Article Analysis Essay on Historically Black Colleges & Universities: Their Significance in 21st Century

Introduction

The article under review is called "The Significance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the 21st Century: Will Such Institutions of Higher Learning Survive?" The article was published on 25th April 2017 by Earnest Bracey. The main argument of the author is that the HBCUs will continue surviving since they help in maintaining close identity with the African American struggles for advancement and equality in education. Bracey supports these claims by introducing the need for equal opportunities in education and the excellent environment for studies.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Review

The author has addressed the importance of HBCUs and provided proof in the ways they have called for equal opportunities in education. To support this idea, Bracey offers supporting information on how the HBCUs developed. For example, Bracey states that in the 1800s, the ex-slaves created the first HBCUs after the promise of true freedom after the American Civil War was not accomplished. Additionally, Bracey states that in over two centuries, African Americans endured slavery and were not part of any formal education. After the 1739 Stono Rebellion staged in South Carolina, many states used laws which made it illegal teaching slaves how to write. However, these kinds of laws never broke the spirit of the black community, which was determined to accomplish literacy. In spite of the constant violence against African Americans, the black southerners achieved higher literacy rates. Again, the black community proved their resilience and determination in defying oppressive efforts for pursuing their education. To this end, I agree that the entire higher education history for African Americans is one of overcoming obstacles. Influential people have fought towards keeping African Americans from having the right tools of gaining control of their lives. Limiting education supply was regarded as one of the best methods of maintaining labor force with few chances of advancements (Bracey 672).

I also agree with the ideas of Bracey that the African Americans have continued showing their determination towards providing their children with the best education. Different scholars have supported the fact that the commitment of African Americans shows that they value education more than the white population. The dedication of the black community indeed proves why the HBCUs will continue surviving in the future. Since their establishment, the HBCUs were not separatist. The HBCUs provided admission for every qualified student, and they mainly employed white administrators. To support this information, the author offers an example of the openness of the HBCUs is shown through Bluefield State College in West Virginia. Presently, the population at Bluefield State College is around 90% white. There are significant changes in the historical mission, student landscape, and demographics in the institution which was not part of what it was during its establishment. To date, the United States has over 101 HBCUs in over 19 states. These institutions nurture African Americans while providing specialized instruction, including examining the most profound questions on what it means to be a student of a black institution. I agree that even in modern society, the social and political issues facing African American society are also handled in the HBCUs (Bracey 674).

Additionally, I also agree with Bracey's idea that HBCUs will survive as institutions of higher learning since, through these environments, the African Americans students have a welcoming environment where they thrive from mutual acceptance and support. It is undeniably true that individuals enrolled in these HBCUs avoid conflict arising in campus between the white and black students. HBCUs emphasize on developing black identity and consciousness, ethnic traditions, racial pride, and black history. The HBCUs offer a black ambiance and culture, which many students find essential for their mental health and social functioning. For African American students in white campuses, racial segregation makes it difficult in having a meaningful personal identity, having social acceptance, and the cultivation of personal relationships (Bracey 679). Some HBCUs have developed into important centers of education for the continuity of the African American culture. The survival of these HBCUs is supported by their policies, primarily how they advocate for civic, political equality, and economic parity with the white universities (Bracey 680). HBCUs will continue surviving because of their academic programs which focus on personal talents and the education needs of the black students. The HBCUs are prestigious institutions where African American students are trained in the teaching profession. Therefore, these schools have become the voice of the African American community while promoting the views that they are equal to the white population. I believe, just like the author does that the African Americans feel justified and redeemed attending HBCUs since they represent responses to the economic and social oppression.

Conclusion

The work of Bracey on the survival of the HBCUs in the 21st century is accurate. The author begins by introducing readers to the concept of HBCUs, how they were established, and the significant challenges which they have undergone in the last centuries. The accuracy of Bracey's work rests with the ways the author integrates relevant sources into the work to provide more meaning. Moreover, the article is evident in terms of the main topic under consideration, the way the author supports the arguments and the language used. Studies of the future of HBCUs are very important for the mainstream education system in America. HBCUs will continue surviving since they help in maintaining close identity with the African American struggles for advancement and equality in education.

Work Cited

Bracey, Earnest N. "The Significance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the 21st Century: Will Such Institutions of Higher Learning Survive?" American Journal of Economics and Sociology, vol. 76, no. 3, 2017, pp. 670-696. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/ajes.12191