Have you heard of the term HBCU before? It stands for "Historically Black College or Universities" and these are not institutions that just happen to be majority black. In the late 1800s, they were founded to both educate Black American students and to equip them with the viable skills necessary to excel in the nation’s workforce...while also acknowledging and celebrating their ethnic histories and cultures (https://www.tmcf.org/history-of-hbcus/). 

HBCUs offer an educational environment in which Black Americans are afforded the chance to learn as part of a majority, often for the very first time. And the proof is in the pudding as HBCUs account for 80% of Black judges, 50% of Black doctors, and 50% of Black lawyers (https://cdn.uncf.org/wp-content/uploads/Social-Mobility-Report-FINAL.pdf ). 

So today we have invited James Francis (Senior Trainer and DEIB Contributor) and his classmate Jamahal C. Boyd (Former CEO of The Crossroads Center, Executive and Healthcare Consultant) to discuss their experience at an HBCU (Delaware State), the lessons they learned, and how they transitioned back to the minority. 

Sources for today's show: 

• https://www.tmcf.org/history-of-hbcus/  
• https://cdn.uncf.org/wp-content/uploads/Social-Mobility-Report-FINAL.pdf  
• https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=667  
• https://uncf.org/pages/facts-and-questions  
• https://www.terry.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/HBCU-Impact-2017.pdf  
• https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/09/16/a-proclamation-on-national-historically-black-colleges-and-universities-week-2022/  
• https://uncf.org/the-latest/the-impact-of-hbcus-on-diversity-in-stem-fields  

This is Balancing Life's Issues the Podcast. Got an idea for the show? Email [email protected]