A historically Black college in Oakland, California? A task force is dreaming

By  ASHLEY McBRIDE/The Oaklandside, AP

A task force is quietly working to expand higher education offerings in Oakland by bringing a historically Black college or university here. And Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is central to the effort.

There are a little over 100 recognized HBCUs in the country, but they are concentrated in the southeast since many were established in the years following the Civil War, when African Americans were barred from most colleges and universities. The West Coast has only one historically Black educational institution — the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, one of only a handful of historically Black medical schools in the nation. If an HBCU lands in Oakland, it could offer the first opportunity for undergraduate students in California to get a culturally relevant education closer to home.

When students head east to enroll at an HBCU, they often don’t come back, said Kim Thompson, a member of the Oakland HBCU task force. She described that as a loss for California’s workforce.

“That’s a big brain drain and loss of students who could be staying here and gaining access to high-wage STEM careers that the Bay Area has to offer,” Thompson told The Oaklandside. “There’s a lot of students we think could benefit from the culturally affirming education that an HBCU could provide.”

The Oakland HBCU initiative, a fiscally sponsored project of the Oakland Fund, officially launched last year and is still in the early stages. A volunteer task force composed of Mayor Lee along with individuals from business, higher education, civic and philanthropic communities in Oakland are leading the effort.

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