[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 17, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WEEK

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                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2008

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this 
opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate National Historically Black 
Colleges and Universities week, designated as September 7-13, 2008. It 
is a pleasure to recognize Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities--or HBCUs--and their successes in educating many of the 
nation's African American undergraduate and graduate students.
  There are over 100 HBCUs, and they provide a key pathway for African 
Americans and other minorities to take part in higher education. 
Although HBCUs represent only about 2.4 percent of higher education 
institutions, they enroll almost 12 percent of African American 
students who attend college. These institutions offer degrees at 
various levels across many subject areas. They play a critical role in 
educating black students in the fields of science and engineering. 
Indeed, 2004 data demonstrate that, of degrees earned by African 
American students, HBCUs conferred 20 percent degrees in engineering, 
39 percent in the physical sciences, 26 percent in computer science, 37 
percent in mathematics, 36 percent in the biological sciences, 47 
percent in agricultural sciences, 16 percent in social sciences, and 21 
percent in psychology. This success is especially impressive given the 
historical financial discrimination these institutions endured from 
Federal and State governments.
  It was an HBCU that started me on my path to become the person that I 
am today. Growing up in rural Arkansas, my parents were low-income 
sharecroppers, who raised ten children. Seven of us attended the 
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, which was then called Arkansas 
AM&N College. Subsequently, three of my nephews, a niece, as well as 
several of my cousins attended the same college. If it were not for the 
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, I strongly believe that my family 
members and I would not have been able to attend college. Many African 
American members of Congress and many of our nation's leaders have 
attended HBCUs--Jesse Jackson, Jr., Jesse Jackson, Sr., Alcee Hastings, 
Dr. Martin Luther King, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Thurgood Marshall, just to 
name a few.
  The continued support and funding of HBCUs is essential to create 
more opportunities for people of color to thrive in education and 
become leaders of tomorrow. To this end, I advocated actively on their 
behalf during the recent reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. 
Today more than ever, professional success is linked with a higher 
education degree. I am pleased that the 110th Congress has demonstrated 
a commitment to strengthening HBCUs and other minority-serving 
institutions. HBCUs serve large populations of students with great 
financial and academic needs and deserve continued Federal support to 
graduate men and women of color. In honor of the 2008 HBCU week, I 
recognize HBCUs for their rich heritage, history, and culture and for 
the opportunities they provide to students to learn, grow, and succeed, 
regardless of race, ethnicity, or income.

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