| A crisis is happening on HBCU campuses. Black men account for only 26% of HBCU students, the lowest level in nearly 50 years. The South, where 89% of HBCUs are located, has the lowest Black male college enrollment rate at just 33%. At Howard University, only 19% of students are Black men. Nationwide, Black male enrollment has plummeted from 38% in 1976 to just 26% today. These aren’t just numbers. They represent a generation of Black men being locked out of economic mobility. For Democrats, economic mobility, or the lack thereof that is felt by many working-class voters, has cost us votes and pushed winnable elections out of reach. A case in point would be the 2024 presidential campaign, which saw Donald Trump secure 24% of the Black male vote. This number is even more concerning because it says nothing about our inability to reach the millions of Black men who didn’t bother to cast a ballot at all. Democrats cannot win elections if these trends continue. Many HBCUs are working aggressively to address the Black male college crisis. Alabama A&M just welcomed its largest freshman class in years, with 42% of that class being male. Morgan State University has launched a Presidential Task Force to address Black male enrollment. Others are similarly focused on the crisis, but HBCUs shouldn’t shoulder this responsibility alone. READ MORE |
