Angry social media customers flew into an uproar Monday evening soon after Education Secretary Betsy DeVos issued a statement that some mentioned ignored the context under which historically black universities have been created.
The statement known as historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) “real pioneers when it comes to college decision,” and came shortly soon after President Donald Trump held a meeting with various HBCU leaders on Monday.
Some social media customers stated DeVos ignored the history of how black Americans had been denied access to higher education. Meanwhile, other individuals mentioned the statement applauded the segregated Jim Crow education method for giving black students “more possibilities.”
The hashtag “HBCUs” trended on Monday evening and was briefly the most-pointed out hashtag on the social networking platform.
Some argued that the statement presents HBCUs as if they had been developed as a superior alternative to traditionally white universities. The Division of Education lays out on its web site that HBCUs have been established for the reason that “there was no structured higher education technique for black students.”
“At a time when quite a few schools barred their doors to black Americans, these colleges supplied the best, and typically the only, chance for a larger education,” the Department of Education notes on its web site.
President Trump has stated he will aid HBCUs as a component of his so-called New Deal For Black America plan.
Trump is expected to sign an executive order on historically black colleges and universities later on Tuesday.
Thank you to the great presidents of our #HBCUs for their commitment to higher education. Read much more here: https://t.co/m2Adyvvu6a pic.twitter.com/zjXWSX9cdE
A senior White Property official says this move will reposition an existing initiative on HBCUs and permit it to function with all the diverse executive agencies and “serve as a strategic partner to the president’s urban agenda,” with the complete force of the White Home behind it.
Nonetheless, the official mentioned the order ought to be viewed as additional of a framework and “infrastructure” and not a policy roll-out, which will come at a later time.
This #BlackHistoryMonth, @POTUS & I thank the presidents of our Historically Black Colleges & Universities for their commitment to higher ed pic.twitter.com/HPBrAgh9Ti
DeVos is delivering the keynote address Tuesday at an HBCU occasion at the Library of Congress.
ABC News’ Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
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