Political Quotes

“It is, indeed, my honor to join my colleagues tonight to recognize and celebrate 150 years of excellence in education at HBCUs. I thank the congresswoman from North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Ms. Adams) for leading the charge tonight. And to our CBC chairman, Congressman Cedric Richmond, I thank him for allowing us to come forward and not only tell our stories about the 150 years, but to demonstrate to all of those, Mr. Speaker, who are watching tonight, that we set an example for others to follow. The nine HBCUs celebrating their 150th anniversaries this year have been educating and transforming Black students across this Nation into leaders. For 150 years, HBCUs have weathered the violence of Jim Crow laws and funding cuts to continue to be the light in many of our overlooked communities. While my alma mater, Central State University, hasn't been here for 150 years, it was established in 1887. And in 2014, it received the designation as a land-grant university, the last of the HBCUs to become a land-grant. For 130 years, Central State University has been that light, that training ground for African-American change makers--African-American change makers in a nation like you see in this picture. It was just a few months ago I traveled back for my homecoming to celebrate with friends and classmates, 130 years.…”