HBCU graduate: Trump assists with $85 million for HBCUs and I still despise him
Vice President Kamala Harris provides eulogy for the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Writer’s note on August 1, 2024: By now, you’ve probably seen Donald Trump’s National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) chaos on Wednesday, July 31, with three black women (ABC's Rachel Scott, Fox News’ Harris Faulkner, Semafor’s Kadia Goba).
During a Q&A moderated discussion, he leaped past the topic of the January 6 rioters (and 140 officers injured) to ramble on about red spray paint on non-breathing monuments at a separate protest.
He described Sonya Massey’s murder as “the water,” which is about like describing Eric Garner’s murder as “the cigarette,” George Floyd’s murder as “the $20,” or Breonna Taylor’s murder as “the house visit.” Way to downplay it! And I’m still not quite sure how an Alpha Kappa Alpha member of HBCU Howard University (class of 1986) is just now “turning black.” Is that a thing? I don’t recall being able to “turn black” when I get my “black jobs,” but clearly he thinks he knows more about “my African-Americans” than me and Kamala combined.
I understand why the NABJ convention co-chair Karen Attiah resigned one day before the event, and I think Lynne Patton needs to take a sobriety test for her interpretation of that nightmare 30+ minutes. I wish the NABJ would’ve taken up Harris’ camp’s offer to do a virtual Q&A. (No matter how I feel about how she talked to her staff, I understand why Harris prioritized Sheila Jackson Lee’s funeral.)
Trump’s flawed take on black people and HBCUs
With that said, my biggest bone to pick is still Trump reminding black people about HBCUs every single chance he can get — and leaving out some major details.
The following post was originally published on “I Do See Color” on October 26, 2020. Read a snippet below.
Giving credit where credit is due is important. So as much as I cringe at the sight of the photo ops of current President Donald Trump surrounded by presidents of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), the truth is he wasn’t totally wrong with his points during the final debate on Thurs., Oct. 22, for the 2020 presidential election.
“President Obama would never give [HBCUs] long-term funding, and I did,” Trump said, during the final debate moderated by Kristen Welker. “Ten-year, long-term funding and I gave them more money than they asked for because I said, ‘I think you need more. The only bad part about this is I may never see you again.’ Because I got very friendly with them, and they like me and I like them. But I saved historically black colleges and universities.”
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In 2019, Trump did indeed sign a bipartisan bill that would permanently provide $85 million per year of a $255 total to HBCUs, along with dozens of institutions teaching minority students.
Trump’s idea of helping the black community is equivalent to someone changing your flat tire only to drive your car until the gas tank is on empty.
“We enlisted more than 20,000 supporters to write and call their members of Congress,” Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, told Associated Press. “This activated army of advocates became the frontline of support for HBCUs, and they won the battle for our institutions.”
Per usual though, Trump cannot help himself and constantly compares whatever he did to what former President Barack H. Obama did. This time around, during that debate (and what I was hoping former Vice President Joe Biden would point out), he neglected to mention that in 2016, Obama proposed the creation of a $30 million Innovation for Completion Fund for HBCUs and Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIs) that would help students from low-income backgrounds.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the fund would build on the work underway at Hampton University, Jackson State University, Delaware State University and Spelman College to develop innovative programs and evidence-based practices that helped students from all backgrounds. These projects — selected from hundreds of applications — were awarded more than $11 million in grants combined through the First in the World program for on-campus students. And that’s without including the educational and mental health opportunities for My Brother’s Keeper before college-age years.
Clearly you don’t have to be a math whiz to understand that Trump provided more funds to HBCUs in his first four years — after months of complications while the $85 million was tied up with the FUTURES Act, which Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, initially blocked. Spilled milk. It’s done now.
However, Trump, who always goes too far, would’ve been able to pat himself on the back if he just knew when to leave well enough alone. Instead, he followed his comments up with, “Nobody has done more for the black community than Donald Trump. And if you look, with the exception of Abraham Lincoln, possible exception, but the exception of Abraham Lincoln, nobody has done what I’ve done.”
HBCU origins — and 1619 Project — go over president’s head
One of many problems with the 45th president of the United States is he always wants to be thanked for doing something right, only to screw something else up. Trump’s idea of helping the black community is equivalent to someone changing your flat tire only to drive your car until the gas tank is on empty. Sure, you’re happy that you have a repaired tire, but his entire presidency has made it so that minorities cannot safely drive that same car.
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