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From Margin to Center: Participating in Village Pedagogy at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

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Abstract

Are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) necessary in the twenty-first century so-called “post-racial” US American context? This question is raised loudly and frequently given the contemporary social climate and economic considerations. In this article, the author offers a response to and critique of this question and surveys histories, missions, and academic and social environments of the HBCUs. He contends that HBCUs offer alternate higher education experiences for Black educators and students who find themselves on the margins of the US American academic center. Demonstrating the parallels of HBCU settings to villages, the author illustrates how these HBCU village contexts contribute to pedagogy. Ultimately, he appeals to HBCU stakeholders to intentionally and consistently promote “village” environments to cultivate the academic and social sensibilities of its constituents.

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Notes

  1. My use of “US America” versus “America” is a political statement acknowledging that “America” includes countries across two continents, not just the United States.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations Department, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Otto D. Harris III

  2. 3732 Signet Drive, Winston-Salem, NC, 27101, USA

    Otto D. Harris III

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  1. Otto D. Harris III
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Correspondence to Otto D. Harris III.

Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 1.

Table 1 Four-year HBCUs
Full size table

Appendix 2

See Table 2.

Table 2 Two-year HBCUs
Full size table

Appendix 3

A Black College Is

A Black college is…

not so much a place to go

as it is a place to grow

It is not so much a place to learn your history

as it is a place to express your truth

that you are somebody of value

a Black college is not so much the place

to become independent

as it is a place to understand mutual dependence

not so much a harvest ground

as it is a path to higher ground

not so much a social place as it is a sacred place

rich with history…with struggle…with meaning

it is not so much the place to be on your own

as it is the place to be at your best

a black college is all of this and more

and now, because of you, the legacy continues.

Judith Boswell Griffie (1988)

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Harris III, O.D. From Margin to Center: Participating in Village Pedagogy at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Urban Rev 44, 332–357 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-012-0199-0

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