Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are an incredibly important group of institutions that function within the higher education world in the United States. Not only have they historically offered Black Americans and international students a place of learning, HBCUs offer their students, faculty, and staff a place where they might feel comfortable, surrounded by peers, in a setting that is thriving and supportive of cultures in ways that many predominantly white institutions (PWIs) are not.

The titles below will help you gain a better understanding of the necessity for HBCUs, what it's like to attend one, and how they've impacted our society and culture.

How Black Colleges Empower Students: Lessons for Higher Education edited by Frank Hale, Jr.

I'll Find a Way or Make One: A Tribute to Historically Black Colleges and Universities by Juan Williams and Dwayne Ashley with Shawn Rhea

Where Everybody Looks Like Me: At the Crossroads of America's Black Colleges and Culture by Ron Stodghill 

Shelter In a Time of Storm: How Black Colleges Fostered Generations of Leadership and Activism by Jelani Manu-Gowon Favors

Tell Them We Are Rising (DVD) written, produced and directed by Stanley Nelson; co-produced and co-directed by Marco Williams; produced by Cyndee Readdean, Stacey L. Holman; written by Marcia Smith; produced by Firelight Films, Inc.

Reference Books:

Any general college reference book will offer information about HBCUs in the United States. We recommend:

The Complete Book of Colleges: 2020 edition (compiled by the staff at the Princeton Review)

Peterson's Four Year Colleges: 2020 edition (compiled by the college advisors at Peterson's)