Advertise & Recruit on HBCU CONNECT The #1 way to reach the HBCU community — 300K+ monthly visitors & 1.5M members View the Media Kit →
Quick Search

Active Bloggers

Joel Savage Joel Savage
class of 1993
Roger Gates Roger Gates
Hampton University class of 1995
HBCU CONNECT HBCU CONNECT
Central State University class of 1995
LaMarr Blackmon LaMarr Blackmon
Cal St Univ, Long Beach class of 1992
Reginald Claremont Reginald Claremont
Clark Atlanta University class of 1998
jimmy harris jimmy harris
Albany State University class of 1987
Cata Rizzle Cata Rizzle
Hampton University class of 2001
Randi Payton Randi Payton
University of the District of Columbia class of 1982
James Gray James Gray
Prairie View A&M University class of 1995

Exposing the Myth: HBCUs and the Real World

Exposing the Myth: HBCUs and the Real World
Posted By: autumn cade on June 30, 2010
FEATURED Content


Thousands of students are preparing to attend historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in August. But some of those students are on the receiving end of blows of ire from friends and family for choosing an HBCU.

The loudest critique — HBCUs are not representative of the real world.

As someone who attended an HBCU (Florida A&M University) for my undergraduate studies, I have heard this claim so many times it stopped upsetting me. But when I listened to one of my family members make this assertion to our most recent high school graduate who will attend an HBCU in the fall, my passion for setting the record straight resurfaced.

There are concerns a parent can raise in sending their child to an HBCU, just as that parent can develop concerns about any college or university in this nation.



But the idea that HBCUs do not represent the real world should not cause alarm. It is invalid, based on a few faulty (but seemingly logical) premises.

The concept starts with the obvious observation that African-Americans live in a majority White country. Since HBCUs are majority Black, they do not correspond to this real, majority White world, the argument climaxes. When students attend HBCUs, when they enter these majority Black spaces, they instead are enrolled in fictitious, racial dream worlds that do not match reality. Therefore, African-American students are better served learning how to operate in this majority White nation by attending a majority White college or university.


Read More: http://diverseeducation.com/blogpost/275/e...

If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email!
More From This Author
National AIDS Fund Receives $3.6 Million Social Innovation Fund Award
99 Problems...but AKA's Ain't One
Cheerleading is not a college sport
Black, Anthony Lead Preseason All-SWAC Teams; Prairie View and Alabama A&M predicted to win respective divisio
Howard, Georgetown Partner to Receive $38 Million Research Grant
SC State Researchers Led by Dr. Waltena Simpson Look at Oil Clean-Up Solution for Gulf
Latest News
Virginia State University Breaks All-Time Enrollment Record With Largest Class in Its History

Virginia State University Breaks All-Time Enrollment Record With Largest Class in Its History

Virginia State University has enrolled more than 6,350 students for the 2026-27 academic year, the largest in its documented history, along with the biggest first-time freshman class ever at 1,725 stu ...more
Roger Gates • 86 Views • October 21st, 2026
FAMU Rattler Great Andre Dawson Receives Florida Governor's Medal of Freedom

FAMU Rattler Great Andre Dawson Receives Florida Governor's Medal of Freedom

Today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis presented the Governor’s Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the Governor can bestow on a Floridian, to Baseball Hall of Famer and proud Florida A&M University (FA ...more
Reginald Claremont • 200 Views • October 19th, 2026
STARZ Named Presenting Sponsor as HBCU First LOOK Film & TV Festival Returns to Howard University Nov. 5-7

STARZ Named Presenting Sponsor as HBCU First LOOK Film & TV Festival Returns to Howard University Nov. 5-7

For three days this November, Howard University will transform into the epicenter of Black film. The 4th Annual HBCU First LOOK Film & TV Festival (HBCUFLF) returns to the nation's capital Novembe ...more
Roger Gates • 142 Views • October 19th, 2026
NCCU Awarded $4.9 Million to Accelerate Its Path to R2 Research Status

NCCU Awarded $4.9 Million to Accelerate Its Path to R2 Research Status

DURHAM, N.C. — North Carolina Central University (NCCU) has been awarded $4.9 million from the U.S. Department of Education's Research and Development Infrastructure Grant Program to expand its ...more
Roger Gates • 213 Views • October 14th, 2026
Popular News
Louisiana Upholds Life Sentence to Black Man For Stealing Hedge Trimmers in 1997

Louisiana Upholds Life Sentence to Black Man For Stealing Hedge Trimmers in 1997

While this may not be HBCU related news, as an AFrican American male, I had to share this appalling decision by the Louisiana court system to keep a man in jail with a life sentence for such a petty c ...more
Roger Gates • 406,098 Views • August 6th, 2020
Blonde Instagram Model Goes Viral for Graduating from HBCU and Pledging Delta Sigma Theta!

Blonde Instagram Model Goes Viral for Graduating from HBCU and Pledging Delta Sigma Theta!

A blonde woman is going viral this morning, for graduating from A Historically Black College while pledging a Black sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. @Blonde_HBCU The woman, an IG ...more
Roger Gates • 190,471 Views • November 30th, 2020
Apple to Invest over $40 Million Dollars into HBCUs - Time to major in Computer Science!!!

Apple to Invest over $40 Million Dollars into HBCUs - Time to major in Computer Science!!!

On Tuesday Johnny C. Taylor, President and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund stopped by “NewsOne Now” to make a major announcement that could literally change the lives of thousands of HBCU st ...more
Roger Gates • 131,183 Views • March 11th, 2015
North Carolina HBCU Unity Day

North Carolina HBCU Unity Day

Shaw University - Elizabeth City State University - Johnson C. Smith University - Fayetteville State University - Livingstone College - North Carolina A&T State University - North Carolina Central Uni ...more
Reginald Claremont • 119,171 Views • August 8th, 2016
Black Billionaire Robert F. Smith to  Donate $50 Million to Support STEM Students at HBCUs

Black Billionaire Robert F. Smith to Donate $50 Million to Support STEM Students at HBCUs

The Student Freedom Initiative announced today a $50 million personal gift from Robert F. Smith, philanthropist and Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. This gift matches the initial fu ...more
Roger Gates • 86,819 Views • October 22nd, 2020
Please Give Us a Like on Facebook!
Featured Members