ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Students and alumni from Maryland’s four historically black colleges rallied Wednesday for resolution to a 13-year-old federal lawsuit over disparities in academic programs, prompting a presidential candidate to pledge to create a fund to increase HBCU spending by $50 billion nationwide.
The rally was held about a block from the state Capitol, as members of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland were urging lawmakers to support a settlement of at least $577 million, more than double the $200 million offered by Gov. Larry Hogan over 10 years.
Pete Buttigieg, who is running for the Democratic nomination for president, wrote in an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday afternoon that “left without remedy, an injustice does not heal.”
“Lawsuits like the one in Maryland remind all of us how an uneven playing field yields underfunded colleges, declining federal funding and endowments that lag behind those of predominantly white institutions,” Buttigieg wrote. “As president, I will increase funding for HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions by $50 billion.”
The lawsuit in Maryland from 2006 alleged the state had underfunded the institutions while developing programs at traditionally white schools that directly compete with and drain prospective students away from HBCUs.
Source: Buttigieg pledges $50B for HBCUs, as Maryland students rally
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