[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 17, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H8370]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCU) WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in honor of 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
  HBCUs are indeed special to me, since it was when I was 16 years old 
that I left home to attend the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 
which was AM&N College at that time. The University of Arkansas at Pine 
Bluff ended up being very significant to my entire family. As time went 
on, my six brothers and sisters also attended the University of 
Arkansas at Pine Bluff, as well as nieces and nephews and a number of 
cousins. When I look around my office, there are a number of 
individuals who have attended Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities, such as Wilberforce, UAPB, Morehouse, Howard, and Jackson 
State. The reality is that for thousands and thousands of individuals, 
without these institutions being available, well equipped, ready, and 
prepared, many of the individuals who have managed to rise above the 
individuality of their circumstances would have never been able to do 
so.
  Before the Civil War, higher education for black students was 
virtually non-existent, except for a minor few like Frederick Douglass, 
who did receive schooling but often in hostile, informal settings or 
were forced to teach themselves. But as Frederick Douglass said, ``If 
there is no struggle, there is no progress.'' And progress was made. 
The Morrill Land-Grant Act gave federal lands to the States for the 
purposes of opening colleges and universities and with great success 
many institutions were created. However, only a few were open to 
African Americans. In 1890, 28 years later, this issue was addressed 
and the second Morrill Land-Grant Act was passed and specified that 
states must either make their schools open to both blacks and whites or 
allocate money for segregated black colleges to serve as an alternative 
to white schools. A total of 16 exclusively black institutions received 
1890 land-grant funds.
  Today, there are 103 black colleges, recognized by the Department of 
Education, because they were founded before 1964. Today, there are 
about 270,000 students attending black colleges and universities and 
thousands of students graduating annually from black colleges. The 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities have produced 35 percent 
of all black lawyers, 50 percent of all black engineers and 65 percent 
of all black physicians. No school sends more blacks to medical school 
than New Orleans' Xavier University, and, while HBCUs constitute only 3 
percent of the country's institutions of higher education, 28 percent 
of all blacks who receive bachelor's degrees earn them from black 
institutions.
  As it is evident by the number of African Americans who receive a 
degree from one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 
these institutions also play an important role in the communities which 
they serve. Black Colleges are the social, economic and political 
beacon within the communities in which they are located. For instance, 
the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has a bell tower on the 
campus, which is the tallest structure in that area. It stands as a 
symbol of educational opportunity and hope for the African Americans 
growing up around the University, in that area. HBCUs are necessary, 
not just for young African Americans, not just for the communities 
where they are, but also because they are an incredibly important part 
of American history. During the next few weeks as the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce address the issue of Higher Education as we 
reauthorize the Higher Education Act, I shall endeavor to ensure that 
the Historically Black Colleges and Universities are not forgotten and 
receive the attention they deserve.
  Mr. Speaker, education is the great equalizer, and, in the last few 
decades, having a college degree has been more than important to 
finding a job with a livable wage and reasonable benefits. HBCUs have 
made it possible for thousands of African Americans, including myself, 
to grasp and take part in seeking the American dream.

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