Expanding the HBCU Legacy: Enrolling and Supporting the Rising Latino Population

Abstract

By 2050, it is estimated that non-Hispanic Whites will make up less than half the population of the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). Already, California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas, and the District of Columbia have a majority population of historically underrepresented groups. Other states, such as Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, and New York, will be among the next to shift to having a majority of historically underrepresented groups among its population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). This shift in demographics is also affecting the number of historically underrepresented groups enrolling in higher education institutions. Latinos1 are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the nation; however, they have the lowest educational attainment among any other ethnic group (Liu, 2011). Rising Latino enrollment presents a unique opportunity for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to attract these students to their institutions. HBCUs have a legacy of providing a unique and culturally relevant education to Black students across the United States, and we believe that they can adapt to expand this legacy to other marginalized groups. Through evaluating literature on how HBCUs excel in graduating such a high percentage of Black students compared to Historically White Institutions (HWIs), literature on how current HBCUs are adapting to the rising Latino enrollment, an exploration of the Latino and Black student experiences, and best practices in serving Latino students within higher education, we will develop key recommendations to help HBCUs adapt and take advantage of the rising Latino enrollment.KeywordsBlack StudentLatino PopulationMulticultural EducationLatino StudentCritical Race TheoryThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.