In collaboration with U.S. Congresswoman Alma Adams, a new documentary takes a deep dive into the history of underfunded Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the need to protect them.
“Of all of the civil rights for which the world has struggled and fought for for 500 years, the right to learn is undoubtedly the most fundamental,” Adams, who represents North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District, says in the opening of the trailer for “The Price of Excellence,” the new doc from The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank.
HBCUs have been underfunded for decades, with unequal treatment and funding compared to non-HBCU institutions. In 2023, the Biden administration called attention to the underfunding of historically Black land-grant universities, a gap of $13 billion over 30 years. Only two states, Ohio and Delaware, were found to have equitably funded their HBCU land grants. The other states’ institutions had funding gaps between $172 million to $2.14 billion compared with their predominantly white counterparts.
The universities saw record funding for HBCUs during Biden’s term.
History of funding
The country’s historically Black land-grant universities were created by state lawmakers who were given a choice by Congress: either allow Black students to attend their existing land grants or open a separate institution. If those lawmakers chose to create a separate university, federal law required states to equitably distribute funds between the two institutions. The historically Black land grants have been fighting for parity in state funding ever since.
Today, the Black land grants enroll a higher percentage of Black and low-income students than their traditionally white counterparts, and they play a key role in diversifying science, engineering and agriculture workforces. Meanwhile, they’ve had to deal with insufficient funding to update their aging facilities, expand their campuses and offer more aid to students, among other consequences.
The documentary, premiering on Sept. 25, will shed light on the challenges faced by HBCUs and features insights from various experts and policymakers.