Georgia Launches HBCU Caucus

Nashville - State legislators with HBCUs, along with several of their college’s presidents convened in Nashville to discuss establishing state HBCU Caucuses to further the funding and impact that HBCUs have on their state economies.

In all, there are approximately 100 institutions of higher learning that are making sizable contributions to their communities and their state economies. Both Georgia and Alabama are home to 10 or more HBCUs.

Although they are mostly located in the South - Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, Missouri and Oklahoma, they also are located in the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

The meeting was convened to encourage bipartisan efforts to promote HBCUs because they are not all located in districts represented by Democrats. So far, only Georgia and North Carolina have started individual state caucuses.

“As we convene legislators and HBCU leaders from across the country, we recognize the pivotal role these institutions play in our states as centers of excellence, innovation, and cultural significance,” said Georgia State Sen. Sonya Halpern (D – Atlanta) and Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellow. “In doing so, we ensure that the legacy of our HBCUs not only endures but thrives, enriching the fabric of our society for generations to come.”  

Halpern said that for too long HBCU advocacy has been done only by HBCU graduates, but that their impact is broader than their alumni ranks.

“I didn’t attend an HBCU, but I still recognize their value,” Halpern said.

Columbus Sen. Ed Harbison Sr. said he admires Halpern for her leadership in this area.

“Sonya Halpern is one of the most active members of the Georgia Senate. She has introduced legislation to secure money and opportunities for HBCUs in Georgia,” said Harbison, who does not have an HBCU in his district. “She is really on top of it. It is something that is greatly needed and I support it.”

Harbison said there is a need for greater advocacy for HBCUs and that before Coach Deion “Prime” Sanders left Jackson State University in Mississippi for the University of Colorado, he did a lot to promote HBCUs even though he went to Florida State University.

Alabama State University President Quinton T. Ross Jr., who attended the meeting, said as a former state senators he understands the importance of broadening the social circles of HBCU networks to include Republicans and Democrats.

“We began to have a legislative reception where we invited every legislator – Democrat and Republican - to come to Alabama State University and now eight years later the question is: ‘When are we having another reception?’,” Ross said. “That opened Alabama State up to a lot of things. Now, we’ve had legislative meetings on campus. The state attorney general sat with me watching a basketball game. Just by extending the invitation, it leads to building those relationships. Not only do we do that with our legislators, but we do that with our local elected officials: the city council and county commissions.”

The conference was sponsored by North Carolina's Hunt Institute, which was founded by former N.C. Gov. Jim Hunt. The organization brings together people and resources that help build and nurture visionary leadership and mobilize strategic action for greater educational outcomes and student success.