Why So Many Black Students Are Choosing HBCUs Today

A lot of folks are asking why so many Black students are choosing to attend HBCUs over predominantly white institutions. And honestly, if you’re really paying attention, the answer isn’t complicated. You just have to be willing to listen.

My daughter is one of those students.

She spent nearly her entire childhood attending one of the most prestigious private schools in our region—The Miami Valley School—from the third grade all the way through high school. Great academics. Well-funded. Elite preparation. But overwhelmingly white.

She was only three when Barack Obama became president. Too young to understand the magnitude. But as she grew up, she became aware. Not just aware that a Black man had been elected president—but that he was being demonized, disrespected, and ridiculed by white America at every turn.

Now, sure, many white Democrats helped elect Obama. But from a child's eyes, all she saw was a nation where the first Black president—an intelligent, decent, family-oriented man—was mocked and hated, mostly by people who didn’t look like her. That kind of thing sinks in early. From around five to eleven years old, that’s what she absorbed.

And then came Trump.

What followed was four years of relentless backlash—not just against Obama, but against the very presence of Blackness in leadership. The rise of Confederate flags, angry rants, racist jokes, statues defended in the name of “heritage,” and the loudest, proudest display of ignorance many of us had ever seen in our lifetime. And our kids saw it too.

My daughter saw it.

And as if that weren’t enough, these same young people—by now teenagers—witnessed the madness of January 6. They saw people storm the Capitol, fueled by lies, waving Confederate flags and wearing sweatshirts glorifying Auschwitz. And they saw a significant portion of white America justify it.

So when it came time to apply to college, can you blame them for wanting something different?

For my daughter, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind. She had no interest in spending the next four years surrounded by the same energy she’d learned to navigate in her elite K–12 education. She chose an HBCU, and she’s thriving there.

And here’s what’s important: she didn’t make that decision out of fear or resentment. She made it because she wanted to feel at home. Among her peers. Among her people. In a space where she didn’t have to “code-switch,” shrink, explain, or brace herself every day.

She even started a Black affinity group at her high school before she graduated. Not out of anger, but out of love—for the Black students who would come after her. She said, “I don’t want younger kids to have to go through what I went through here.”

Now that she’s at her HBCU, I’ve visited her campus. Ten thousand young Black students, focused, determined—future engineers, doctors, lawyers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. It moved me.

And I’ll be honest—I’ve worked with at-risk youth for over 17 years. I’ve walked inner-city routes for over 30 as a mailman. I’ve seen pain, dysfunction, and despair up close. And when that’s what you mostly see—combined with what the media chooses to show—it can start to distort the picture.

But these young people... they remind you of the rest of the story.

They’re the balance we rarely get to witness.

Now, here’s where things really shift.

While these young Black students are rising—in discipline, intelligence, and long-term purpose—Trump’s most loyal base continues to be overwhelmingly white, under-educated voters. Not my opinion. That’s the data. The majority of his support comes from those without college degrees, with limited exposure to cultural diversity or critical analysis of policy.

And this isn’t about ego—it’s about outcomes.

Because when you compare ten thousand young, determined Black scholars at just one HBCU—multiplied by all the others across the country—to a political movement largely fueled by grievance, ignorance, and misinformation… the long-term impact becomes clear.

There’s a shift happening.

And this shift is not loud or violent. It’s focused. It’s consistent. It’s growing.

These young Black students are not just changing their own lives. They're changing the narrative. They are not simply reacting to a hostile world—they’re building a better one.

So when you see them choosing HBCUs, understand this: they’re not running away from white institutions. They’re running toward self-worth, legacy, and community.

They’re running toward excellence.

And in the years ahead, as they step into leadership, boardrooms, labs, courtrooms, and beyond—we’ll begin to see just how powerful this moment really is.

Because ignorance might be loud. But intelligence endures.

And I, for one, am proud to witness the rise.

#HBCUPride #BlackExcellenceRising #ShiftTheNarrative #EducatedBlackYouth #NextGenLeaders #PurposeDrivenYouth #RiseInPower #AnotherPerspectiveWithMartinJarvis #RewritingTheStory