Don’t just witness history; seize the opportunity to shape it

UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax says this election is the most important in our lifetime and critical to the future success of HBCUs. In the following op-ed appearing in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, he explains why.

Tuesday’s presidential election is the most critical in our lifetime—with the potential to change the trajectory of the country. And the stakes couldn’t be higher for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), which for generations have punched above their weight. They serve more economically disenfranchised students than most U.S. institutions, and they do so successfully, facilitating the upward mobility of the majority of their students.

Securing the future of HBCUs will require committed people across the country to ensure their voice is heard in the election. Each candidate speaks about HBCUs.  The question is which of these nominees on the ballot will actually do more than speak about HBCUs? UNCF has the data to prove that HBCUs truly have more than earned the needed investment via their economic impact. 

UNCF’s new research report, Transforming Futures: The Economic Engines of HBCUs, offers empirical evidence of the profound impact HBCUs have on the success of students, communities and the nation as a whole. HBCUs are not only esteemed institutions of higher learning but also an unrivaled catalyst for social mobility and economic engines for their surrounding communities. A few of the report’s findings quantify and reinforce their impact: 

HBCUs are collectively one of the country’s top employers: their 136,000-person workforce exceeds the number of employees at American Express, Exxon Mobile, Nike or Verizon. What’s more, 60 percent of the jobs HBCUs create are in the public and private sectors. 

On an annual basis, the nation’s 101 HBCUs generate $16.5 billion in total economic impact on sales. This spending has a ripple effect on communities: every dollar in initial spending contributes an additional 43 cents to the regional economy. Since many HBCUs are located in towns and cities throughout the South and Southeast, they serve as an anchor for these communities, supporting local businesses and drawing economic investment. 

The 51,000 students who graduated from HBCUs in 2021 can expect to earn $146 billion over the course of their careers, 57 percent more than they would earn without a degree or certificate. Their academic accomplishments open up a path to accumulate generational wealth, a goal that has for too long eluded a significant portion of the Black community.

These findings are even more impressive when considering the chronic lack of resources HBCUs have had to grapple with since their founding. Despite federal mandates calling for states to provide certain levels of funding, too many states have for decades ignored their responsibility. 

Even amid decades-long budgetary constraints, HBCUs have continued to produce 80% of Black judges, 50% of Black doctors, and 50% of Black lawyers. 

They award 24% of all bachelor’s degrees received by African Americans in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

HBCUs have a 34% mobility rate of moving their students from the bottom 40% in household income into the top 60%. That is double the national average and five times more than Ivy institutions.

Yet doing more with less should be a temporary measure, not a default strategy. It’s long past time to level the playing field. If HBCUs have built this impressive record under such challenging circumstances, imagine what they could do with the same level of funding as non-HBCUs. 

Ensuring these institutions continue to receive much-needed funding is critical. But the outcome isn’t guaranteed. If the past several years have reinforced anything, it’s that none of us knows what lies ahead. Yet each of us has the power to shape events in real time.

This election offers an important opportunity to do just that. It has already made history, with an HBCU graduate as the first presidential nominee of either of the two major parties. 

It’s instructive to understand how our collective efforts brought us to this point. The killing of George Floyd in June 2020 and Black Lives Matter movement created a racial reckoning and ongoing conversation that continue to reverberate across society—from the halls of power to corporate boardrooms to kitchen tables. The challenges of the pandemic amplified these issues and the urgency to finally address them. 

During the ensuing years, HBCUs received what most consider unprecedented levels of funding from the federal government as well as a groundswell of support from donors. However, I would say that it does not scratch the surface of what the institutions deserve for their contribution to American society–not just now but since inception, and from the beginning to now these institutions have been met with fewer resources than every other group of higher education institutions.

Colleges and universities use endowments to support several priorities, such as scholarships, upgraded facilities and faculty hiring. However, endowments at HBCUs currently trail those of other institutions by at least 70%. A U.S. GAO study found HBCUs have an average of $15,000 in endowment per student, compared with $410,000 per student at comparable non-HBCUs.

The push for racial justice and growing awareness of the sources of social inequity are a reminder that America must continue investing in the power of HBCUs to address these issues—a role they have been willing to play for more than 150 years. Can they truly be expected to make that impact with such little funding?

So, what actions can we take to ensure a brighter future for HBCUs, the students they serve, their surrounding communities—and the nation as a whole? 

First, all of us must commit to investing more in HBCUs. UNCF research has revealed that no network of institutions has been more effective in lifting students from the lowest socioeconomic rungs to the middle class. And as our research has found, every dollar spent, and every job created comes with a multiplier that extends its impact.

We also have a public policy agenda that includes investing in the institutions.  If more students are giving HBCUs a look, why not meet our legislative and appropriations marks on the “Strengthening HBCUs” program at the Department of Education, creating a debt-free infrastructure program, or fight those who routinely make bomb threats to harm the harmonious atmosphere of the institutions purely out of spite?

Second, HBCU students, alumni, families and communities across the country must come together to rally for HBCUs. We must demand support for these institutions at legislative sessions and town halls. Together, we must hold our country’s leaders accountable and demand equity in education.  If political leaders are going to use the acronym HBCU as a dog-whistle, then it is high time we reclaim it and inform the constituency ourselves around what these political leaders are or are not doing–regardless of race or party.

Last, we must vote our values on Tuesday, November 5. A vote for candidates who support HBCUs is a vote for job creation and wealth accumulation in America. It’s a vote for stronger families and economic investment in communities. It’s a vote for equality of opportunity.  My only question is which candidate will actually say, and then show, they are for HBCUs?

As I think about the coming months, I’m reminded that history is not a series of isolated events. Progress is instead the culmination of social forces and persistent dedication by legions of people over decades to make changes that improve people’s lives.  

We collectively have that opportunity now. We can ill afford to waste this moment.