Historically Black Colleges - Learning from Them

I was wanting to discuss and analyze the presence of Historically Black Colleges, of which I have read up on the last few years, and of which I would like to assess and put into perspective.

Here are my three-part notes that I put together to track some of my awareness, which maps out a bit of how I have understood their locations and presence over time. 

Grambling St. - I learned about legendary coach Eddie Robinson in the 1980s, when I began watching college football closely on T.V. And following in newspapers and magazines.

Howard - a classmate from middle and high school is accepted and moves to Washington, D.C., to attend this famous and prestigious HBCU

Enter the Post Kapernick Era - Colin brought up the points of Black treatment and fairness by kneeling at NFL football games. Summer of George Floyd brought heightened scrutiny on the state of Black lives and equity.

    I grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, which is a major sports college town, with large football and basketball followings. The football team is not as big, but by being in the Big Ten, it is united with some of the biggest programs nationally. Watching, following, and loving those teams brought to most of us fans a love and appreciation for the student-athletes, many of whom are Black. I feel like many of these men and women, white or black or mixed or whatever, have become heroes to me. My race and their race is one thing, no longer divided; at the end of the day they are I.U. Red, as am I. I could make a healthy list of favorite I.U. players, many of whom are African-American; I feel like their allegiance and loyalty and greatness for the school has brought the races, of which there have been many individuals and teams, that has made us one people. We are one.

    The dream. We are united, no matter what color of skin, right?

    That was the reality that I knew and believed in. White, Black, brown, or any other skin or ethnic variant, we put on a red and white uniform, and we are one. The same.

    The student-athletes and coaches are successful and motivated, representing all of us.

    I also learned to love and identify with the Brigham Young University Cougars of Provo, Utah, where I eventually attended. I go to their games with family and friends as a lifetime pursuit and pleasure, decades later. Again, religiously affiliated and private, but no matter the racial or ethnic background of the students, we are BYU Blue. The school has a history of being exclusive racially prior to the 1970s, which is another thing to discuss separately. But this is about HBCUs. Of which there are 41, I think. 

    

     I think that number refers to Football Championship Series (FCS) numbers of teams, also formerly known as Division 1-AA schools, just below the highest division in the NCAA. Also, I think that all of them have Division 1 basketball teams, or most of them. There are more National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) top tier b-ball teams than football.

    Their presence has been more unknown and a bit mysterious to me. Over time and circumstance, I have learned more, and the subject and their existence has become more interesting to me. On the radio the last few years I listen to professors from Virginia State on the radio, or drive by on the freeway. I like to understand who and where we all are. 

    There are, as of 2022, 131 Football Bowl Series (FBS), aka Division I athletic franchises, and all of them are not affiliated by race. Some are religious, others are secular private, but all of them are not identified racially as the HBCUs are. None of the HBCUs are qualified as the highest level of academic size and competition. This fact alone keeps many of them off the radar.

    Here is a list by state of the Historically Black Colleges, from a site summer '22:

HBCU Listings by State
•	HBCU's In Alabama (15)
•	HBCU's In Arkansas (4)
•	HBCU's In California (1)
•	HBCU's In Delaware (1)
•	HBCU's In District of Columbia (2)
•	HBCU's In Florida (4)
•	HBCU's In Georgia (10)
•	HBCU's In Illinois (1)
•	HBCU's In Kentucky (2)
•	HBCU's In Louisiana (6)
•	HBCU's In Maryland (4)
•	HBCU's In Michigan (1)
•	HBCU's In Mississippi (8)
•	HBCU's In Missouri (2)
•	HBCU's In New York (1)
•	HBCU's In North Carolina (11)
•	HBCU's In Ohio (2)
•	HBCU's In Oklahoma (1)
•	HBCU's In Pennsylvania (2)
•	HBCU's In South Carolina (8)
•	HBCU's In Tennessee (7)
•	HBCU's In Texas (10)
•	HBCU's In Virgin Islands (1)
•	HBCU's In Virginia (6)
	HBCU's In West Virginia (2) Perhaps that list adds up to forty-one. (No, 112: I counted!) Note that there are none in Indiana, where I lived 22 of my first 29 years. There are also none in Utah, where I ended up living for five years. Many people would automatically expect there to be less presence in the West, especially the rural West where there are fewer African-Americans. A friend of color ... To be continued on next post. BREAK- I will make a second post due to formatting issues.