Attendees participate in group discussions during “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum.” All three of the Triad’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities participated in the event, sponsored in part by the C.H.I.L.D. Up student organization in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.


What makes historically Black Universities and colleges important?

That was the heart of a discussion among students from N.C. Agricultural and Technical State University, Bennett College and Winston-Salem State University at a Feb. 24 symposium in A&T’s Deese Ballroom. The event was sponsored by the North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus Foundation, N.C. A&T C.H.I.L.D. Up student club and Amazon.

The symposium, titled “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum,” included a panel featuring students from each educational institution discussing why HBCUs are important and the issue of educational freedom.

Winston Wardlaw, a senior studying nutritional science at A&T, said the topic struck a chord as he was reading the book “The Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a Slave.”

Wardlaw said the text referred to the great importance of “keeping the body, but taking the mind” and ensuring that slaves remain uneducated because they otherwise “would understand how to navigate society better, and they would understand how to uplift their life better.

“(HBCUs) offer a golden opportunity for African Americans and underrepresented individuals to uplift their lives” Wardlaw said. “They offer the opportunity for us to keep our minds — not let it be taken or moved in the direction that it doesn’t need to be.”

Wardlaw also pointed to data showing that, on average, the cost of attending an HBCU is nearly 30 percent less than that of non-HBCUs. “HBCUs are serving as a force of opportunity to ensure we all have access to higher education,” he said.

Beayonia Washington, a senior studying journalism and English at Bennett College, pointed to the importance of HBCUs in bringing people of color together in the struggle for equality.

“I want to also connect this to the more recent news of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and how this political climate is creating a separation within our communities because of fear,” Washington said. “An HBCU is the perfect place to start coming together —it’s always been the place to come together and talk about political issues such as this.

“We need new ideas now, and it’s important for you to be able to speak up comfortably and then have that support system for you to be able to confidently speak those ideas and … be the solution that’s needed for current times,” she said.

Olivia Cody, a sophomore studying teaching at Winston-Salem State University, noted the importance of ties that form as a result of being part of an HBCU, with both fellow students and alumni. “Attending an HBCU … was always exceptionally valuable,” she said. “I really appreciate being seen for myself and not just my color, but still be able to celebrate my color in a way that felt right for me.”

Students attending the forum also broke into groups to discuss why Black educators are important, preserving black history in educational settings, and tackling the school to prison pipeline that results from some school disciplinary measures.

Valerie J. McMilllan, Ph.D., an A&T associate professor of family and consumer sciences who helped organize the event, pointed out how young children are being impacted by this.

Of the 18 percent of North Carolina children in pre-school environments, McMillan said about 32 percent are “being suspended, expelled or excluded from early childhood settings.

“North Carolina has the highest percentage of putting young children, 3 and 4 years old, out of school,” McMillan said. “That’s a serious problem.”

Gallery

A young woman with dark, curly hair, wearing a pink blazer and large silver earrings, speaks into a microphone while seated at a panel discussion. She gestures with one hand as she speaks. In front of her, a nameplate reads "Beayonia Washington, Bennett College." The background features a modern conference room with wooden paneling.

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Four professionally dressed individuals stand side by side, smiling at the camera under a colorful balloon arch. The arch is made of red, white, blue, and yellow balloons. The group consists of one man in a beige suit with glasses and three women in dark business attire, one of whom is wearing a yellow blouse. The background features a plain white wall and a carpeted floor.

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Nigel Pierce, Valerie Jarvis McMillan, Lisa Hodges and Stacy Grier pose for a photo at “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum” on Feb. 24 at N.C. A&T State University.

Four young adults stand side by side, smiling at the camera under a colorful balloon arch made of red, white, blue, and yellow balloons. Two individuals wear clothing featuring the North Carolina A&T State University logo, while the others are dressed in professional attire. The background is a plain white wall.

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Student group leaders “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum” (from left): Julius Bradshaw-Mitchell (WSSU mass communications major); Tyra Dennis (N.C. A&T child development & family relations major); Alliyah Talton (N.C. A&T kinesiology and psychology major); and James Toon (N.C. A&T criminal justice major).

Three panelists sit at a long table covered with a white tablecloth, participating in a discussion. The panelist on the right, a woman with long braided hair and glasses, speaks into a microphone. The middle panelist, a woman in a pink blazer with curled hair, listens attentively. The panelist on the left, a man in a navy blue suit and glasses, looks toward the speaker. Nameplates in front of them identify them as representing different universities, including Winston-Salem State University, Bennett College, and N.C. A&T State University. The background features a modern wooden-paneled wall with projection screens above the panel.

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Winston Wardlaw (N.C. A&T), Beayonia Washington (Bennett College), and Olivia Cody (Winston-Salem State University) were featured student panelists at “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum” on Feb. 24 at N.C. A&T University.

A young man with short curly hair, glasses, and a neatly trimmed beard speaks into a microphone while seated at a panel discussion. He is wearing a navy blue suit, a light blue dress shirt, and a gray tie. He gestures with one hand as he speaks. A nameplate in front of him reads "Winston Wardlaw, N.C. A&T State University." The background features a modern conference room with wooden paneling.

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A professionally dressed woman wearing a black blazer and pearl necklace stands and speaks to a group seated around a round table covered with a white tablecloth. The table has a laptop, notebooks, and a floral centerpiece. The group includes individuals in business and casual attire, some taking notes or listening. In the background, other attendees are engaged in discussions at similar tables, with a stage, microphones, and balloon decorations visible in the conference room.

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Attendees at “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum” participate in group discussions.

An older woman stands at a wooden podium speaking into a microphone, wearing a colorful patterned jacket and a name badge, inside a modern conference room.

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Gwendolyn Bookman, J.D., associate professor of political science at Bennett College, spoke about the history of historically Black colleges and universities during the “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum.”

A young woman wearing glasses and a cream-colored sweater speaks at a wooden podium with a microphone in a modern conference room.

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Leah Barlow, Ph.D., assistant professor of liberal studies at N.C. A&T, spoke about the history of Black education during the “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum.”

Four professionally dressed individuals stand together, smiling at the camera next to a welcome sign for the "HBCUs & Education: Social Justice Forum" event in the Deese Ballroom. The sign includes logos for North Carolina A&T State University, the NC Local Black College Fund, and Amazon. A cluster of red, white, and blue balloons is at the base of the sign. Behind them, a digital screen displays the hours of operation for the NC A&T Student Center.

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Stacy Grier, Lisa Hodges, Valier Jarvis McMillan and Nigel Pierce pose for a photo at “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum” on Feb. 24 at N.C. A&T State University.

Two young women sit behind a registration table, smiling at the camera. They are wearing matching navy blue shirts with a colorful logo on the left side, one wearing a yellow cardigan and the other a black jacket. The table is covered with a white tablecloth and has sign-in sheets, a QR code agenda, pens in a small gold container, and a smartphone. A sign in the background is partially visible on the white wall.

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Nyeimah Harris (child development and family studies senior) and Kenyada Davis (child development and family studies junior) volunteered to sign people in at “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum” on Feb. 24 at N.C. A&T University.

Six individuals stand side by side in a conference room, smiling at the camera while holding small gift bags. They are dressed in a mix of business and casual attire, with one person wearing an "NC A&T" sweatshirt and another in a pink blazer dress. The group consists of young adults and a professional with blonde hair. The background features wooden doors and a dark-paneled wall.

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“The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum” facilitators and panelists (from left): Winston Wardlaw, Tyra Dennis, Olivia Cody, Julius Bradshaw-Mitchell, Alliyah Talton and Beayonia Washington. Not pictured, James Toon.

A young woman with long braided hair and glasses speaks into a microphone while seated at a panel discussion. She is wearing a light gray sweater and gestures with one hand as she speaks. A nameplate in front of her reads "Olivia Cody, Winston-Salem State University." The background features a modern conference room with wooden paneling.

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A woman in a navy blue suit and yellow blouse receives a bouquet of yellow and green flowers wrapped in brown paper. She is smiling while being congratulated by a man in a beige suit with glasses and a woman in a black suit with pearl accessories. The setting appears to be an indoor event space with a wooden door and dark wall panels in the background.

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Valerie J. McMilllan, Ph.D., associate professor of family and consumer sciences, was presented with flowers by Orlice “Lisa” Hodges, Ph.D., first vice chair of North Carolina Black Legislative Caucus, and Nigel Pierce, Ph.D., NCLBCF board member and assistant professor at N.C. Central University. Hodges, a 1981 graduate of N.C. A&T State University, helped organize “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum” on Feb. 24 at N.C. A&T University.

Two young men sit behind a table, smiling at the camera. The person on the left wears glasses, has short dreadlocks, and is dressed in a black Nike hoodie with a logo partially visible on the front. The person on the right wears glasses, has short curly hair, and is dressed in a black New Balance jacket over a gray shirt. A plastic water bottle is on the table in front of them. The background is a plain white wall.

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Camden Allen (business management, class of 2028) and Damarcus Bostick (mechanical engineering class of 2028) volunteered to sign people in at “The Importance of HBCUs and Education: A Social Justice Forum” on Feb. 24 at N.C. A&T University.