CREED Joins HBCU Representatives for Second-Annual NC10 HBCU Advocacy Day
On Wednesday, May 1, representatives from North Carolina's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) convened at the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh for the second annual NC10 HBCU Advocacy Day.
Those in attendance included representatives from Shaw University, St. Augustine’s University, Johnson C. Smith University, Fayetteville State University, Bennett College, Livingstone College, North Carolina A&T State University, Elizabeth City State University, Winston-Salem State, North Carolina Central University, Kittrell College, Barber-Scotia College, as well as staff from the Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED), Advance Carolina, and NC Black Alliance.
The day began with a meeting of the bi-partisan Legislative HBCU Caucus, during which HBCU leaders stressed the need for additional investments in their institutions. President Paulette Dillard of Shaw University, the oldest HBCU in North Carolina, shared a series of powerful statistics about the impact of HBCUs. Notably, while HBCUs comprise only 16% of 4-year colleges in the state, they award 46% of bachelor’s degrees earned by Black North Carolinians.
During the meeting, CREED also presented the three co-chairs of the HBCU Caucus with certificates of appreciation. Representative Zack Hawkins, Senator Gladys Robinson, and Senator Carl Ford were recognized for their service and dedication to North Carolina’s HBCUs, and by extension, the people of North Carolina.
After the HBCU Caucus meeting, NC10 students, administrators, and faculty walked the halls of the legislature to meet with lawmakers. This allowed HBCU representatives to speak directly to their elected officials about specific issues facing their campuses. Participants then gathered around the briefing room for a press conference. Senator Gladys Robinson spoke on the need to invest in all of North Carolina’s HBCUs, not just the public institutions.
The NC10 HBCU Advocacy Day concluded with HBCU leaders breaking bread with lawmakers in the Legislative Building dining hall.
“HBCUs provided a way for Black North Carolinians to be educated when other institutions denied them access and did so with less funding and fewer resources,” says CREED’s Director of Policy & Advocacy Dr. Jerry J. Wilson. “The NC10 are owed significant investments so that they may continue to prepare leaders. The NC10 HBCU Advocacy Day and House Bill 1048 are a testament to the power of collective advocacy.”
Photos by Kelsey Lam
The NC10 is a nationally recognized collaborative community that advances the prominence of North Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, advocates for higher education policy change and stimulates strategic investments to support equity and excellence in these distinct institutions.
