Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I also want to thank her for her leadership in organizing this Special Order and for her leadership of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus. HBCUs provide a great value to America, and I am honored to represent a congressional district that is home to two HBCUs: Hampton University, which celebrates its 150th anniversary next year, and Norfolk State University. Since their inception, HBCUs have been the cornerstone of postsecondary education for the African-American community. This was true 150 years ago and remains true today. HBCUs account for no more than 3 percent of all colleges and universities, yet they enroll almost 10 percent of all African-American undergraduate students and produce about 15 percent of all bachelor's degrees earned by African Americans. They also produce 25 percent of African-American STEM graduates and 33 percent of African-American science and engineering Ph.D.'s. Approximately half of all African-American teachers graduated from HBCUs. Many of them choose to teach in high-minority, low-income school districts where they serve as role models for their communities. As ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, I know the prominent role that HBCUs play in our higher education landscape. I believe that strengthening and supporting them must be a key priority as Congress looks ahead to taking action on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.…”