Although Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were originally established to serve the African American community during the segregation period, HBCUs have also been instrumental in fostering the growth of black descendants from outside the US, including Afro-Latinos. Places like FAMU, one of more than 100 historically black colleges and universities today, continue to create opportunities for blacks and indigenous people everywhere they couldn’t see themselves learning at predominantly white institutions (or PWIs). Black immigrants and/or Latino students like myself often benefit from the safe spaces created by all-Black academic institutions and also bring unique cultural connections and nuances to the proverbial HBCU experience.
“HBCUs were founded specifically to educate the descendants of enslaved people. Yes, the first group of descendants of enslaved people were from the United States, but people of African descent throughout the Americas and continental Africa were being educated at HBCUs long before the integration of predominantly white institutions,” Dr. Nathalie from Howard University. Frédéric Pierre, who immigrated from Haiti at the age of two, tells Refinery29 Somos.
