… let me assure you with comparative data that such is not likely to happen. I
have served as a faculty member at Harvard University for nearly two decades
and have seen the minority student component of Harvard’s student body grow
from one-fifth to one-fourth to one-third. Despite the enlarged proportion of
African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans in the
first year college class, Harvard continues to be a predominantly White
institution with a WASP-ish orientation (Journal of Negro Education, 1994, 63:2, p. 159).
Willie’s words of wisdom are just as true today as they were 15 years ago. Blacks who fear the effects of larger White enrollments at HBCUs are selling these institutions short. The culture, the legacy and the rich traditions of our nation’s HBCUs will live on in spite of a threatening White presence.
Trish Williams is an Ed.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, where
she also serves as Dean of the W.E.B. Du Bois College House.
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