>While I do admit that a
>lot of Black students don't
>have access to the same
>level of education that white
>students do. I do think
>that there are a multitude
>of Black students that will
>still catch on somewhere.

Yeah and with little parental or community support many Black people will transcend substandard education and low expectations to thrive in college, whether it's a HBCU or not.

>I am concerned however, that some
>schools will use this ruling
>as an excuse to discriminate......

Of course they will.

From the HBCU's with their white boards and financiers to white schools with their white supremacist policies on education, there will always be something for Black people to transcend or overcome.

>If you ask me, the choice
>of colleges should be your
>stepping stone to building a
>career. Therefore, you want to
>get the best education possible.

Don't get it twisted. Post-secondary education is a choice for everyone. HBCU is an option, just like going to a IVY league university. My sister went to only IVY league schools and it was detrimental to her well-being and only a little helpful after she graduated with her masters.

She got jobs with major companies but she was still a quota. She got in the door but once she was in she could not progress and she was mistreated in almost every single case. Sure, an Ivy league education looks good on paper but in the real marketplace, it means nothing. To many employers Black is still Black, regardless of your education.

I chose Pratt because it was in NYC (Brooklyn) and it was a prestigious art school. It looks good on paper but it is also in a Black neighborhood so I was able to find my niche right outside the gates of the school. I was able to speak my mind and challenge my educators, while getting support from the community-at-large. I was dealing with and competing with whites on a regular basis and still felt connected with Black folks.

I think it's dangerous to say that HBCUs don't prepare Black people for the real world. There are always exceptions and some Black people do not get support from their familes or communities of origin. I also think it's wrong to think that HBCUs are the only option for Black people. No matter how people cut it, college education in the US needs to be re-assesed and changed.

It's just a personal choice based on individual need.


"Know thyself"

"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you". So we may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
-- Hebrews 13:5,6

"There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path"
--Morpheus in "The Matrix"

"It's our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"- Dumbledore to Harry Potter "Chamber of Secrets"