At Texas Southern University, a Houston-based historically Black university, Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination to lead the Democratic ticket has sparked a sense of “pride and motivation,” according to sociology professor Carla Brailey.
Seeing Harris, an HBCU graduate, “on the cusp of making history” as she runs to become the first woman to serve as U.S. president has sparked campuswide discussions on leadership and pursuing ambitious goals, Brailey said in an email.
“Students and faculty view VP Harris as a role model embodying the success and leadership qualities the university aims to instill,” Brailey said.
Harris, a Howard University alum, is among a long list of public officials on the national stage who graduated from HBCUs. That includes former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, former Surgeon General David Satcher and former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
But as the first HBCU alum to lead the ticket of a major political party, “she’s breaking through the glass ceiling,” said Terrell Strayhorn, director of research at Virginia Union University’s Center for the Study of HBCUs.
HBCU leaders and experts say her nomination is placing a spotlight on the role HBCUs play in preparing future leaders, raising awareness of these institutions among prospective students, donors and employers.
“The presidency of the United States is the biggest bully pulpit in the world. It has the brightest light,” said Lodriguez Murray, senior vice president of public policy and government affairs at UNCF. “If this HBCU graduate is able to ascend to that office, it bodes to shine a bright spot on not just Howard University, but all of the 100 or so accredited historically Black colleges in this nation.”
A lasting legacy
Some evidence points to Harris’ nomination already bringing increased awareness, visibility and interest in HBCUs, Strayhorn said. The Center for the Study of HBCUs noticed a spike in HBCU-related hashtags, posts and comments on social media during the week following her candidacy announcement, he said.
“Donors may feel an increased sense of pride and responsibility, potentially leading to enhanced philanthropic efforts.”
Carla Brailey
Sociology professor at Texas Southern University
Harris’ nomination “sends a powerful message to prospective students,” said Harry Williams, president and CEO of Thurgood Marshall College Fund. It underscores that HBCU students can “achieve their dreams and create impact within their communities,” he added.
The nomination also helps put to rest the long-asked question: Are HBCUs still needed?
“All throughout my lifetime, we told students, young people, you can be anything you want to be, even the president of the United States,” Murray said. “The fact that the vice president is educated and educated well by historically Black universities, not one of the Ivy institutions — I think that it is really bringing that promise to life.”
Neither Harris nor her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, attended an Ivy League institution for their undergraduate or graduate education.
In contrast, former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, first attended Fordham University before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League institution, for business school. His running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, attended Ohio State University before enrolling in Yale University, also an Ivy League institution, for law school.
HBCU advocates and experts are optimistic that Harris’ nomination will show that historically Black colleges measure up to other institutions in terms of student success. That could help move that needle in terms of getting philanthropic donors to believe in those institutions, Murray said.
That would continue philanthropic momentum for HBCUs that started following the murder of George Floyd, a Black man whose death in 2020 at the hands of a White police officer sparked nationwide unrest.
Brailey anticipates Harris’ nomination will generate renewed enthusiasm among Texas Southern’s donors — particularly its alumni and supporters, she said.
“Donors may feel an increased sense of pride and responsibility, potentially leading to enhanced philanthropic efforts,” Brailey said.
Williams also believes Harris’ nomination could help HBCU graduates compete in the workforce after graduating. He argued that she’s helping to dispel biases and misconceptions about HBCU alums by demonstrating their readiness to excel in professional environments — boosting the perceived value of an HBCU education among employers.
Employers could see Harris’ nomination and decide to consider HBCU students and graduates when filling positions because they realize there’s “no daylight” between those colleges and predominantly White institutions, Murray said.
Brailey agreed.
“Employers may become more aware of the diverse talent pool and robust educational foundation that HBCUs offer,” Brailey said.
Funding and policy potential
According to experts, the prospect of having an HBCU alum in the White House could place a greater priority on passing new funding and policies that could benefit those institutions, which have been historically underfunded.
The Biden administration — in which Harris serves as vice president — says it has given “historic” and “record” levels of federal funding and investments for HBCUs, according to a May press release.
Lawmakers provided nearly $4 billion in funding to HBCUs through COVID-19 relief and the American Rescue Plan.
Between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2023, the Education Department also gave $2.6 billion to help build institutional capacity at HBCUs. And the Biden administration has given nearly $950 million to these institutions to grow their research capacity.
The Biden administration also awarded over $1.6 billion in capital finance debt relief to HBCUs — money appropriated as part of the second COVID relief package signed by former President Donald Trump in December 2020.
By his own right, Trump also used his first term to speak about the need to support HBCUs in a way no other president had before, said Murray — a precedent the Biden administration replicated, making additional funding for those institutions a budgetary priority.
The Trump administration also allocated $85 million to HBCUs in fiscal 2020 and 2021 through the FUTURE Act, and $1 billion in emergency aid to HBCUs and minority-serving institutions through the CARES Act.
Williams said he’s worked closely with the Biden administration on a number of key issues facing HBCUs, such as the need for more funding and better student aid programs. But HBCU advocates would still need to make the case that HBCUs are worth the investment to Congress and, potentially, a Harris administration, Williams said.
Such investments include better integrating HBCUs into the federal research and development ecosystems. That goal would require the federal government to invest significantly in the research infrastructure of those institutions, Williams said.
UNCF would like candidates to prioritize more money for HBCU infrastructure or doubling Pell Grants so its students avoid going into debt, Murray said.
President Joe Biden has pitched doubling the Pell Grant, though his latest budget proposal would hold off on doing so until 2029.
Murray said he’s not ready to say that a possible Harris White House would necessarily push for more funding and better policies for HBCUs. Harris has been in the race for just a short time, but so far, Murray said, she’s run less of an issues-focused campaign and more of one that’s focused on the candidates’ personality.
And, Harris’ ability to pass such policies would largely depend on broader political issues, such as the administration’s competing priorities and whether she could gain enough support in Congress, Strayhorn said.
But having a president with lived HBCU experience could potentially boost the chances that more federal funding and policies supporting those institutions could arrive, Strayhorn said.
