During my senior year of college, I had a chance to visit one of my best friends and attend #GHOE (The Greatest Homecoming on Earth) at North Carolina A&T State University. What a time!
I thought back to this experience during my conversation with Amber Buck, who serves as the Coordinator of Community Relations and Partnerships for Piper Schools in Kansas City, Kansas. She also teaches African American Literature in this school district that is predominately white, with Black students representing a small fraction of the population. Amber spoke about how she not only teaches students about the history of Black people in America, she is also able to teach students about resilience and that comes with education about historically Black colleges and universities, as well as fraternities and sororities. Personally, I think it is necessary and absolutely perfect.
As a high school student, I heard about historically Black colleges, but unfortunately, they were presented as a lesser option. My comfort zone was no more than four hours away from home in Kansas City, leaving fewer options that I chose to consider in terms of HBCU’s. My closest friends from high school all left the city and went to schools such as North Carolina A&T, Florida A&M and Alcorn State because they were determined to be in spaces with people that looked like them. If I knew then what I know now, I hope that I would have given more consideration to an HBCU or at minimum, applied to one.
The power that Amber and frankly, all of us have as educators, is to demonstrate what opportunity looks like to our students. Ultimately, they have to make their own decisions, but if we truly want what’s best for them, they should hear about the legacy of HBCU’s and possibly see themselves on campus. I truly appreciate the work of educators such as Shanelle Smith, who founded HBCU Walking Billboard, an organization that brings awareness to historically Black institutions and supports students as they attend and graduate. There is room for allies who can support this cause, even if they didn’t attend an HBCU.
I simply want our Black babies to recognize their greatness and walk in it, even when the world around them doesn’t. I’m thankful to stand in a space and play even a small part in supporting the education of Black students in Kansas City and beyond.
You can check out our conversation here: https://www.spreaker.com/user/onekcradio/episode-13-education-is-eternal