Historically black colleges and universities

In the United States, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are colleges or universities that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the African American community. Other institutions have large numbers of African Americans in their student body, but were founded (or opened their doors to African Americans) after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court (the court decision which outlawed racial segregation of public education facilities). By definition they are not historically black colleges. Such institutions have been termed predominantly black.

Today, there are 114 historically black colleges in the United States which vary between two year and four year institutions and public and private funding. Most are located in the Southeastern United States. Four are located in the midwestern states (two each in Missouri and Ohio), one is in Delaware, and one is in the Virgin Islands.^[1]

HBCUs in popular culture

• Series star Will Smith wore Grambling State University, Southern University, and Tuskegee University paraphernalia during several episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on NBC.

• Britney Spears wore a Southern University T-shirt in her movie Crossroads and even on the cover.
  Image:Crossroads movie.jpg

  Crossroads movie poster showing Britney Spears in a Southern University T-Shirt.

• Black Entertainment Television's reality television series College Hill follows the lives of students at historically black colleges. The first institution selected was the prestigious Southern University. Langston University, and Virginia State University would later follow, along with Grambling State University doing spin-off shows of the first College Hill.

• The television series The Cosby Show mentioned Spelman College, Howard University and Tuskegee University in several of its televised episodes. The series star, Bill Cosby, a prominent donor to several historically black institutions, was often seen wearing college sweatshirts from several institutions (including Savannah State College, Morgan State University, Cheyney University, Benedict College, Spelman College, and Shaw University) in various episodes. One one episode, a friend of Denise (played by Blair Underwood) stated that he was going to attend Central State in Wilburforce, Ohio. on an academic scholarship. On the final episode of the series, Cosby wore a Tuskegee University T-shirt for the entire show.

• The Cosby Show's character Denise (portrayed by actress Lisa Bonet) was spun off into another popular television series, A Different World. The series dealt with the life of students at the fictional historically Black college, Hillman College, and ran for six seasons on NBC. Portions of the series were filmed at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. According to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, when Debbie Allen became the director-producer the show, she drew from her college experiences at Howard University to more accurately reflect the social and political life on black campuses.[1]

• The 2002 film Drumline tells the story of a young student from New York who enters a fictional historically Black university and attempts to lead the school's marching band drum section.

• Dave Chappelle includes a marching band from Central State University, located in Wilberforce, Ohio in his film "Dave Chapelle's Block Party." Dave took this entire band to NYC for a weekend block party.

• Ralph Ellison's 1952 novel Invisible Man is partially set at a fictional HBC that is modeled on Alabama's Tuskegee Institute, where Ellison himself majored in music. The novel is now considered a classic of American literature.

See also

• List of historically black colleges of the United States
• College Hill — A reality television series based on college life at historically black colleges
• A Different World — A sitcom set at Hillman, a fictitious historically black college
• Drumline — A 2002 film based on an historically black college's marching band
• Grambling's White Tiger — A 1981 TV movie about Grambling State University's first White football player
• School Daze — A 1988 film about fraternities and sororities at a fictitious historically black college
• Season of the Tiger — A reality television series that follows members of the marching band and football team at Grambling State.
• Stomp the Yard — A 2007 film about rivaling fraternity step teams at a fictitious historically black college.

Further reading

• Black Colleges of Atlanta (College History Series)
• Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Their Aspirations & Accomplishments
• Twilight and Reason: Higher Education and the African American Experience

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