I have a mixed relationship with President Barack Obama. I was one of the first to endorse President Obama on CNN, back when it looked like he was destined to be nothing more than Hillary Clinton's political footnote. I have always been overly optimistic about black presidential candidates, for I support them even when it doesn't appear that they have a chance to win the election. Call me hyper-optimistic, but I was even ready to vote for Al Sharpton.
While I have supported Obama, I have never been afraid to challenge him. For example, his statements about black male fathers on Father's Day 2008 was, in my opinion, nothing more than inappropriate pandering to racist stereotypes of black male irresponsibility. I have never seen him give such a condescending speech to other ethnic groups. As a father who does his best to love his children, I will never forgive that speech.
But in the case of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), we may all be mistaken about President Obama. Recent reports stating that Obama allowed for significant funding cuts for Historically Black Colleges and Universities may have been a bit misguided. When you look at the facts, it appears that Obama did not cut funding for HBCUs at all.
According to Kim Lampkins of American Urban Radio Networks, the references to Obama as the man who cut HBCU funding was misguided. "Contrary to the Internet chatter stating otherwise, the Obama Administration's education budget does NOT cut funds to Historically Black Colleges and Universities," says Lampkins.
Ms. Lampkins argues that the mistake links back to a bill passed in 2007 called the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA), which allocated $170 million dollars over two years to HBCUs to make them financially independent. Lampkins then states that by not extending the grant (which was supposed to end anyway), this move was misinterpreted as a funding cut for HBCUs by the Obama Administration.
Lampkins spoke with a Title III Administrator at an HBCU in the Northeast, who made it clear that he did not expect the funding to continue beyond 2009. After reviewing a copy of the educational budget of the Obama Administration, the source stated that, "President Obama's budget for FY 2010 shows increases in the appropriations for HBCUs ($250,000,000) and HBGI ($61,425,000); together, this request represents a $20,830,000 increase in the appropriation over the preceding year. How can this be interpreted as not supporting black colleges? Someone is sorely misinformed about the President's support."
Lampkins also notes that there is a move on Capitol Hill by the United Negro College Fund to make the temporary funds permanent. According to UNCF CEO Dr. Michael Lomax, it is expected that this initiative will be successful.
The bottom line is this: As we push to hold our President accountable, we must be sure to know the facts. While I personally call for Obama to be more responsive on issues such as black education and unemployment, it is critical that we also hold ourselves accountable by ensuring that when we challenge the president, we do so from a position of measured objectivity and not under the assumption that he is doing all he can to sell us out. As the silly folks at Arizona State University said (when they chose not to give President Obama an honorary doctorate), "His body of work is yet to be determined." Let's allow the man to do the job, and at the same time, carefully and critically assess his body of work. Then, if you don't like what you see, get on him. .
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Distinguished Scholar Affiliate at the Barbara Jordan Institute for Policy Research at Texas Southern University. For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com. To get Dr Boyce commentary delivered directly to your mail box, please click here.
Comments: (31)
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By: Sassy in Syracuse on 5/27/2009 9:45PM
I first read about President Obama cutting funding to HBCUs on a Fox News blog! LOL So I knew from the jump IT WAS A LIE. The comments also refered to The President and the DC school voucher program. The bottom line is much of the conservation was geared towards "look at the poor black fools who voted Obama in- he does not care about them". (Its the whole divide them approach.) I personally feel when it comes to the school voucher program we have to fix the publics school system in minority neighborhoods as a whole- its not fair that only a chosen few benefit from a decent education.
But anyway, the one thing I have learned during the primaries last year and now that President Obama is president is do not what what the media and blogs say at face value. Do your own research- Obama's education budget can be found at ED.gov. Have a question about a Obama speech- read the transcripts at whitehouse.gov..,where you can also find press releases straight from the White House. Any other questions- every gov agency has a website where you can sign up for breaking news and updates. LOL I have a email adress that I only use to get email alerts from gov agencies- everything from the FDA.gov to the FBI.gov-we have to become our own citizen journalist and not wait for the media to spoon feed us info
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By: monique on 5/28/2009 9:18AM
If you read it on Fox, that means it was probably a dang lie. They don't know how to tell the truth!
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By: Gypsy X on 5/28/2009 9:51AM
It always amazes me on how we expect the government to bail out HBCUs. What about the alumni contributing to the colleges. I know quite a few people who graduated ( including many family memebers)from these institutions. They will brag about the school they attended but will not give a dime to the school when they recieve a letter requesting a contributtion. Their attitude is they got enough money out of me when I was there. I work at a University that is 70/30(white/black) and the white alumni contributions are amazing. So if you are an alumni of a HBCU give back.
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By: shanika on 5/28/2009 10:17AM
You would have voted for Al Sharpton? The crook who still owes hundreds of thousands to a NY police department for trying to indite white officers for a crime that never happened and was said to be created by Sharpton (his own buddies admission)? The "reverend" who does more to divide America than unite it? The "civil rights activist" who slams Jews and whites? Wow, what a father you must be.
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By: shanika on 5/28/2009 10:19AM
You would have voted for Al Sharpton? The crook who still owes hundreds of thousands to a NY police department for trying to indite white officers for a crime that never happened and was said to be created by Sharpton (his own buddies admission)? The "reverend" who does more to divide America than unite it? The "civil rights activist" who slams Jews and whites? Wow, what a father you must be.
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By: Jerome Green on 5/28/2009 4:28PM
I am unpersuaded by the apologetics of the article above, which appears to be intended to take the heat off of the Obama Administration for the $73 million net cut in funding for HBCUs. Not that I believe that President Obama is out to get HBCUs, its just that the buck stops with him and the budget request containing less funding for HBCUs is ultimately his request. Less is just less. It does not answer the question to say that some of the funding was scheduled to end in 2009. All funding is scheduled to end at some point in time.The routine is that the funding scheduled to end will be reviewed and renewed. The Obama advisors actually put a $12 million increase in the budget for funding available to individual minority students. This money can be used to attend any school of their choice. It is not a bad idea, but it reminds me of the voucher concept for secondary public school funding. Taken to its extreme, without any committment for direct funding for HBCUs, that kind of thinking represents a definite threat to the continued existence of HBCUs in an economy that has significantly harmed some of the richest coleges and universities in America.
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By: John Lindsay on 5/28/2009 4:40PM
"Shanicka" sounds like a "white person masquerading as "Black."
It wouldn't be the first time that a white person has done such. They do it all the time in the forums on datehookup.com
The situations "Shanicka" cites are like trying to compare a "thimbleful of water" to an "ocean of racism."
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By: Gab on 5/29/2009 10:16AM
To John Linsay, bad acts are bad acts. Quit trying to justify bad acts by bring race into it. A lie has no color. An act of kindness has no color. Ignorance is what ever color your ass happens to be.
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By: John Lindsay on 5/28/2009 4:58PM
How I Helped Raise $500,000 in Scholarship Funds for My HBCU
By Derrick Hayes
May 28, 2009
Author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker Derrick Hayes, an alumnus of Tennessee State University, provides life-skills workshops to clients, including the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Nashville Urban League, Georgia Pacific and more.
After graduating from high school in Rantoul, Ill., where I was not part of the majority, I moved to Nashville to pursue a bachelor's degree in business administration from Tennessee State University (TSU). There I was among the majority. There I also realized that I was more fortunate than many of my fellow classmates because my father financed my education.
Still, I needed extra money, which is what inspired the launch of my first business, Hotdog Heaven. Along with business partner and dorm-room neighbor Regail Swauncey, we invested less than $20 in hotdogs and buns and sold them to hungry students. Our venture quickly took off, providing us with some financial freedom--a combined profit of $400 a month--during our freshman year.
Unfortunately, our studies took priority. Hotdog Heaven's sales dwindled and we closed shop. More unfortunate, Regail had to drop out of engineering school to work full time and help his family.
For the rest of the article see:
http://www.diversityinc.com/public/5887.cfm
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By: Geneva Hill on 5/28/2009 7:44PM
Is there another station other than Fox released this information, because if there is no other I do not believe it!
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