HBCU Facts
Welcome to UNCF's Advocacy web site. UNCF Advocacy is about taking action to make sure that when policy makers set education priorities, the needs of students of color and the colleges they attend are near the top of the agenda. And it is about giving you the information and tools you need so that when the interests of students and colleges are threatened, you can take action.
When it looked like the Congressional “Super Committee” might make deep cuts in federal support for HBCUs, we called and you answered. The HBCU community—presidents, students, alumni, faculty and staff, and supporters—got involved, and the deepest cuts were headed off.
But the fight's not over. In fact, with the Second Session of the 112th Congress just under way, the budget-cutting knives are being sharpened, and HBCUs, and the students who attend them, need your help.
But because the Super Committee couldn't agree on cuts, the law mandates across-the-board cuts to take place for the 2013 Fiscal Year, starting next October—unless Congress acts first. Those across-the-board cuts could take a heavy toll of programs that are important to our students, like Pell Grants and federal support for HBCUs.
The clock is ticking. If we want to protect HBCUs and all low-income students from the deepest cuts, we need to step up. We need to let our senators and House of Representatives members know that they need to act—before automatic cuts kick in—to invest in our students and our colleges.
Members of Congress are there to represent you. Send them a message. Let them know that HBCUs are important to you, and to everyone who thinks all Americans—not just some—need and deserve an education. Click on the “Take Action” tab above, then click on “Send a letter to your elected officials” and “Join our action network.”
It only takes five minutes. Do it for our students.