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Everyone, especially advocates of higher education in America appreciated President Obama’s initiatives and efforts towards its development in the form of effective economic stimulus. However, all is not bright for the Black higher education in the country. They faced a $73 million cuts for the first time in history. This concentrated impact on this ethnic group’s fortunes has set everyone wondering at the priorities of the President.

According to Glen Ford, in his commentary on the Black Agenda Radio, President Obama must be given a course on the history of higher education in the country where Black schools have always benefited in the form of direct aid.

Though there is a massive effort by the President to project an image of being an “Education President”, providing huge grants through his economic stimulus plan, Obama’s attitude sure didn’t go well with the Blacks and he was far from a friend when he axed a whopping $73 million from their budget historically unheard of. Black universities and colleges have always benefited and been encouraged in the field of higher education.

Supporters of Obama’s initiatives voice their opinion that the Pell Grant increase for low income students will benefit the historically black too. However, this does not seem to be well received by the Black supporters. For example, even if every single HBCU students collect the $200 Pell Grant fund, it will not amount to even one third of what they have been deprived of due to the administration cut. Black higher education students, in other words, will not be sufficiently benefited by Obama’s Pell Grant initiative.

The impact of the $73 million cut will be felt in over 105 institutions and most of them are already staggering under the economic crisis having been hit hard by the recession. According to Glen Ford, one out of five Afro American students awarded degrees is a black, though on the whole, black students are only three percent of college enrolment.
 
Federal aid for schools catering to a large number of Hispanic students has been increased from $98 to $93 by Obama. However, there has been a reduction in aid for the Native American higher education including a federal funding cut for the Indian schools.

There is a sceptic curiosity surrounding the disregard of Obama’s administration towards the Black colleges according to Glen Ford. In fact, the Black education issue is one of the very few issues which is a common ground for the Congressional Black Caucus members and the Southern White Republicans. There are 11 HBCUs in North Carolina. Richard Burr, the Republican Senator of this State sarcastically ruminates on how the President can fund a history of the whaling industry museum by cutting on Black education funding. 

All this has happened at the worst possible time. Most of the Black colleges are based on philanthropy, which of late has reduced enough to create a significant impact. According to a majority of Black supporters, it is time for Obama to realize the seriousness of the impact and reverse funds to ensure blacks continue to benefit and acquire access to education.