HBCU Times Magazine-Winter 2025 Issue

HBCU s : THRIVING IN A NEW ERA

BY DR. DIETRA TRENT

T he United States has

HBCUs, were left grappling with the potential impact of another Trump administration. As I contemplate on how our nation’s HBCUs will thrive in this new era, I am reminded of a visit that I made to Cheyney University, the oldest HBCU in our nation. As I walked that historic campus,

founded 28 years before the abolition of slavery (1837), I tried to imagine the strength, resolve and courage Cheyney’s first students must have possessed. Despite overwhelming odds, including laws that forbade Black Americans from receiving an education, Cheyney not only prevailed but continues to

stand strong today. Cheyney’s story is the story of every HBCU in our nation. It is a story of pride—one that’s unwavering in faith, unbreakable in spirit, and undeniably courageous, resilient and triumphant.

just undergone another presidential election. Vice

President Kamala Harris, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) graduate, was opposed by former President Donald Trump. When the re- election of Donald Trump was called, Black America, particularly

The value of HBCUs to our nation is multifaceted. Educationally,

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