Obviously I'm for them. First and foremost they were created because no White institution in America would accept a Black student, point blank. Some people may hear the acronym and think there may have been a time when non-Black students couldn't attend, and even the truly ignorant(not in the insulting way, but genuinely lacking knowledge) may think they can't up to the present day. That has never been the case. And I can guarantee you that the first White kid to attend an HBCU didn't need a National Guard escort to sign up for classes. When I attended there were many White and non-Black students there. When I was a freshman, which was during the last seasons we were in the 1-AA Playoff picture, our WR1 was Charlie Allen. Cool *** Whiteboy from Killian. I'd even go as far to say that there may have been as many as or more than the amount of Black kids at the Clown School for Girls(if you adjust the numbers to exclude athletic scholarship recipients, it ain't even close). They are esteemed institutions and pillars of Black America and have always been essential for the progress of our community. My alma mater sits in one of the rough areas of Tally(ironically, the other is across the North border of semenhole territory), the survival of that neighborhood is intrinsically linked to the success of FAMU. I'm certain that we're the #1 employer in the area, no doubt. Could you imagine the economic impact that would occur for the Southside if we could keep enough of our talent to supplant North Dakota St. as the FCS Big Dog, let alone enough to thrive on a G5 or P5 level???Throughout the years, the schoolhouse and its faculty has been an extension of home and family. I'm not saying that a Black kid can't have professors or administrators that genuinely care for them at a White university, not at all, but I'm willing to bet it won't be the same as at an HBCU. Given our unique history and collective condition as a people in this country, there is an extra vested interest in the success of every young man & woman who can gain entry. Just like I'll always agree with an academically gifted AA kid choosing to attend FAM, Howard, or Tuskegee over Harvard, Yale or Princeton, I'd definitely be all for one who's athletically gifted if he chooses Grambling over L$U or to be a BCU Wildcat instead of a ******' ****...
vault.si.com
. In addition, it would boast the bottom lines of HBCU, which educated generations and generations of African-Americans and produced amazing leaders in all fields.
