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How historically Black colleges and universities have evolved in recent years

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Published  February 4, 2022 7:28pm CST
Black History Month
FOX 26 Houston

Black History Month: How Black colleges, universities have evolved in recent years

FOX 26's Isiah Carey explains how Black colleges and universities have evolved over the recent years.

HOUSTON - What would life be like without the ocean of soul from the campus of Texas Southern University? What would happen if the marching storm didn't rock the crowd at Prairie View A&M University? 

While bands and sports are at the core of historically black colleges and universities around the country, that's not all it's about.

SEE MORE BLACK HISTORY MONTH COVERAGE

Dr. Lesia Crumpton young is the current president at Texas Southern University. She says there has been a renewed interest in Historically Black colleges and Universities (HBCUs) over recent years. That means more students, more faculty, and more funding.

The renewed interest in HBCUs came with the COVID-19 pandemic, racial reckoning after the death of George Floyd, and a reminder that the Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris attended an HBCU by the name of Howard University.

WATCH: Megan Thee Stallion graduates from TSU

Houston's own Megan Thee Stallion is now Megan Thee TSU Graduate! This weekend the rapper walked across the stage to accept her graduation diploma from Texas Southern University.

There are more than 100 HBCUs in the United States. The schools began at a time when Blacks either found it difficult or were rejected from many of the mainstream institutions of higher learning around the country. Cheyney University in Pennsylvania was the first back in 1837.

For decades HBCUs were considered second-class schools, but that's long been a thing of the past.  

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More and more black students including Hispanics and even whites are now embracing the schools. Enrollment sits at just under 300,000 students nationwide. Students who are beaming with pride at Texas Southern University.

The resurgence of HBCUs appears unstoppable even though some have tried and are trying as we speak.

Just this week, for example, several historically black colleges and universities around the country have been the targets of bomb threats. It's the second round of threats in a month's time.

MORE: HBCU bomb threats reported at several universities across the U.S.

In the meantime, HBCUs are changing the way Americans think about education. It's a reminder smaller schools with less funding have been able to survive and produce quality students like dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and even Vice President Kamala Harris.