These examples have not explicitly mentioned historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). I believe HBCU alumni associations must take the lead in the area of economic development. In a nod to history, the inaugural COBAA conference should take place on the campus of an HBCU, just as SNCC’s did almost 50 years ago.
The alumni association I envision could create a general Economic Development Fund that would be available to help finance the creation and expansion of businesses in our communities. COBAA members can also pressure their alma maters to do business with Black-owned banks.
Certainly there will be numerous obstacles to the formation of an organization such as COBAA; but if Black students with limited resources could overcome relentless Southern racism to form a historic organization such as SNCC, then surely Black college graduates who benefited from those herculean efforts can pick up the baton and put an updated twist on SNCC’s groundbreaking legacy.
— Roland Laird is the author of Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans and the CEO of Posro Media, an entertainment production company that explores Black history and culture in a variety of platforms.
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