A powerful and revealing history of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which have been essential for empowering Black citizens and for the ongoing fight for democracy in the US. From their founding, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) educated as many as 90 percent of Black college students in the United States. Although many are aware of the significance of HBCUs in expanding Black Americans' educational opportunities, much less attention has been paid to the vital role that they have played in enhancing American democracy.
In The Power of Black Excellence, Deondra Rose provides an authoritative history of HBCUs and the unique role they have played in shaping American democracy since 1837. Drawing on over six years of deep research, Rose brings into view the historic impact that government support for HBCUs has had on the American political landscape, arguing that they have been essential for not only empowering Black citizens but also reshaping the distribution of political power in the United States. Rose challenges the conventional wisdom that, prior to the late twentieth century, the federal government took a laissez-faire approach to education. Instead, governmental action contributed to the expansion of HBCUs in an era plagued by racist policies and laws. Today, HBCUs remain extremely important, as evidenced by the outsized number of black political leaders--including Kamala Harris--who attended them. Rose stresses that policymakers promote democracy itself when they support HBCUs and their unique approach to postsecondary education, which includes a commitment to helping students develop politically empowering skills, promoting political leadership, and fostering a commitment to service.
A fresh look into the relationship between education and democracy, The Power of Black Excellence is essential reading for anyone interested not just in HBCUs, but the broader trajectory of Black citizenship in American history.
Industry Reviews
"In this important and timely work, Deondra Rose expertly explores how HBCUs have functioned as incubators for many Black Americans to acquire and develop the invaluable knowledge, skills, and sense of community necessary to build successful businesses, political careers, and drive movements for societal change. A must-read to fully understand and appreciate the important role these institutions play in preparing the next generation of young leaders." --James
E. Clyburn, US House of Representatives, South Carolina-6, and Assistant Democratic Leader
"Dr. Rose has written a well-researched book on the incredible history of these great American Institutions, our HBCUs. I know that their future progress will require a historic reinvestment to IGNITE their continued success. We understand the journey ahead and greatly benefit from scholarly works like this to further guide our path." --Alma S. Adams, US House of Representatives, North Carolina-12
"Since the days of slavery and in the face of daunting obstacles, African Americans have endeavored to build schools, support colleges, and attain educational excellence--and no group has done more to deploy individual educational gains to strengthen democracy for all Americans. Deondra Rose's pathbreaking new book tells this story in an empirically rich, humanly vivid, and civically inspiring way. The Power of Black Excellence is sure to prove
compelling not just to students and scholars but also to policymaker and citizens who want to understand how higher education can propel the public good." --Theda Skocpol, Harvard University, and Director, Scholars
Strategy Network
"Scholars have paid little attention to understanding the politics of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In this brilliantly researched and written book, Deondra Rose shows how HBCUs have been instrumental in creating mechanisms to challenge white supremacy and fostering civic and political engagement among Black Americans. The Power of Black Excellence is an important contribution to the study of race politics, higher education
politics and policy, and American political development." --Domingo Morel, New York University, and author of Developing Scholars
"Long seen as engines of economic progress for Black Americans, HCBUs are also--according to Deondra Rose's informed and timely book--engines of engaged, impactful Black citizenship. A vital contribution to both political science scholarship and America's fraught conversation about multi-racial democracy." --Jacob S. Hacker, Stanley B. Resor Professor of Political Science, Yale University
"The Power of Black Excellence is an important exploration of the significant role played by Historically Black Colleges and Universities in American public life. Based on quantitative and qualitative primary data, Rose argues that these institutions have been and remain 'pathways to democratic engagement.' Rose shows in extraordinary detail how HBCUs produced generations of educators, physicians, and leaders capable of addressing the needs of Black
communities at the local and national level. Without HBCUS' cultivation of Black leaders, Rose explains, there would be no Thurgood Marshall, Ella Baker, Andrew Young, or Martin Luther King. Rose's powerful work
provides an unusual analysis and understanding of their institutional roles in advancing the political interests of African Americans. It is a work of outstanding importance." --Dianne Pinderhughes, Rev. Edmund P. Joyce C.S.C. Professor of Africana Studies and Political Science, University of Notre Dame
"Rose's book makes a groundbreaking case that HBCUs matter as both centers of Black American higher education and social mobility, but also as places where the promise of American democracy is both contested and reaffirmed. Counter to most histories of Black higher education and theories of American political development, Rose highlights the key role that the federal government has played in establishing and at times, uneven support of these bulwarks of
opportunity In light of the US's most recent racial reckoning, Rose demonstrates how these centers of Black excellence have fostered generations of civically engaged graduates and Black elite leadership who
continually fought for a more inclusionary American democracy." --Kimberley Johnson, Professor of Social & Cultural Analysis, NYU College of Arts & Sciences
"The Power of Black Excellence is a groundbreaking study of HBCUs and their political significance. The book is deeply researched and written to be accessible to a wide audience. Its chapters are brimming with insights into race, public policy, and the importance of higher education for democracy and inequality in America. Deondra Rose is an expert storyteller and an incisive political analyst, with a humane appreciation for the complex conditions that
shape people's lives and choices. She has brought all of these talents and more to bear in a project that illuminates grinding injustices and inspiring achievements in equal measure. I highly recommend it."
--Joe Soss, Inaugural Cowles Chair for the Study of Public Service, University of Minnesota
