A Report on the Role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Advancing Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) serve as critical engines for social and economic mobility, directly contributing to the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By providing access to higher education for historically marginalized and low-income communities, HBCUs are instrumental in advancing SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 1 (No Poverty), and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). However, recent policy changes threaten federal support for these institutions, jeopardizing their capacity to fulfill this vital mission and undermining progress toward these global goals.

HBCUs as a Cornerstone for SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

Historical Mission to Combat Systemic Exclusion

HBCUs were founded in response to systemic racial exclusion, offering educational pathways to Black Americans who were denied access to mainstream institutions. This foundational mission directly aligns with the core objective of SDG 10: to reduce inequality within and among countries by empowering and promoting the social and economic inclusion of all, irrespective of race or economic status.

• HBCUs were established during the Reconstruction era, often through the efforts of Black churches and mutual aid societies, to create safe and affirming learning environments.
• These institutions were designed to counteract the effects of legal segregation and anti-Blackness, which created structural barriers to upward mobility.
• They continue to serve communities marked by a history of economic exclusion and structural neglect, making them pivotal institutions for promoting racial and economic justice.

Contributions to SDG 4: Quality Education

Ensuring Inclusive and Equitable Higher Education

HBCUs are essential providers of quality education for a significant portion of the Black student population, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Their work is a direct implementation of SDG 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

1. Targeted Service to Low-Income Students: Nearly 73 percent of HBCU students are eligible for Pell Grants, underscoring the institutions’ deep commitment to serving students from low-income families, a key demographic for achieving educational equity.
2. Significant Enrollment and Graduation Rates: Despite comprising less than 3% of U.S. colleges, HBCUs enroll approximately 9% of all Black undergraduate students and award around 16% of all bachelor’s degrees earned by Black students.
3. Essential Support Services: Federal support enables HBCUs to provide crucial wraparound services such as mentorship, academic advising, summer bridge programs, and dedicated support for first-generation students. These programs are vital for student retention and success, ensuring that access to education translates into graduation and long-term achievement.

Impact on SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)

Driving Economic Mobility and Professional Development

By providing a ladder out of poverty and preparing graduates for high-skilled professions, HBCUs make a substantial contribution to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

A Proven Pathway Out of Poverty

For students from communities with concentrated poverty, access to higher education is one of the most effective means of breaking intergenerational poverty cycles. HBCUs specialize in supporting students who face housing instability and economic hardship, providing them with the tools to achieve financial security.

Fueling the Professional Workforce

HBCUs are disproportionately successful at producing Black professionals who contribute to sustainable economic growth. Their graduates are essential to building a diverse and skilled workforce.

• 40% of Black engineers
• 50% of Black lawyers
• 70% of Black doctors and dentists

Challenges to Institutional Viability and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The Threat of Policy Reversals

The stability and effectiveness of HBCUs are threatened by policy shifts, such as the revocation of Executive Order 14041, which was designed to advance educational equity and support these institutions. Such actions undermine the principles of SDG 16, which calls for effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Consequences of Reduced Federal Support

A reduction in federal funding and support has severe consequences that directly impede progress on the SDGs.

• It forces HBCUs to scale back essential outreach and support programs that make college accessible and achievable for students from marginalized communities.
• It erects new barriers for students from underfunded schools and unstable housing, reinforcing the very inequalities that the SDGs aim to dismantle.
• It sends a message that contradicts national commitments to equity and justice, weakening the institutional framework required for sustainable development.

In conclusion, investing in HBCUs is a direct and effective strategy for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Supporting these institutions is critical for reducing inequality, eliminating poverty, ensuring quality education, and fostering economic growth. A failure to do so represents a significant setback in the collective effort to build a more just and sustainable future.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

SDG 1: No Poverty

• The article extensively discusses poverty as a significant barrier to education. It mentions “concentrated poverty,” “intergenerational poverty,” and how “survival drowns out everything else.” The author’s personal story of growing up in poverty, experiencing homelessness, and the challenges faced by students from “low-income families” directly connects to the goal of ending poverty in all its forms.

SDG 4: Quality Education

• This is the central theme of the article. It focuses on the importance of “access to higher education” as a “path to upward mobility.” The role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in providing quality education to a marginalized community, the challenges they face due to policy changes, and the need for “educational equity” are the core issues discussed.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• The article highlights systemic and racial inequality, describing a “long history of economic exclusion and structural neglect” faced by Black communities. It discusses how HBCUs were founded “in the face of enslavement and legal segregation and other systems designed to keep Black people from accessing education.” The critique of policies that revoke support for HBCUs is framed as an issue of justice and inequality.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

SDG 1: No Poverty

• Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty. The article’s focus on students from “low-income families,” those experiencing “concentrated poverty,” and the author’s own experience with homelessness directly relates to this target of reducing poverty. Education is presented as a key tool for breaking the cycle of “intergenerational poverty.”

SDG 4: Quality Education

• Target 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university. The entire article is an argument for this target, focusing on the need for equal access to higher education for Black students. It highlights how HBCUs provide this access, especially for those who might otherwise be excluded.
• Target 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable. The article identifies Black students from impoverished communities as a vulnerable group facing systemic barriers. It states that HBCUs were created to give “Black people the education they were once denied,” directly addressing the need for equal access for this vulnerable population.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… race, ethnicity… or economic or other status. The article describes how HBCUs empower Black students and promote their social and economic inclusion by providing education despite a history of “economic exclusion.” The author advocates for investment in HBCUs as a way to “repair systems” and promote inclusion.
• Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory… policies and practices. The article explicitly critiques the “recent revocation of Executive Order 14041” as a policy that “undermines one of the few national commitments to institutions that have long stood in the gap for those pushed to the margins” and creates barriers, thus increasing inequality of opportunity.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

Indicators for SDG 4: Quality Education

• Enrollment and graduation rates for a specific demographic: The article provides specific data points such as “HBCUs enroll approximately 9 percent of Black undergraduates” and “award around 16% percent of all bachelor’s degrees earned by Black students.” These can be used as indicators to measure access and completion rates for this group.
• Proportion of students from low-income backgrounds: The statement that “Nearly 73 percent of HBCU students receive Pell Grants” serves as a direct indicator of the extent to which these institutions are serving students from low-income families.
• Graduates in key professional fields: The article mentions that HBCUs “produce 40 percent of Black engineers, 50 percent of Black lawyers, and 70 percent of Black doctors and dentists.” This data indicates the successful outcome of education in leading to professional careers.
• Access to financial aid information: The anecdotal evidence that some high school seniors “didn’t know what the FAFSA was” implies an indicator related to the lack of access to essential information for pursuing higher education.

Indicators for SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Government policies and funding: The existence or revocation of policies like “Executive Order 14041” and the level of “Federal support” for institutions serving marginalized communities can be used as an indicator of government commitment to reducing inequality.
• Institutional representation: The fact that HBCUs represent “less than 3 percent of U.S. colleges and universities” while serving a disproportionately high number of Black students is an indicator of the institutional landscape and potential structural inequalities.
• Resource disparity: The article implies an indicator by stating that HBCUs are “doing transformative work, often with fewer resources than predominantly white institutions,” pointing to funding and resource allocation as a measure of inequality.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

Source: uscatholic.org