Forum emphasizes black colleges
by Brian Shults, SE News Editor

   Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) converged on SE Campus, opening their admissions doors to students.

   The schools have played a large role in the African American population, Dennis Dunkins, HBCU panel moderator and affirmative action ombudsman for the Fort Worth Independent School District, said.

   "When the Civil War ended, it took a large toll. The nation was in shambles, and when it began to rebuild, schools opened, but they opened their doors to everyone but slaves," he said.

   "So Southern churches sprang into action and opened schools for former slaves," he said.

   HBCUs provided some of the first educational opportunities to African Americans, paving the way for the nation's advancements in equality. The schools began simply. Teachers taught former slaves basic skills such as reading and writing, as well as training some to be teachers, which allowed the young African American generation to have the benefit of education at a young age, Dunkins said.

   "And from that humble beginning, 140 schools are now regarded as HBCUs," he said.

   Tougaloo College representative Paul Scott exemplified that when he shared the history of his school.

   "Tougaloo College is a small private school that has good one-on-one opportunities for students. It is also rich in history. It was regarded in the Civil Rights movement as a safe haven," he said.

   Tougaloo is located in Mississippi, a hotbed for racial politics during the Civil Rights Movement. Activists and Northern demonstrators were often in physical danger from dissenters while protesting and vying for Civil Rights in the '60s South.

   Tougaloo College was used as place where the activists could go and receive protection and camaraderie, Scott said.

   Tougaloo's history reaches back further than the Civil Right's movement too, Scott said.

   "The college was built on a slave plantation. We regard it as hallowed grounds," he said.

   Since the time slavery was abolished; Tougaloo has produced many of Mississippi's health and law professionals, Scott said.

   All the HBCUs have symbolic and historical prestige regarding the struggle for equality in America's history, Dunkins said.

   Prairie View Texas A&M and the now defunct Bishop's college are local examples.

   Bishop's College has now been replaced by another HBCU, Paul Quinn College, Ronald Bishop Phillips said.

   Phillips, a descendent of the founder of Bishop College, believes that HBCUs are ideal for young African Americans because the school provides a commonality for students to relate to during times of not being able to transition to the college environment.

   One moderator agreed, using his experiences to show the outcome such an education could engender.

   Bill Deramus, a Prairie View graduate, currently fully owns one Marriot Hotel and has a partnership in three others.

   Prairie View was established over 120 years ago because Texas A&M did not accept African American students, Deramus said.

   Several other Historically Black institutions present included Xavier University, Huston-Tillotson, Texas Southern, Grambling State University, Hampton University and Tuskegee University.

   Tuskegee University history includes the lionized Tuskegee Airmen during WWII, as well as being founded by one of America's first Civil Rights leaders, Booker T. Washington.

   The panel discussion and HBCU recruiting fair were organized by Steven Smith, Nita Haliburton and Tonya Davis of SE Campus student services.