When Does Saving an HBCU Become More Harmful Than Letting It Go?
Saint Augustine’s University will offer no classes this fall as it works through bankruptcy and attempts to chart a path forward. For those of us who love HBCUs, the instinct is to say, “Save it at all costs.” But there is a question we rarely have the courage to ask: At what point does preserving…
Another President Gone: Arkansas Baptist College and the Leadership Crisis HBCUs Cannot Afford
Arkansas Baptist College has terminated President William “Bill” Walker Jr. less than a year into his presidency. The reason remains publicly unclear, but the larger story may not be about one president at all. It may be about governance, instability, transparency, and what happens when an institution keeps changing leaders while its problems remain. The…
Bonnets, Durags, and the Uncomfortable Truth About Professionalism at HBCUs
Tuskegee University’s dress expectations have ignited a national conversation about bonnets, durags, professionalism, and Black identity. But beneath the debate is a much larger question: What responsibility do HBCUs have to prepare students for the world as it exists while also preparing them to change it?
