BALTIMORE (October 8, 2019)āOn Thursday, October 10, 2019, the NAACP will address the underfunding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Maryland and several other states on a Tele-Town Hall featuring Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, NAACP and Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Created initially as the only collegiate institutional options for African American students in states that segregated students, HBCUs now risk extinction due to the lack of state funding. April Ryan, White House correspondent and political analyst, will moderate the hour-long discussion.
“Across the country, HBCUs are facing financial challenges and roadblocks that pose an existential threat,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “Education is one of the most critical civil rights issues we face today, and it is our responsibility to ensure that our HBCUs, which produce some of the foremost African-American college graduates remain viable indefinitely.”