Dr. Meldon Hollis knew he had to be strategic to save the White House's commitment to historically black colleges and universities after former President Jimmy Carter lost re-election in 1980.
The office, headed by Mr. Hollis, had just been established under the Carter administration earlier that year. Months later, Hollis said, the office and its mission to support HBCUs across the country were in danger of being jettisoned by the incoming Reagan administration.
“I started thinking, 'Okay, my first job is to get the office in order, but my second job is to find a way to save it,'” Hollis said, as people gathered to listen online. He spoke to a virtual room filled with more than 100 participants. He will speak at the end of February.
The virtual event is the first in a series of presidential debate-specific programs for Virginia State University and will be held on campus on October 1st.
Hollis enlists the help of a jazz legend
Through a colleague, Hollis learned that Lionel Hampton, a jazz legend and major Republican supporter based in New York, knew Reagan personally. He took Hampton to Washington, D.C., for dinner and discussed the importance of White House support for HBCUs.
“Reagan's problem was that he grew up in Iowa and then moved from Iowa to California, and he didn't even know black colleges existed,” Hollis said. “So how do we convince him to care about black colleges?”
Hampton asked Hollis to write a proposal, which he intended to submit to President Reagan, but Hollis' first draft was rejected. Hampton said it was too liberal to propose to conservative politicians.
“I rewrote it and used a lot of Republican language. The next thing I knew in Jet Magazine and Ebony Magazine was that Ronald Reagan was committed to HBCUs,” Hollis said. said.
Hollis' campaign was successful. Every president since Carter, Republican and Democrat, has signed executive orders supporting HBCUs. More than 40 years later, the firm continues under its current Executive Director, Dr. Dietra Trent.
Celebration and history lesson
In that virtual classroom, Hollis, founding executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, took attendees back to their schools with an easy-to-understand and interactive lesson on the history of HBCUs.
The class, titled “The American Presidency and HBCUs: A Distinguished History,” provided participants with a final understanding of Virginia State University's historic selection in the second presidential debate of the 2024 general election. I did.
The event began with a prayer, the singing of the poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” honoring Black History Month, and an awards ceremony recognizing the accomplishments of VSU staff and faculty before Hollis' keynote address.
Hollis' speech was deeply rooted in African American history, with an emphasis on HBCUs.
In addition to the creation of the White House Office of Secretariat and subsequent executive orders, Mr. Hollis discussed the historic constitutional and legal framework for HBCUs. Various organizations have been developed to advocate for HBCUs. Issues currently facing HBCUs.
The historic constitutional and legal framework included the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868; Land grant programs of the 1890s. A series of cases including Plessy v. Ferguson, Sweat v. Painter, Briggs v. Elliott, Adams v. Richardson, and United States v. Fordyce. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and his creation of Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Civil Rights Office Guidance on United States v. Fordis.
“After Reconstruction, states moved so quickly to separate blacks and whites for education that it was actually against the law for blacks and whites to be educated in the same place,” Hollis said. . “So by 1890 there was already a system of black and white colleges. Congress wanted black colleges to be able to participate in land-grant programs.”
Various organizations developed to support HBCUs include the United Negro College Fund, which was founded in 1944 and now funds grants and scholarships for students; National Equal Opportunity Association. Founded in 1969 by HBCU presidents and chancellors, it now includes primarily Black institutions and community colleges. The Thurgood Marshall University Fund was established in 1987 by Dr. Joyce Payne to support the nation's 47 public HBCUs.
“Eighty percent of all students attending HBCUs are enrolled at these 47 institutions,” Hollis said.
Regardless of such executive branch support, black land-grant colleges in 16 states, including Virginia and Virginia State University, have historically received less money than traditionally white colleges since 1987, according to a federal analysis. There continues to be a lack of funding compared to the current funding level.
Hollis said the Biden administration is pushing these states to fund colleges equitably.
First debate held at HBCU
The first HBCU was established in 1837. There are currently about 100 of his HBCUs, public and private, across the country, Hollis said.
VSU will be the first HBCU to host a presidential debate. The forum, scheduled to take place Oct. 1, has been at the forefront of interest for students, faculty, staff and community members for the past three months.
VSU said in a November statement that the controversy “will leave a lasting impact on the campus community, the university's reputation, and the nation as a whole.” A university spokesperson also said that students would play an important role in the democratic process.
Wednesday's two-hour virtual program was the first in a series to educate the nation about HBCUs and presidential debates. VSU is in the process of launching his website dedicated to debate-specific events. In the meantime, more information about University events can be found on the News and Events webpage.
