(Todd A. Smith)
President Donald Trump’s dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion policies, as well as race-based programs across the nation, will permanently alter the experiences of students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The commander-in-chief’s policy decisions on diversity are based on the 2023 Supreme Court Case that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions.
Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights for the Education Department, said, “Federal law thus prohibits covered entities from using race in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administration support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.”
The “Dear Colleague” letter could hinder students at HBCUs from receiving grants or scholarships.
It could hinder HBCUs from teaching courses on Black History and Black Literature.
It could prevent programs geared towards the Black experience.
It could adversely impact the Divine Nine fraternities and sororities, which all have predominantly Black membership.
It could hinder the United Negro College Fund from lifting Black people out of poverty by providing college scholarships.
It could possibly impact professional organizations geared towards the Black community, such as the National Association of Black Journalists, that give scholarships to deserving students.
And it could prevent non-Black students from receiving scholarships from predominantly Black organizations because unlike some non-Black organizations, many organizations that started to assist Black people never limited themselves to helping only Black people.
That is why many HBCUs have large non-Black student bodies, like the large number of Latino students at Texas Southern University (TSU).
Organizations like Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. pride themselves on never restricting membership based on race, color or creed.
Because White racist America often excluded Black people from upward mobility by segregating schools, jobs and careers, HBCUs, Black community and professional organizations, and many Greek-letter organizations began as a refuge for people of color.
Young people could attend HBCUs, join a Divine Nine organization and become a member of a Black-oriented business or community group, and enjoy a respite from America’s racism.
Predominantly Black organizations at predominantly White institutions, specifically, got their start because Black students were excluded from White organizations and campus life.
Therefore, Black organizations gave students a safe space where they could escape the Confederate flag being flown from a campus apartment or from the hate slurs scratched into their dormitory door.
The Trump administration’s efforts to roll back these programs will not reduce racism in schools.
His actions will increase racism towards minorities in schools and colleges like it did during his first term.
I have family members in public education who tell me that Black and Brown students were subjugating to racist taunts by their White peers during Trump’s first administration.
According to those educators, such taunts were not seen as much before Trump’s first term.
Trump dismantling support systems and safe spaces for students dealing with such bigotry will only increase the likelihood of more bigotry.
Instead of addressing real racism and discrimination against minorities, Trump is implementing rules that protect White fragility from the reality that this country will soon be predominantly Black and Brown.
If he can stop progress or scare minorities, then he can personally ensure the continuation of White political, social and economic power.
While the country becoming majority minority over the next few years is great, having a majority means nothing if you have no political or economic power.
Just ask Black South Africans who suffered for years under apartheid.
Trump’s second administration is determined to stop the demographic shift of America, hence his draconian immigration policies.
If he cannot do that, he wants to strip Black and Brown communities of their future power, even if they are in the majority in the future.
If that becomes reality, Black institutions and organizations will be even more crucial, as Black people may no longer have safe spaces to escape racism.
Such schools and organizations are even more important in providing a sense of self for students who are often taught that they are less than just because of the color of their skin.
That is probably why Trump and his acolytes call that type of development “woke indoctrination” because they want Black people to remain asleep while they slip us back into oppression and segregation.
As a two-time graduate of HBCUs, Southern University and TSU, I can say that the years I spent on those campuses changed my life and my view of the world.
I had attended a diverse middle school and even more diverse high school, but never once had I attended a school where my culture was celebrated like it was at Southern and TSU.
My high school had activities for Black History Month and a course on African-American culture.
But those things seemed like a nuisance to some of the school’s faculty and administration members.
However, every day at an HBCU was Black History Month.
Whenever a Black student stepped on an HBCU campus, their history, heritage and culture was celebrated in a country where the Black experience was often ignored.
If Trump gets his wish, talking about the Black experience might become illegal.
People like Trump want to believe that White people face racism in this country.
But the question is, from whom?
For White people to endure racism and discrimination, it must come from other White people because people of color do not have enough power to systemically discriminate against White folks.
White people are not enduring racism.
They are losing the power to inflict their racism on others because of the changing demographics of the country.
Therefore, they must change the rules of the game because people of color have begun beating them at their own discriminatory game.
