The 144th Howard University Opening Convocation ceremony held this past Friday was a very welcoming experience as a freshman at Howard University. Every speaker who stepped up to the microphone greeted the Class of 2015 with enthusiasm. I was most excited about the speaker Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). He is a powerful speaker who orated perfectly on the place of black colleges in the USA.
Dr. Lomax answered the question of whether or not we still need Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs) today. He said that we do need HBCUs because black colleges continue to outperform giving higher degrees to African American citizens. He also said that HBCU students are more likely to be civically engaged and view themselves as leaders.
He spoke of needing more black men in college. Only 30-35% of HBCU’s are made up of men, he said. Black and Latino men have been the muscle and not the brain behind this country for too long. The UNFC’s goal is to help African Americans realize their dreams of a college education.
He said that universities compete for the smartest students and black students can go to any college the so chose, but we want them to come to an HBCU. Therefore, Dr. Lomax advised colleges to take care of their students because “students are customers who can take their business elsewhere.”
I thoroughly enjoyed the speaker and agreed with many of the points he made. I also really enjoyed seeing such a full auditorium of educated black people both students and alumna.
Works Cited
Lomax, Michael. “The Convocation Address.” Howard University, Washington, D.C. 23 September 2011.
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