Chapter 2: Telling a Story of Student Success at Hbcus: Barriers for Researchers at a PWI

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have a rich history of promoting success and social mobility, providing access to higher education, and developing leaders within the Black community (Palmer & Gasman, 2008). Historically, HBCUs, the creators of the open enrollment system, provided opportunities for Blacks to gain a college education (Coaxum, 2001). HBCUs are successful because they serve as the mecca of Black culture and community (Allen, 1992; Brown & Davis, 2001). Furthermore, HBCUs produce global citizens who are leaders for the Black community and graduates who understand majority and minority worlds; these graduates are able to serve as bridge builders between the two aforementioned worlds (Allen, 1992; Brown & Davis, 2001). Scholars, activists, and HBCU graduates such as Martin Luther King Jr., W. E. B. Du Bois, Evelynn Hammonds, Leon Dash, and Alice Walker illustrate the role of HBCUs to cultivate leaders within the Black community. Graduates from HBCUs often go on to shape society in meaningful ways. Regardless of the many attributes associated with an HBCU education, the enterprise is often challenged by those within and external to the HBCU educational enterprise.