{"id":180705,"date":"2021-02-17T20:15:12","date_gmt":"2021-02-17T17:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/historic-black-colleges-to-get-650000-to-preserve-campuses\/"},"modified":"2021-02-17T20:15:12","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T17:15:12","slug":"historic-black-colleges-to-get-650000-to-preserve-campuses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/historic-black-colleges-to-get-650000-to-preserve-campuses\/","title":{"rendered":"#Historic Black colleges to get $650,000 to preserve campuses"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Historic Black colleges to get $650,000 to preserve campuses<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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CHICAGO \u2014 Several historically Black colleges and universities will receive more than $650,000 in grants to preserve their campuses as part of a new initiative announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The funding for the HBCUs comes as leaders of the colleges and universities continue to advocate for additional funding nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, which has threatened the survival of many already chronically underfunded schools. Details about the initiative were shared with The Associated Press ahead of the announcement.<\/p>\n

HBCUs have long been underfunded as a result of decades of structural racism and lack of equitable public funding, said Brent Leggs, executive director of the National Trust\u2019s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, which is supplying the grants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey stand as a living testament to African American history and the ongoing achievements of highly influential Americans,\u201d he said. \u201cBut they continue to be overlooked and underfunded.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Shows
This April 3, 2020, file photo, shows a courtyard typically teaming with Benedict College students in Columbia, SC. The funding for the HBCUs comes as leaders of the colleges and universities continue to advocate for additional funding nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, which has threatened the survival of many already chronically underfunded schools.<\/figcaption>
AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The HBCU Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative seeks to preserve HBCUs as educational institutions as well as physical spaces of historic and cultural significance. The eight schools getting the grants are: Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina; Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi; Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee; Morgan State University in Baltimore; Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas; Spelman College in Atlanta; Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe starting point is to equip HBCUs with the resources, knowledge and information they need to invest in their historic assets,\u201d Leggs said.<\/p>\n

The selected HBCUs will develop preservation plans for either a campuswide project or individual buildings, many of which were designed and built by Black architects. One student from each of the schools will help carry out the preservation plans to \u201ccultivate the next generation of Black professionals in historic preservation,\u201d Leggs said.<\/p>\n

The $650,000 in funding is part of a larger initiative by the National Trust, which launched the action fund in 2017 as a $25 million campaign to preserve Black culture and celebrate the historic achievements of the Black community.<\/p>\n

The initiative is a \u201cbrilliant step forward\u201d in addressing the history of systemic inequity HBCUs face, said Phylicia Rashad, co-chair of the initiative and the iconic actress, singer and stage director known for her role as Clair Huxtable on \u201cThe Cosby Show.\u201d Rashad\u2019s parents and many of her aunts and uncles were educated at HBCUs, and Rashad graduated from Howard University, one of the country\u2019s oldest HBCUs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a space that was much more than brick and mortar,\u201d she said. \u201cI was in a space that was the embodiment of history, of legacy, of excellence. You can feel the presence of that which has come before you. And that becomes part of you even after you leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

By helping preserve these spaces, Rashad feels she\u2019s carrying on the work of her ancestors, including her mother, who worked to restore a building at Brainerd Institute, which was once a historically Black school in Chester, South Carolina.<\/p>\n

\"Phylicia
Phylicia Rashad poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. Rashad, who graduated from Howard University, one of the country\u2019s oldest HBCUs, is a co-chair of the initiative.<\/figcaption>
Elijah Nouvelage\/Invision\/AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis is American history,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it should be recognized and honored as such.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Benedict College, the funding will be used to restore Duckett Hall, which was built in 1925 and is the third-oldest building of the school\u2019s historic district.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe years have been hard on Duckett Hall,\u201d said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, president and CEO of Benedict College. Water leaking in from windows has caused a \u201chost of structural problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOften on our campuses, we fix what\u2019s broken in that moment,\u201d Artis said. \u201cIf a window breaks, we fix the window. If a pipe breaks, we fix the pipe. This grant will help us start with the leaky windows but also fully assess the building and create a strategic plan for preservation long term.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many HBCUs were already struggling financially before COVID-19 hit. Leaders of the schools have advocated for additional federal funding in the wake of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Artis said drops in enrollment and the number of students living on campus have led to significant financial loss for Benedict College, making this funding even more timely. But financial struggles are far from new.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spend our money on students and learning,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re often unable to replace windows and address these physical challenges as easily as predominantly white institutions. These buildings are symbolic of our history and how far we\u2019ve come. If they fall into disrepair, it sends the message that they don\u2019t matter, that our history doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Students
Students sit on the campus of Spelman College in September, 2018. The $650,000 in funding is part of a larger initiative by the National Trust, which launched the action fund in 2017 as a $25 million campaign to preserve Black culture and celebrate the historic achievements of the Black community.<\/figcaption>
AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Federal initiatives also have taken aim at better supporting HBCUs. Under President Donald Trump\u2019s administration, bipartisan legislation passed in December 2019 made permanent $255 million in annual STEM funding for colleges serving racial minorities in a plan that included $85 million for HBCUs. The bill restored funding that lapsed earlier that year when Congress failed to renew it. Near the end of Trump\u2019s presidency, several HBCUs, including South Carolina State University, Talladega College, Jackson State University and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, received additional federal funding.<\/p>\n

The National Trust initiative follows increased attention on HBCUs, fueled in part by Kamala Harris recently making history as the first woman, first Black and South Asian person, and first HBCU graduate to become vice president of the United States. And during President Joe Biden\u2019s campaign, he pledged to address the historic underfunding of HBCUs, especially regarding federal research dollars. In his higher education plan, Biden included $20 billion to help HBCUs and other institutions serving minority students to bolster research efforts and another $10 billion to create centers of excellence at colleges centered around educating students of color.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving Vice President Kamala Harris representing the excellence and legacy of an HBCU is increasing the recognition of these historic academic institutions,\u201d Leggs said. \u201cThat is beautiful. That gives me hope for better support for these institutions.\u201d\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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