Tampa, Fla. (February 26, 2025) – Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have deep roots in building strong Black community leaders. This continues to be what they strive for, especially in a time where technology is more essential than ever.
When the first HBCU originated in 1837, its mission was to teach African Americans skills that would help them land professional careers. Back before the Civil Rights movement, HBCUs were the only path to a college education for Black Americans.
Today, HBCUs stand as pivotal anchors in their communities. There are now approximately 100 HBCUs in the United States dedicated to educating the next generation of leaders, providing affordable tuition, narrowing the racial wealth gap, and supporting local communities.
Adequate broadband access is essential to academic success for residents in these colleges’ communities, which are often low-income areas. Many HBCUs received funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) through the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC). Established in 2021, the funding is used to increase broadband infrastructure and access on college campuses, which positively impacts students, faculty, and surrounding communities.
Impacting anchor communities
Virginia State University (VSU) is an HBCU in Petersburg, Va., founded in 1882. After applying for the CMC grant, VSU pulled Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) into the fold, a national nonprofit organization that supports community development.
VSU collaborated with LISC Virginia to create Digital Navigation Toolkit to enhance digital literacy and skills for residents in the Petersburg community and surrounding areas near the VSU campus.
“Virginia State University has been such a great partner to help us get in the community and have that support for our courses since the beginning of this program, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without them,” said Victoria McKelvey, Assistant Program Officer with LISC.
Through an internship, VSU computer science undergrads can support adult learners in their community during the two-week courses, which cover basic computer and internet skills. After learners complete the course, they can take their laptop home and retain access to a digital learning platform that allows them to complete additional courses on their own.
“It’s just so sweet to see this multigenerational space where the VSU students are able to get into the community and learn those one-on-one skills that are really crucial to being successful in navigating the digital landscape, including the workplace,” McKelvey said.
There are other professional development opportunities for VSU students besides a paid internship: letters of reference, free headshot sessions, and the opportunity to complete a digital course on career search skills that earns them a free laptop. Students also learn how to use technology in ways they might not have been taught before.
Brett Brooks, LISC Virginia Program Officer of Wealth Building and Community Engagement, expressed how these initiatives are important to building Richmond’s future workforce.
“This is a great opportunity for the students to get out into the communities and see what job opportunities could be available, learning those soft skills,” she said. “Hopefully they will want to make this their home once they graduate from college.”
Training digital navigators
North Carolina Central University (NCCU) is an HBCU in Durham that became the nation’s first state-supported liberal arts college for Black students. The school used the CMC funds to start a Digital Equity Leadership Program (DELP).
The Principal Investigator for the grant, Dr. Siobahn Day Grady, is Program Director of Information Science at NCCU. She is also an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Equity Research at the school.
“We’re working to empower our community through the use of technology,” she said. “We want them to feel confident in using it.”
The school has also partnered with organizations that help amplify its efforts by providing technical skills.
“Another thing that’s important to us is making sure that we’re really having an impact on the community,” Grady said. “This was a very large grant for us, and we have been able to pour back into the community that has been under-resourced for so long.”
The school’s partnership with Momentum, a virtual web development curriculum based in Durham, taught community members software development skills to help them secure jobs in the tech field.
A central focus of DELP is providing students with opportunities for financial assistance, skill building, and community work. Graduate assistants in any field of study at NCCU can get paid to work as assistants in the program.
“A lot of times finances can be a barrier for student success,” said Grady. “Some students have to work full-time while they’re going to school, through this grant we’re able to provide student assistantships, which can take some of the financial burden off. They also get these additional tools in their toolbox that can help them be successful in their careers.”
Increasing academic achievement
Another HBCU that received funding from the CMC grant is Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. Its goal is to increase internet performance, which leads to an increase in student academic achievement, graduation and retention rates, and job readiness skills.
When it comes to academic achievement, research plays a huge role. By funding broadband infrastructure, Benedict can access research networks that allow schools to collaborate, which is especially important with big-data and high-performance computing.
“We wanted to support the ability for our faculty to do research and our students to participate in research,” said Anthony Caldwell, Chief Information Officer at Benedict College.
Additionally, the college set up internet labs at a local elementary school and a high school. Students and family members who need the internet for homework and other needs have access to the community labs seven days a week.
Since not all college students have access to computers at home either, Benedict started a program to loan laptops and hotspots to students, so they can focus on their academics if they are off campus or without reception.
“We realized a lot of students try to do their academic work on their cell phone, but we know that a lot of the applications do not work well in a cell phone environment,” said Dr. Leon Geter, Interim Dean for the School of Communication, Arts, and Social Sciences and Principal Investigator for Benedict’s CMC program.
The program increases students’ chances of being successful in the classroom by eliminating barriers to learning like outdated or inadequate devices. By minimizing the need for troubleshooting, faculty and staff save time and can instead explore AI and other technologies that could improve operations.
“It has proven itself to be effective, proven itself to work, and proven itself to be something that should be funded in the future as well,” Geter said. “We want to do a lot more.”
After almost 200 years since the first HBCU was established, these schools still prioritize building academically successful Black community leaders. In anchor communities that don’t have adequate broadband access, HBCUs are supporting them through training and infrastructure.
Related Black History Month articles:
- African American history maker in tech — Angel Rich
- African American history maker in technology — Ime Archibong
- Connected Nation celebrates outstanding Geospatial Analyst Nii Aryee during Black History Month
- Connected Nation Podcast: Breaking barriers: Black tech leaders’ vision for digital equity
- Meet the African American tech leaders who are working to close the Digital Divide for minorities in America
- African American history maker in tech — Lisa Gelobter
- Celebrating the role of Black churches in bridging the Digital Divide
- How technology can help uplift minorities in higher education
- Celebrating Project Manager Tanisha Osborne during Black History Month
Source: connectednation.org
