[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 201 (Monday, December 11, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9781-H9787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
150 YEARS OF HBCU EXCELLENCE
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Taylor). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 3, 2017, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms.
Adams) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority
leader.
General Leave
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include any extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from North Carolina?
There was no objection.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, for the next 60 minutes, we have a chance to
speak directly to the American people on issues of great importance to
the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congress, our constituents, and all
Americans.
I acknowledge all the members of the Congressional Black Caucus who
are here, and most specifically, Congressman Richmond, who helped to
organize this Special Order hour.
As we convene tonight, we are going to recognize our HBCUs, and more
specifically, the nine HBCUs under the caption of: 150 Years of
Excellence.
I rise today to honor our Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, and in particular, the nine schools that are celebrating
150 years.
As a member of the CBC's Task Force on HBCUs and as co-chair of the
bipartisan HBCU Caucus, I have the distinct pleasure of honoring all of
the following schools of the HBCU 9 for this remarkable achievement:
Alabama State University; Barber-Scotia College; Fayetteville State
University; Howard University, Morehouse College; Morgan State
University; St. Augustine University; Talladega College; and from my
very own 12th District in North Carolina, Johnson C. Smith University.
The achievement of these schools across the past 150 years are beyond
remarkable and their reputation as incubators of innovation and Black
leadership is an incredible accomplishment in and of itself.
From humble beginnings, these schools have been able to persevere,
despite decades of discrimination and intentional neglect, in order to
provide African Americans a first class education.
Mr. Speaker, I stand here today as a living testament to the
necessity and the importance of HBCUs. My mother, who raised me, was
not an educated woman. She wasn't able to obtain a high school
education. She didn't attend an HBCU, for that matter. But she
understood how important education would be in my life. She did
domestic work. She cleaned other folks' houses so I wouldn't have to
because she understood how important it was for me to go to school.
[[Page H9782]]
But like those visionaries who founded these schools after surviving
the horrors of slavery, my mom dreamed of a better future for me, her
daughter. When I could not fully recognize the potential in myself, it
was an HBCU, North Carolina A&T State University, that saw something in
me and made a committed investment toward my success.
North Carolina A&T State University gave a poor Black girl from the
ghetto of Newark, New Jersey, an opportunity because it believed in
opportunity and the fundamental importance of education that W.E.B. Du
Bois spoke about when he said: ``Of all the civil rights for which the
world has struggled and fought for 5,000 years, the right to learn is
undoubtedly the most fundamental.''
A&T took me where I was. They got me to where I needed to be. They
shaped and molded me into what they knew I could become. Just as our
HBCUs have done for many of our colleagues who join me in the people's
House today, our HBCUs are responsible for educating 20 Members of this
esteemed body and one Member of the U.S. Senate.
But that is only a small part of the story that these schools are
continuing to tell. HBCUs also contribute 50 percent of African-
American professionals and public schoolteachers. They contribute 25
percent of all African-American STEM graduates, 40 percent of all
African-American engineers, 50 percent of African-American lawyers, and
80 percent of African-American judges.
{time} 1930
Most plainly, HBCUs are responsible for building today's African-
American middle class--this is a record to be proud of--and, of all of
these accomplishments, without the assistance and support from the
government and our private sector partners that they need and deserve.
Mr. Speaker, as we stand here tonight, as the CBC, to honor HBCUs, we
remain vigilant about the current dangers that they face. Many HBCUs
still suffer from barriers for access for students, such as
affordability, and the overall financial instability of both the
students they serve and of the institutions themselves, due to a lack
of access to funding.
As many of you know, one of my first tasks when I entered Congress
was to launch the bipartisan HBCU Caucus, with my co-chair Bradley
Byrne from Alabama. Vice chairing our caucus is Terri Sewell and Bennie
Thompson, and French Hill on the Republican side. Since its inception,
we have witnessed fortunate growth to a total of 58 Representatives and
2 Senators. We came together to create a national dialogue around HBCUs
for our Members and their staffs about the issues impacting our
schools. We also came together to draft meaningful bipartisan
legislation.
In accomplishing the first aim, the willingness of Members to attend
today illustrates that a national dialogue has begun. Before we leave
here today, our Members and our staffs, who couldn't join us tonight,
will, hopefully, learn and know the issues. To achieve the third
legislative goal, it will take the collective effort of all of us who
have been entrusted to work here in the people's House.
Tomorrow, I and my colleagues on the Education and the Workforce
Committee will debate a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, a
flawed piece of legislation that, in many respects, will devastate
HBCUs and their students. Consideration of this measure illustrates how
we need that collective effort from both sides of the aisle to work
together now, more than ever.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues tonight, dedicated to the
achievement of HBCU students and graduates, to come together to work to
increase access and career opportunities. I hope we can all, tonight,
vow to take substantive action and recognize that the government cannot
take on this aim and this challenge alone. Let's work with our private
partners to create pathways of opportunity for our students, placing
them in fields that will make the African-American middle class larger
and stronger than ever.
Let's vow to continue listening to our HBCUs and their able
administrators, to ensure that they have the tools and the resources to
make that happen, for only then can we ensure that these valuable
institutions not only survive, but that they thrive. We have a number
of universities in North Carolina for public HBCUs and six private
HBCUs, and we are so very proud of all of our HBCUs throughout this
Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr.
Thompson), my colleague.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I represent the Second District of Mississippi. I would
like to pay tribute to those four Historically Black Colleges that
reside in the Second District, but before I do, I want to, for the
Record, make sure that people understand the role of Historically Black
Colleges and how they actually came to exist.
For those who think education has always been here for anyone who
would want it, I just take you back to that 150 years ago that my
colleague from North Carolina talked about. Well, that 150 years was
the beginning of people recognizing that African Americans should have
the opportunity to go to school, just like anyone else.
But, unfortunately, in this country, if you were of color, there were
no provisions for you to have a college education. So, for a lot of
people in this country, it didn't matter how bright they were, it was
the fact that there were no institutions available for you to go.
It is also important to look at my situation in my area that I
represent, Mr. Speaker. When I went to college, I had never met an
African-American doctor, lawyer, dentist, or anything because they
didn't exist. When I got to college, my college physician was an
African American, but I went to Tougaloo College. He was a graduate of
Tougaloo, and he had to go to medical school out of State because no
medical school would admit him. But the most important thing I am
saying is that for a lot of professionals who wanted to do good in
their communities, they had to go out of State, so Historically Black
Colleges were created.
I met Martin Luther King, Jr., on the campus of Tougaloo College when
I was a student. Tougaloo College and Rust College, in another
district, were the only two institutions of higher learning that would
allow Martin Luther King, Jr., to speak on their campus, and they both
were Historically Black Colleges. So, if for no other reason,
Historically Black Colleges have helped level the playing field. They
have exposed a number of African-American students to a broader view in
terms of life and what happens, but they were also put in situations,
Mr. Speaker, and an environment that they could relate to.
So, Tougaloo College, I salute you.
Jackson State University is the largest Historically Black College in
the State of Mississippi, well renowned. They have over 10,000 students
on its campus. It is the only State-supported university in the capital
city. So we pay special tribute to Jackson State University. They are
noted for a number of graduates, too many to name. They continue to
excel in every facet of academia.
Alcorn State University, the oldest African-American land grant
college in America, turns out a number of students who have gone on to
excel not just in agriculture, but in medicine, law, and education.
Mississippi Valley State University, located in Itta Bena,
Mississippi, was created to avoid integration. If you look at the
charter for Mississippi Valley State University, it was created so
Negroes could go to school in the Mississippi Delta and not be forced
to integrate into the White colleges. So, for whatever reason,
Mississippi Valley State University was created, and it thrives to this
point.
Mr. Speaker, the most important thing I would like to say is that
when I was a student at Jackson State University, I participated in a
lawsuit that talked about equity in funding for Historically Black
Colleges. It took us 27 years of litigation--Ayers v. Mississippi
Institutions of Higher Learning--to prove that the Black schools were
not getting the same resources as the White schools. We won the lawsuit
and we are now talking about equity in those institutions.
As important is not just having the institutions, but those who are
State-supported, to have the proper resources so their students can
become and be
[[Page H9783]]
the best that they can be. It is fitting and proper that we celebrate
not just the nine HBCUs, but let's talk about all of them and the merit
and worth that they have given to this country.
Mr. Speaker, I pay special tribute--and I think there are about 103
or 104 Historically Black Colleges--106. I stand corrected. So, again,
they are doing a wonderful job, but it is the purpose for which they
were created.
Some people will try to convince that there is no issue with race in
America today, and I beg to differ that if it were not for those
Historically Black Colleges, a lot of individuals would not be where
they are today. If you talk to those 20 Members of the United States
House of Representatives who are graduates of Historically Black
Colleges, they will talk to you and tell you about the fabric and
representation that going to those schools provided to them.
I am happy to say that not only is my daughter a graduate of two
HBCUs, but my granddaughter is also attending Xavier University of
Louisiana in New Orleans. She really didn't have a choice in the
matter, but she thought she did; but at the end of the day, she is a
second-year student there, and I am happy to say that she wouldn't have
it any other way. So that HBCU education is already sinking in.
Whatever she chooses to do, I am convinced that her perspective will be
far broader because of her attendance at Xavier University of
Louisiana.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Mississippi for
not only that valuable information, but for the work that he has done
over the years and for making an HBCU choice. I did the same thing for
my daughter. I said: You go wherever you want, my money is going to an
HBCU.
But nothing could be finer than to be at an HBCU. It really does so
much to get our students to where they need to be, especially those who
come the way I did: not fully prepared.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), from
the Second District.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
yielding.
This is certainly a very, very appropriate tribute. As a product of
Morehouse College, I know firsthand the important contribution HBCUs
have made in educating, training, and empowering outstanding leaders.
Morehouse College is celebrating its sesquicentennial this year.
Throughout its 150-year history, Morehouse College has made a
significant mark on our State, our Nation, and the world. Here, many
notable men gained the knowledge and the training that enabled them to
become some of the greatest influences of our time, including Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.; noted theologian, Dr. Howard Thurman; civil
rights leader, Julian Bond; filmmaker Shelton ``Spike'' Lee; Olympic
gold medalist Edwin Moses; CEO of the Silicon Valley Community
Foundation, Emmett Carson; and many more.
Morehouse principles often instill a desire for public service to
benefit mankind. In the United States Congress, Representative Cedric
Richmond, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus; as well as
many staff members and former Members of Congress, hold degrees from
Morehouse College.
U.S. Presidents have relied on alumni, such as former Secretary of
Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson; former Secretary of Health and Human
Services, Dr. Louis Sullivan; former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David
Satcher; and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, James
Nabrit.
Around the country, State and local governments have been led by
alumni, such as Maynard Holbrook Jackson, the first African-American
mayor of Atlanta, Georgia.
I have the honor and privilege of representing these two HBCUs in the
Second Congressional District of Georgia: Albany State University and
Fort Valley State University.
Albany State University, with its rich history, dating back to the
trials and the triumphs faced by Joseph Winthrop Holley. Albany State
University was first founded as the Albany Bible and Manual Institute
in 1903. The school gained State funding in 1917, joined the University
of Georgia system in 1932, began offering baccalaureate degrees in
1943, and came back strong after severe floods in 1996 as Albany State
University, offering graduate programs and advanced degrees.
{time} 1945
Today, the university has a total economic impact of $143 million and
supports 1,493 jobs in the Albany area. Its educational contributions
are significant. Albany State is the third in the Nation for bachelor's
degrees in education for African Americans. It offers 35 degree
programs in education, nursing, criminal justice, business
administration, public administration; and Albany State University has
produced doctors, lawyers, NASA engineers, military officers, college
university presidents, teachers, preachers, mayors, legislators,
business people, millionaires, and Olympic medalists.
The Fort Valley State University, which I have the honor of
representing, was founded 120 years ago. Fort Valley is Georgia's only
1890 land-grant institution charged with educating and empowering its
students and its surrounding community.
As many of you are aware, 1890 institutions, including Fort Valley
State University, were created to ensure access to higher education in
the agricultural and natural resource sciences to serve the underserved
and reach the unreached.
Fort Valley has always been known to not only train and graduate
tomorrow's talented leaders but to ensure that these leaders are as
diverse as the communities they serve in their skill sets, their
experiences, and their perspectives. Fort Valley State University has
excelled at this job. It generates an economic impact of $109 million
for its local and regional economy and generates 1,125 jobs.
In addition to the educational, social, and community benefits a Fort
Valley education provides, it is estimated that Fort Valley State
University increases its graduates' lifetime earnings by 61 percent.
As you can see, Historically Black Colleges and Universities are a
vital part of the fabric of our educational system. I congratulate them
for their contributions to our Nation, and I look forward to their
continued tutelage for generations of future leaders for this country
and the world.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Bishop), the Morehouse man. I thank him very much for his contributions
tonight and for all he has done.
Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time I have left.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from North Carolina has 39
minutes remaining.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio's Third
District (Mrs. Beatty).
Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, it is, indeed, my honor to join my
colleagues tonight to recognize and celebrate 150 years of excellence
in education at HBCUs. I thank the congresswoman from North Carolina's
12th Congressional District (Ms. Adams) for leading the charge tonight.
And to our CBC chairman, Congressman Cedric Richmond, I thank him for
allowing us to come forward and not only tell our stories about the 150
years, but to demonstrate to all of those, Mr. Speaker, who are
watching tonight, that we set an example for others to follow.
The nine HBCUs celebrating their 150th anniversaries this year have
been educating and transforming Black students across this Nation into
leaders. For 150 years, HBCUs have weathered the violence of Jim Crow
laws and funding cuts to continue to be the light in many of our
overlooked communities.
While my alma mater, Central State University, hasn't been here for
150 years, it was established in 1887. And in 2014, it received the
designation as a land-grant university, the last of the HBCUs to become
a land-grant.
For 130 years, Central State University has been that light, that
training ground for African-American change makers--African-American
change makers in a nation like you see in this picture. It was just a
few months ago I traveled back for my homecoming to celebrate with
friends and classmates, 130 years. It is 130 years of a university that
has produced classmates like Nancy Wilson, Leontyne Price, Orlando
Brown, Arsenio Hall, Jason Thomas, a United States Marine who was there
during the aftermath of 9/11 and rescued people. Also, we have people
like
[[Page H9784]]
Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-
American students who, as we all remember, in 1957, were the first
Black students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High
School.
I am very thankful for 40-plus years of friendships with individuals
like Zenobia Leavell. And when I think of Linda Brown, and as we call
her ``Lulu,'' for organizing this picture, because we stand tall, and
we represent all sectors of this community.
Central State provided an education for this little girl from Dayton,
Ohio, when my mother and father sat down and they were able to put
their dollars and cents together to not only send me, but to send every
one of my siblings to an HBCU university. They said: We want you to go
there, but we want you to come back. Little did they know that I would
stand in the Halls of Congress and advocate for HBCU universities.
Attending Central State University changed my life.
It is important for you to know, when we talk about HBCUs, I know it
all too well. Just yesterday, I sat at our kitchen table with my
grandbabies and their parents and my husband, and our conversation--I
was so proud because, you see, it was Howard University, Morehouse
College, and Spelman College that produced us. When you think about my
husband, an attorney, a graduate of Howard University; when you think
about Otto III, an attorney and entrepreneur and graduate of Morehouse
College; when you think of Laurel Beatty Blunt, a common pleas court
judge and a graduate of Spelman College; I am so proud that when I sat
there and I looked at my grandbabies, Leah and Spencer, and as Leah
beamed because she was wearing a T-shirt that said: I am Spelman-bound,
Grammy; and then there is Spencer, who will be going to Morehouse, that
is because we stand on the shoulders of so many.
Why do we come tonight? We come to tell you that 40 percent of all
Black Members of Congress are graduates of HBCUs; 12.5 percent of all
Black CEOs, HBCUs; half of all the Black professors at non-HBCUs; 50
percent of all Black lawyers, graduates of HBCUs; and 80 percent of all
Black judges, graduates of HBCUs.
When I think about today, with Trump's administration and with their
proposals to cut Pell grants, when I think about the threats to hold
construction grants, when I think about Republicans' assault on
students in the Republican tax scam hike, it is a sad day in America.
We come today because we want our voices to be heard, because we
know, in the words of one of our own, Barbara Jordan: ``Education
remains the key to both economic and political empowerment. That is why
schools charged with educating African Americans have, perhaps, the
deepest challenge of all.''
Mr. Speaker, let me end by saying two things in the words of Nelson
Mandela, and I think it sums it all up: ``Education is the most
powerful weapon you can have to change the world.''
That is why I stand here with my colleagues, standing up for HBCUs,
standing up that this administration will understand that we expect--
no, we demand to get the appropriate funding so our children, our
grandchildren, and generations yet unborn will have the same
opportunities that I have had and so many more, because when HBCUs
succeed, America succeeds.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs.
Beatty) for her participation and for all of the work that she
continues to do, and we are so very proud of her acknowledgment tonight
of our HBCUs.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the 14th District in
Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence).
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the congresswoman from
the great State of North Carolina (Ms. Adams) for her endless passion
for education of the next generation and her strong support of our
HBCUs. I also want to acknowledge our chairman, Cedric Richmond, our
CBC chairman.
Mr. Speaker, I stand here today to recognize something truly
incredible. This year, nine Historically Black Colleges and
Universities are celebrating their 150th anniversaries, 150 years of
excellence, of endurance, and of new opportunity, collective strengths,
and a core belief in the value of education.
Mr. Speaker, we so often talk about the American Dream, and we talk
about that ladder of success that any American can have if they work
hard and get an education. We all know that that first rung of that
ladder is clearly education, and if we do not keep our promise in
America to educate, we are failing in our American commitment to
excellence in developing all young people to obtain their greatness.
As we look upon these accomplishments of 150 years, we are reminded
how important and how vital these schools have been to the advancement
of African Americans.
Mr. Speaker, by establishing these amazing places or institutions of
learning, against all odds, and by turning them into world-class
institutions, African-American leaders have made it clear that we hold
the belief in education just as dearly as anyone else in America.
However, to ensure that some day we can celebrate these amazing
institutions' 200th and 300th anniversaries, it is critical that we, as
a country, resist the shameful attacks on our education system.
Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the current tax plan being negotiated by
my Republican colleagues threatens our educational system like never
before. It pains me to stand here tonight congratulating 150 years of
academic excellence while a small group of Republicans are working
behind closed doors to strip educational opportunities for millions of
Americans.
I do not believe that this is what the constituents voted for. U.S.
citizens did not vote for higher student loan payments, teachers
digging deeper in their pockets to supply the basic needs for their
students, and a punishing tax on university endowments.
This is truly a tax scam. But perhaps the most senseless attacks on
this success are coming from the White House. Earlier this year, I was
horrified to see the President refer to the HBCUs as
``unconstitutional'' simply because they were the answer to a
fundamentally unequal education system.
And let me be clear, HBCUs were created because there were no other
choices. However, this feeling of being horrified or disappointed, I
had frequently this year. While I am horrified, unfortunately, it is no
longer a surprise. After all, this is a President who refused to
denounce the blatant racism in Charlottesville and whose Education
Secretary foolishly called HBCUs the ``pioneers of school choice.''
Clearly she doesn't know the history because there was no choice, Mr.
Speaker.
{time} 2000
While this can be unfortunate, disappointing, and even sickening,
HBCUs were born out of adversity, and I see no reason to cave to the
pressure now. We need to protect our HBCUs for future generations, for
tomorrow's leaders because, as we continue to see, equality is a fight.
Equality is a process.
I know a day will come, and I pray that I will be able to see with my
own eyes, that equality in education and equality in this country is a
reality. But until then, we must acknowledge today's successes, the
successes of these amazing places, institutions of learning, and
continue to fight for tomorrow's dreams of our next generation.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for her
contribution tonight and for her support of Historically Black Colleges
and Universities.
Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from North Carolina has
24\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Third
District of Virginia (Mr. Scott), who is the ranking member on the
Education and the Workforce Committee.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
yielding. I also want to thank her for her leadership in organizing
this Special Order and for her leadership of the Historically Black
Colleges and Universities Caucus.
HBCUs provide a great value to America, and I am honored to represent
a congressional district that is home to two HBCUs: Hampton University,
which celebrates its 150th anniversary next year, and Norfolk State
University.
Since their inception, HBCUs have been the cornerstone of
postsecondary
[[Page H9785]]
education for the African-American community. This was true 150 years
ago and remains true today. HBCUs account for no more than 3 percent of
all colleges and universities, yet they enroll almost 10 percent of all
African-American undergraduate students and produce about 15 percent of
all bachelor's degrees earned by African Americans.
They also produce 25 percent of African-American STEM graduates and
33 percent of African-American science and engineering Ph.D.'s.
Approximately half of all African-American teachers graduated from
HBCUs. Many of them choose to teach in high-minority, low-income school
districts where they serve as role models for their communities.
As ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, I
know the prominent role that HBCUs play in our higher education
landscape. I believe that strengthening and supporting them must be a
key priority as Congress looks ahead to taking action on the
reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. However, it does not
appear that the majority shares that belief.
The Committee on Education and the Workforce meets tomorrow morning
at 10 to mark up H.R. 4508, a partisan rewrite of the Higher Education
Act that was drafted in secret, introduced less than 2 weeks ago, and
is now being considered in committee without a single hearing on the
bill.
Mr. Speaker, HBCUs, those who lead them, those who support them, and
those who hope their children might one day attend them, should be
gravely concerned with H.R. 4508. This is a bad deal for students, a
bad deal for schools, and a bad deal for working families.
This bill would decimate the Federal student aid for low-income
students. It would significantly reduce available aid for grants--that
is money that students don't have to pay back, forcing them to borrow
more money. It leaves the Pell Grant program as the only remaining
grant aid, yet it fails to increase Pell dollars, fails to increase the
Pell maximum award to account for inflation, and it expands eligibility
to low-quality programs without any Federal oversight.
This bill changes the available terms for Federal student loans,
making them far less generous than current law, and eliminates the
Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, a program that attracts the
best and the brightest to forgo higher salaries in exchange for public
service.
H.R. 4508 caps loan amounts for graduate students and families,
pushing them into higher interest, private markets, and even bars
graduate students from participating in Federal work study.
The Republican bill fails to reauthorize the Perkins Loan Program, a
campus-based aid program that allows low-income students to access low-
cost loans, and eliminates other forms of campus-based aid.
Mr. Speaker, there is no way around it. This is a bad bill. H.R. 4508
will force students to borrow more money, pay more to borrow more, and
pay more when they pay that money back. It makes college more expensive
at every step of the process, putting college and graduate degrees
further out of reach for low-income and minority students. Those are
groups that are already underrepresented in our higher education system
and served at higher rates by HBCUs and other minority-serving
institutions.
Further, the bill makes no additional investment in minority-serving
institutions and other underresourced institutions, institutions that
tend to serve communities of color, and eliminates grant programs that
support minority students who want to pursue postgraduate degrees. The
bill would even incentivize institutions to forgo enrollment of high-
risk students.
Lastly, the bill prioritizes low- or no-quality workforce training
over more advanced credentialing, potentially exacerbating what is on
track to become a two-tiered system of higher education: college and
graduate school for the wealthy, and direct-to-workforce training for
the poor.
While not every student seeks to pursue a 4-year degree or even a
graduate degree, every student must have that option and opportunity to
make that choice. According to the United Negro College Fund: ``We
remain deeply concerned that H.R. 4508 falls short of enabling college
success for minority and low-income students who can help our country
compete and win the global economy. On balance, the PROSPER Act would
cause minority and low-income students to pay more to earn their
college degrees at a time when they should be paying less. In addition,
we are concerned that one theme of the bill is to highlight short-term
training options, when a 4-year college degree has a substantially
greater payoff, in general, with higher lifetime earnings and lower
unemployment--and this payoff may be the greatest for minority and low-
income students. Further, a significant shortcoming of the bill is it
fails to make any new investment in HBCUs which pull above their weight
in producing African-American college graduates and, worse, it cuts the
current Federal investment in these institutions.''
Mr. Speaker, we want to ask what problem H.R. 4508 is trying to
solve. Does the majority think there is too much money to send poor and
minority students to college? Does the majority think that there are
too many poor students and minority students accessing and completing
their college education? Does the majority think that inequality in
higher education is solved?
Mr. Speaker, as we rise to commemorate 150 years of HBCU excellence,
let us remember that we still have a fight to fight. Let us reject H.R.
4508 and fight for a Higher Education Act that not only honors HBCU
excellence, but also builds on it through investing in students and
working families.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for
organizing this Special Order.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for his
comments and for his work in education.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Second District of
Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans).
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to thank my good colleague
from the great State of North Carolina for her leadership on this very
important issue.
I am proud to stand here with so many of my friends and colleagues
tonight for a topic near and dear to my heart: the continued viability
and success and importance of HBCUs.
Our HBCUs play an incredible critical role in the stability and
strength in our Nation. I truly believe, in order to build stronger
neighborhoods, better schools, and other community-sustainable
institutions, we must go block by block, we must celebrate the
diversity, and we must salute the rich history of the HBCUs and the
phenomenal contributions that they have made and will continue to make
to our communities nationwide.
I am so proud to say that, for years, our HBCUs have produced amazing
leaders who not only contribute to their respective fields, but who
also pride themselves on making sure the next generation of African
Americans succeed.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the proud home of two exceptional
HBCUs: Cheyney University and Lincoln University. They share the
distinction of being the first two HBCUs founded in America, a point of
great pride to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Many of my fellow
members of the CBC have HBCUs in their States, but they started in
Pennsylvania.
Many students and residents in the Second Congressional District call
Lincoln and Cheyney their alma mater. Cheyney was founded on February
25, 1837, three decades before the Emancipation Proclamation. This
year, Cheyney is celebrating its 180th anniversary.
Cheyney is located outside of Pennsylvania's Second Congressional
District and is the oldest HBCU in the country. For years, Cheyney was
known as a teachers college and has played an incredibly viable role
within the Commonwealth, ensuring the elementary, secondary, middle
school, and high school teachers at schools in the city of Philadelphia
and across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are prepared and have the
necessary skills in order to train our students for success in the
classroom and beyond.
That brings us to Lincoln University. Lincoln was established as our
Nation's
[[Page H9786]]
first degree-granting HBCU. Lincoln was designated as the first
institution in the world to provide higher education in the arts and
sciences for young African-American males and is famous for two of the
lions of Black American history: Langston Hughes, and the Supreme Court
Justice Thurgood Marshall. Today, Lincoln is one of the largest
employers in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Our HBCUs nationwide are critical to the strength and stability of
our Nation. Just like our cities, our schools compete for people. We
have the power to continue to define the rich history and the legacies
of our HBCUs.
I am proud to stand here today with our friends and colleagues to
send a strong message that it is on us. It is our job to ensure that we
protect these institutions that are true treasures and recognize their
significant societal contributions by continuing to ensure their
success.
I salute the Lincoln Lions and the Cheyney Wolves. Both of these
institutions are very proud, and I am proud that they are institutions
in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for
not only his support, but for his contributions to our Historically
Black Colleges and Universities.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Sixth District of
South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), our final speaker, the Democratic
Assistant Leader.
Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I stand before this House tonight as the
proud Representative of the congressional district that has seven of
the eight HBCUs in South Carolina within its borders: Allen and
Benedict in Columbia; Claflin and South Carolina State in Orangeburg;
Morris in Sumter; Voorhees, Denmark Tech in Denmark, South Carolina;
and Clinton College in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
I listened intently as some of the speakers spoke before me, and I
would like to give just a brief overview of the history of HBCUs.
You have heard from the previous speaker that the first HBCU was
Cheyney State in 1837. Well, it is kind of interesting. That school was
created a few decades before the Emancipation Proclamation, so it means
that before slavery was abolished, HBCUs existed.
Now, one of the interesting things that took place during the Civil
War was the creation of something called the Morrill Act. The gentleman
from Vermont, Justin Morrill, introduced legislation to train people
not just in agriculture, but in military training.
{time} 2015
That law was signed by the President, President Abraham Lincoln, July
2, 1862.
Now, the interesting thing is that when the law was enacted, the
Southern States refused to implement that law on behalf of people of
color. They would not allow any person of color to attend those
schools. Consequently, Justin Morrill went back before the Congress
and, in 1880, created a second Morrill Act, this time mandating that
these schools be established in the former slave States for people of
color.
Now, I bring that up tonight because one of the speakers talked about
President Trump signing a bill earlier this year and issuing what we
call a signing statement. In his statement, he said that he is going to
sign the bill, though he questioned the constitutionality of that
section of the bill that funded Historically Black Colleges and
Universities.
Just think about this: the history of this country was to deny
educational opportunities to people of color, and now we have a
President of the United States today saying that those schools that
were established for the express purpose of educating those citizens,
that legislation is unconstitutional.
If nothing else we have heard from this President bothers you, that
one thing should bother every person in the United States of America.
Now, I have talked about those schools that I am proud to represent.
I met with the President. Unfortunately, I heard stuff all over the
weekend about the Congressional Black Caucus refusing to meet with
President Trump. That is not true. The leadership of the Congressional
Black Caucus did, in fact, meet with him, and though I don't hold a
leadership position, they invited me to go along.
So I sat with the President in the Oval Office, and I told the
President something that I want to share with the listeners tonight
about HBCUs.
I told the President the story of a young man whom a lot of people
have heard of, Ronald McNair. Ronald McNair was an astronaut who lost
his life in the blowup of the Challenger.
Ronald McNair came from the little town of Lake City, South Carolina,
in the Sixth Congressional District that I proudly represent, and I got
to know him and his family very well.
We were talking one day as he was getting ready to retire from
astronaut school. In fact, that accident of the Challenger was to be
his last flight. He was going to retire. He was coming home to be a
professor at the University of South Carolina, also in my district. He
said to me that when he graduated from high school in Lake City and
went off to North Carolina A&T, he had to take remedial courses.
Now, everybody talked about Ron McNair. I shared this with the
President. I told him, I said: Everybody talked about him having a
physics degree from MIT. Nobody talks about the fact that he went to
North Carolina A&T. And he said to me: Had it not been for North
Carolina A&T, he never would have made it. Why? Because it was on that
small campus he was nurtured. When they saw in him that he had the
ability to be a great physicist, the ability to be a great astronaut,
what he did not have was the background, the educational preparation
that was not provided for him in that little rural town that he grew up
in, and the same thing is taking place today.
There are communities in my congressional district where there are
gifted young people, but they come from what we call Gullah Geechee
communities from the seacoast, those islands off the seacoast where
they are smart, highly intelligent, but they know only the culture that
they grew up in. So they may not know how to make a subject and verb
agree properly, and, therefore, when they go off to college, would have
to take a remedial course in order to get those subjects and verbs to
agree. But they are very bright, very smart students, and they have
been intentionally undereducated by the States that many of them come
out of.
I know, for more than 20 years, the Legislature in South Carolina did
not fund these schools properly, and we went before the State supreme
court. That case lasted for over 20 years, and recently the Supreme
Court decided to take the school districts from under that order that
it issued some time ago.
So these communities have been intentionally underfunded for their
public schools, and these students graduate high school, go off to
college, and they need the nurturing that they get from an HBCU.
So if anybody tells you that HBCUs are unconstitutional, that ought
to tell you all you need to know to stay away from that person.
I want to close by talking up my alma mater, South Carolina State
University. There are a lot of good things to consider about South
Carolina State, but one is this, and I want all of you to go and check
the record.
You will find, if you check all the schools in the country that have
produced general officers in the military, general officers of color,
you will find that South Carolina State University, and South Carolina
State College before it, has produced more African-American general
officers than any other school in the country, and that includes the
service academies.
I am very proud of what HBCUs have done, I am very proud of that HBCU
that I attended, and I am very proud that Sister Alma Adams, who co-
chairs the HBCU Caucus, has allowed me to speak about it this evening.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from South
Carolina, and I can certainly associate myself with those remarks that
you spoke about with Ron McNair. I, too, enrolled at North Carolina A&T
not fully prepared, but they made a committed investment in me, and I
was able to go on and receive my Ph.D. from the Ohio State University
only because of North Carolina A&T, an HBCU which has done so much for
all of our students.
I want to acknowledge Elizabeth City State University; Fayetteville
State University; North Carolina A&T, my
[[Page H9787]]
alma mater twice; North Carolina Central University; Winston-Salem
State University; Barber-Scotia College; Bennett College; Johnson C.
Smith University, in my 12th district; Livingstone College; St.
Augustine's University; and Shaw University. All of these colleges
reside in North Carolina, and we are so very proud of the work that
they are doing.
Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from North Carolina has 1
minute remaining.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, let me just thank all of my colleagues for
coming out tonight and to say that we are certainly very proud of our
schools, and we celebrate them tonight and every day. We acknowledge
the work that they have done. We acknowledge all of the corporate folks
who have pledged to work with our HBCUs, our tech companies in
connection with Howard University, and all of the other tech
corporations that have stepped forward to help us and to help our
schools and to continue to enable the young people who so ably deserve
a college education are able to do that.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all of my colleagues who came tonight
and those who will join us as we continue to work on behalf of
Historically Black Colleges and Universities so that they not only
continue to survive, but that they thrive.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to
celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs). Nine HBCUs--Alabama State University, Barber-
Scotia College, Fayetteville State University, Howard University,
Johnson C. Smith University, Morehouse College, Morgan State
University, St. Augustine's University, and Talladega College,
celebrate 150 years of excellence this year.
HBCUs are pillars of the black community and important contributors
to the strength of our nation. 40 percent of the Congressional Black
Caucus (CBC) are graduates from one or more HBCUs and with their
representation they continue to remind us of the importance of fighting
for these institutions. HBCUs not only provide a college education for
300,000 students every year, but they are economic powerhouses. Since
2017 HBCUs have generated an annual economic impact of $14.8 billion
annually--nearly $5 billion higher than in 2006.
I've seen the substantial impact of HBCUs in my district by the
example Paul Quinn College has set. Paul Quinn College plays a major
role in the economic success of its graduates by enhancing their
education, training and leadership skills. A college degree opens the
door to economic prosperity through greater employment and earnings
potential. In fact, Paul Quinn College's class of 2014 can expect total
earnings of $53 million over their lifetimes--that's 77 percent more
than they could expect to earn without their college credentials.
Paul Quinn College not only contributes to the economic success of
its students, but it also provides a foundation for students to grow.
Like many HBCUs, Paul Quinn College is committed to the holistic
development of their students. Professors not only focus on academic
excellence, but they also invest in the professional and individual
development of their students.
HBCUs will always be a prominent force in our nation. As a member of
the Congressional Black Caucus I recognize the importance of its
funding and legacy in our country. Please join me in recognizing the
legacy of HBCUs across our country.
____________________