stripping its board of authority. In January of this year, the Governor of Indiana revoked funding from the state’s only predominantly Black university. As more Black students turn to HBCUs for their education, these institutions will likely continue to face increased scrutiny and political attacks.
As a proud graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), I can attest that my time on campus was one of the most enriching experiences of my life. As a Black American, I know that much of my life will be spent navigating predominantly white spaces, but my years at FAMU allowed me to be surrounded by Black excellence.
I studied alongside Black scholars who became teachers, doctors, activists, lawyers, lawmakers, scientists, theologians, and business executives. FAMU provided me with a safe space to mature and discover my purpose. For a Black man in America, there is nothing more important than understanding one’s identity and purpose.
HBCU campuses are not just safe spaces for Black Americans — they are inclusive communities welcoming to individuals of all races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. Their mission remains the same: to educate and produce graduates who are committed to positively impacting their communities and the world.
The Fight for Black Education Continues
Civil Rights leader Marcus Garvey once said, “A people without knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.” Racism and white supremacy attempt to convince Black students that they have no past, no origin, and that they are nothing more than the harmful stereotypes perpetuated in the media.
The current anti-Black movement seeks to erase Black history and culture, but these efforts are not new. As we have done in the past, HBCU graduates will continue to lead the fight against lawmakers attempting to erase our history.
Organizers like FAMU graduate Marie Rattigan are stepping up to confront this challenge and fight for what we have always demanded: to be treated with dignity, to have our history and struggles acknowledged, and for America to fulfill its promises of freedom, justice, and opportunity. We will stand strong, because our roots run deep, and we refuse to be denied a future that is just, prosperous, and equitable.