August 12, 2024
Contact: Melissa Villarin
Office: 916-327-5365
Office E-mail: MVillarin@CCCCO.edu
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Members of the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, lawmakers and students were on hand at the state Capitol this week for a formal proclamation celebrating the fourth week of September as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Week in California
The resolution, ARC 222, recognizes the significant role that HBCUs play to support Black student success and will celebrate that role annually during the fourth week of September. While California is not home to an HBCU, the state is committed to creating and scaling investments that support Black student success. This includes the California Community Colleges Transfer Guarantee Pathway which helps students successfully transfer to one of more than 30 partner HBCUs.
“HBCUs serve a paramount purpose in higher education for Black students and the economic mobility of Black Americans. Celebrating this is vital as the California Community Colleges affirm our commitment to equity in success, support and access,” said Pamela Haynes, California Community Colleges Board of Governors member. “Our colleges serve the most-diverse group of students in higher education and if we can continue our work with HBCUs to provide a guaranteed, seamless transition to a top college or university, then we’re truly creating a system that works for all students.”
Today’s resolution aligns directly with the California Community Colleges strategic plan, Vision 2030, which strives to lead with equity in support for community college students working toward a postsecondary degree.
“The California Community Colleges is continually working to change structures that create opportunities and supports for students who need them the most,” said Sonya Christian, California Community Colleges chancellor. “Across the country, more than a third of all Black undergraduate students are attending community colleges. But barriers remain that prevent students from thriving. Here at the California Community Colleges, we are creating innovative and successful approaches to ensuring Black students succeed at our colleges and beyond.”
HBCUs are engines for upward mobility for many Americans. While they only make up 3% of the total number of colleges in the U.S., HBCUs collectively graduate 20% of all Black students. HBCUs are also leading institutions in producing black professionals having graduated 40% of all Black engineers, 40% of all Black representatives in Congress, 50% of all Black lawyers, 50% of all Black doctors and 80% of all Black judges, according to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
The resolution will now head to the Senate and then to the Governor for consideration.
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 1.9 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; and degree and certificate pathways. As the state’s engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports the Vision 2030, a strategic plan designed to improve student success, our communities and our planet. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X (Formerly Twitter).
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