The motto of Delta Sigma Theta is “Intelligence is the Torch of Wisdom.” As an organization founded by 22 collegiate women at one of the premier colleges for African Americans, higher education is encoded in our DNA. The generation that birth our founders understood that after the end of slavery, new opportunities could only be grasped and old roadblocks could only be overcome through education.
The first Historically Black Colleges and Universities sprang up shortly before the Civil War. However, in most southern states, educating blacks was illegal. President Lincoln passed the historic Morrill Act in 1862 which allowed many new land grant colleges and universities to open across the country. At the end of the war, access to basic education, let alone higher education, was technically possible for newly freed slaves, but the harsh realities of segregation rendered access and opportunities virtually impossible in many southern states. In 1890, in response to segregation and lack of access, the Morrill Act was expanded, requiring states to establish a separate land grant college for blacks if blacks were being excluded from existing land grant colleges.
HBCUs have educated and produced some of the great leaders of the African American community. Teachers, doctors, activist, artist, entertainers, lawyers, and scientist have built a legacy in this country and around the world, thanks to the tireless efforts of these institutions. Many individuals and organizations contribute to ensuring that this legacy continues, one of the most prominent being the United Negro College Fund or UNCF. UNCF was founded in 1944 by William Trent, Fredrick D. Patterson, then president of Tuskegee Institute, and Mary McCloud Bethune, founder of Bethune Cookman College and honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta.
UNCF has raised over $4.5 billion in scholarships and helped over 600,000 students achieve 4 year degrees at their member institutions. In addition, UNCF supports research on issues affecting the black community through the Fredrick D. Patterson Research Institute, as well as strengthens its member institutions through the Institute for Capacity Building. The goal of UNCF mirrors the goal of HBCUs, to build a robust and nationally-recognized pipeline of under-represented students who, because of UNCF support, become highly-qualified college graduates and to ensure that its network of member institutions is a respected model of best practice in moving students to and through college.
Delta Sigma Theta has long supported the efforts of UNCF, and in 2013 named UNCF as a strategic partner for its Project 13 efforts. Safeguarding the legacy of higher education for underrepresent youth is a sacred charge, and in light of many issues happening today, our moral obligation. UNCF states “A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in.” Investing in our youths’ future through education holds the highest returns not only for our community, but our nation.
CALL TO ACTION: BBAAC is supporting the 30th Anniversary UNCF Walk/Run being held on Saturday, September 26 at Lake Merritt in Oakland. More details about donation and participation can be found here.
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