Assistant principal Jasmine McKoy celebrates her sorority’s Founder’s Day at NCCU with her younger sister, Jessica. Photo courtesy of Jasmine McKoy
Familial love and respect inspired many RHS teachers to attend HBCUs
By Jason Iwara & Isabelle Abadie
As soon as Markus Crutchfield set foot on Fayetteville State University’s campus, he knew he’d found something special.
Crutchfield, an EC teacher and football coach, spent his first two years of college at Lenoir Rhyne University, a private school in Hickory, NC, then transferred to Fayetteville State to continue his football career.
“I had just left a football meeting,” he said. “My dorm room was right next door to where the meeting was. I was casually walking and one of my teammates, who I didn’t even introduce myself to yet, pulled up right next to me and was like “Hey man, you need a ride?”
Crutchfield was already standing next to his front door, but he took the ride anyway.
“From that moment on, just building bonds with people was easier and easier,” he said. “That guy actually is still one of my best friends to this day. I just went to his wedding in September.”
Fayetteville State is one of twelve Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) in North Carolina, twelve out of the 107 in the United States. An HBCU is an accredited college or university predating 1964 that originally focused on the education of African Americans.
Assistant Principal Jasmine McKoy, an NCCU graduate, noted how influential it was to meet people of similar upbringing and interest.
“The reason that HBCUs were created is to have something that is for us, by us, as an African-American community,” said McKoy.
Before the first HBCU, Cheyney University, formed in Pennsylvania, state and federal laws discouraged the education of Black people in America. According to Census Bureau data, only around 234,000 Blacks registered as college students in 1964. This is in comparison to over 967,000 white students registered in universities.
“They understand the setbacks that have been basically placed on Black people and minorities for years and years and years,” said Crutchfield. “So they tried to counteract that with different programs that help them get a little bit of a boost, if that makes sense.”
According to the Hunt Institute, compared to predominantly white institutions (PWIs), HBCUs were underfunded by $12.8 billion between 1987 and 2020. It’s almost expected that the education at these institutions would be seen as lesser than that of a PWI.
“I would say, don’t look at it as something that’s less than,” said PE teacher Jason Smoots, an NCCU graduate.
Several Riverside teachers and HBCU alumni interviewed had great things to say about their respective HBCUs, but the one theme repeated over and over again was the familial love and respect, even from professor to student.
English teacher Frank Hayes, a graduate of St. Augustine’s University, recounts that if he was ever sick and not showing up for a class, the professor would personally reach out.
“If I was sick in bed,” Hayes said, “the professor would call me and say, ‘Hey, Mr. Hayes, Frank, where are you? Why are you not in class? Do you need anything?’”
“It’s that feeling of home…and knowing that you’re not alone,” said teaching and learning coach Kelly Newsome, who graduated from Riverside in 2005 and attended Winston-Salem State University. “When I was at Riverside, I was one of few black girls in my honors and AP classes. Instead of being a smart Black girl, when I went to my HBCU I was just a smart young woman.”
PE teacher Schuyler Hipps, a Hampton graduate, remembers being with peers in college at the time that Obama was elected.
“It was probably the best moment in my college experience because after he won, everybody was just going crazy,” said Hipps.
While HBCUs were built with the purpose of serving African Americans, they are open to all students.
“It’s not just for Black people,” said McKoy. “[HBCUs] are for everyone. And we just really value the family-orientedness of education.”
PE teacher Bryan Hurdle, who is white, attended both NCCU and NC A&T.
“I enjoyed being in a different cultural environment,” said Hurdle.“Learning different cultures allowed me to grow.”
Even with all of the positive things these teachers have said, many advised against going to an HBCU simply for the name.
“Do your research,” said Hayes. “Don’t go with rose-colored glasses on.”
“There are a lot of HBCUs,” said Newsome. “I would take a look at the school, I will take a look at the value and understand the reasoning for HBCUs.
If a student does choose to attend an HBCU, all the Riverside teachers interviewed for this story believe that it will be a good experience.
“Go in there with an open mind, and you’ll be surprised what you see,” said Smoots.
Saeed Lobbad, Jose Obil Del Cid, Jameson Osborne, and Yohana Flores also contributed to this story.
