Pols & Politics: Boston city councilors want an HBCU campus

City councilors are exploring methods to bring a historically Black college or university presence to Boston for the first time Council Vice President Brian Worrell called for a hearing at last week s meeting that will focus on creating an HBCU satellite campus in Boston An HBCU presence would provide role models for current Black students by showing them a tangible pathway to success Worrell mentioned Boston led the way in educating Black students in the first half of the th century with the opening of the Abiel Smith School and we need to discover that trailblazing spirit once again Boston is home to more than two dozen colleges and universities but it lacks a historically Black college or university according to Worrell s hearing order The Building Bridges HBCU operation is working on attracting a satellite campus for a historically black college to Boston and is planning to provide an update on its efforts this fall Worrell s office revealed There are more than historically Black colleges and universities in the country with the vast majority of them located in southern states as a response to Jim Crow laws the Council order states The need for more culturally sensitive schools such as HBCUs has grown in the past decade based upon current rulings and the actions of the current federal administration Worrell declared that while HBCUs make up just of the country s colleges they produce of Black engineers of Black members of Congress of Black lawyers and doctors and of Black dentists Boston Populace Schools Chief of Scholar Endorsement Cory McCarthy added that the appetite for a HBCU has grown immensely within the last five years An opportunity to bring a HBCU to Boston would further highlight the commitment and dedication of our city to create an educational ecosystem that values elevates and develops opportunities for Black students to be fruitful McCarthy explained The City Council referred the HBCU order to the Instruction Committee and Worrell s office expects a hearing to be scheduled in the fall Gayla Cawley Related Articles Pols Politics Secretary of State William Galvin has concerns about upcoming census Pols Politics Karen Spilka compares ICE arrests to Adolf Hitler s rise to power Pols Politics Gov Healey touts WalletHub rankings Reality is more complicated Pols Politics Sunlight may be current through on Beacon Hill this legislative term Pols Politics Bruce Tarr is a never say never to running for governor in Lynch loses House committee race Dems are having a youth movement U S Rep Stephen Lynch learned that the hard way last week when he lost to a much younger and less experienced congressman for a committee position Lynch came up short against -year-old California Rep Robert Garcia in the Oversight Ranking Member race Garcia who s in his second term received votes Lynch who has been a congressman for more than two decades got votes I offer my sincere congratulations to U S Rep Robert Garcia CA on becoming our next full Committee Ranking Member on the Oversight and Authorities Improvement Committee Lynch disclosed in a message My congratulations also to U S Rep Kweisi Mfume MD and U S Rep Jasmine Crockett TX who ran spirited yet collegial and positive campaigns These are challenging times for our nation and our democracy and I look forward to working together to meet those challenges the Boston congressman added I look forward with confidence that Ranking Member Garcia will provide the leadership we need and that he will enjoy the enthusiastic backing of all our members in his new role The Democratic committee role opened up when Rep Gerry Connolly stepped down earlier this year because his cancer returned He later died I would also like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to our amazing Oversight Committee staff for their remarkable and steadfast provision during U S Rep Gerry Connolly s illness and absence Lynch disclosed You continue to embody Mr Connolly s spirit and his legacy I remain grateful Rick Sobey Congressman Stephen Lynch Boston Herald screengrab Pols Politics logo Boston Herald