More than 50 years ago, a woman by the name of Alma Adams stepped foot on the campus of North Carolina A&T University. During her time at the historically Black university, Adams evolved intellectually, personally, professionally and emotionally. No matter how far she has traveled or what she has accomplished, her time at North Carolina A&T University has stuck with her. All these years later, it comes as no surprise that she would use her platform as a U.S. Representative to provide funding not only for North Carolina A&T, but for HBCUs across the country.
Rep. Alma Adams has presented the Ignite HBCU Excellence Act to improve long-term funding for HBCUs. Colleges and universities around the country would be able to renovate campus buildings, improve broadband internet access and preserve historic buildings with these funds. If passed into law, it would be the "largest federal investment in the history of historically Black colleges and universities."
“The Ignite HBCU Excellence Act is the most transformative legislation for Historically Black Colleges and Universities in history,” Adams stated.
“For over 150 years, HBCUs have been agents of equity, access, and excellence in education, despite being ignored and marginalized by federal and state governments. This historic, bipartisan bill changes that. The Ignite HBCU Excellence Act invests in our HBCU facilities to give students state-of-the-art learning environments and enables HBCUs to continue to be a critical source of diversity in the workforce for another century and beyond."
Adams has picked up support in the Democratic, but she also picked up the support of Republican lawmakers as well. Republican congressmen Tim Scott and French Hill have publicly pledged their support for Adams' work.
“Historically Black Colleges and Universities open doors to opportunity for thousands of students each year, many of whom come from underserved communities,” Scott added.
“For decades, HBCUs have educated and produced top-notch graduates in every field—all while operating on minimal budgets. I can only imagine what more they will accomplish with proper funding, and I am proud that my colleagues and I have come together to support this transformational, bipartisan bill.”
With bipartisan support from both Democrats and Republicans, Adams and company are optimistic that the bill will pass through Congress in the coming months.
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