MONDAY 4/1: Tennessee State University Students Host National Faith and Civil Rights Leaders to Sound Alarm About Attacks and Defunding of HBCUs
NASHVILLE – Tennessee State University (TSU) student leaders will host a national press conference this Monday, April 1, at 11 am CST, alongside invited national faith and civil rights leaders, to sound the alarm about extremist Republican legislatures across the country that are attacking and defunding historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
In Tennessee, the Senate Education Committee recently voted to vacate TSUs board of directors and empowered extremist Republican Gov. Bill Lee to appoint eight new members to the 10-member body. While the action was spurred in part by financial challenges at TSU, a 2023 Biden Administration study shows that TSU is owed over $2.1 billion in state funds that have been held back since 1987. The study shows how historic land grant colleges are being attacked and underfunded by extremist Republican legislators across the United States.
These same state legislatures are also suppressing the vote, attacking women’s rights, and refusing to raise the minimum wage while undermining HBCUs, which have a long history of promoting equality for all people. While President Biden, Vice President Harris, and progressive congressional leaders have taken action to get more resources to HBCUs, extremist-led state legislatures like this one in Tennessee are trying to dismantle HBCU leadership and disenfranchise these schools by holding back critical funding.
At the press conference, student leaders invited national faith and civil rights advocates will announce steps they're taking to sound the alarm and mobilize action including:
Calling on Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and extremists in the legislature to stop the unfounded and overreaching attacks on TSU;
Mobilizing alumni and supporters to defend HBCUs;
Calling on all people of goodwill to challenge attacks by extremists in state legislatures towards HBCUs around the country;
Demanding equitable funding after years of underfunding; and
Mobilizing voting power to challenge state legislatures.
EVENT DETAILS
WHO: Student leaders & hosts: Shaun Wimberly, Jr. (co-host), TSU Student Trustee
Derrell Taylor (co-host), TSU SGA President
Invited national leaders: Bishop William J. Barber, II, President and Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach
Latosha Brown, Founder, Black Voters Matter
Rev. Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes III, President, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
Tamika Mallory, Founder, Until Freedom
Roland Martin, Black Star Network
WHAT: Press conference to highlight attack on Tennessee State University by extremist legislators who are trying to vacate the Board of Trustees after failing to fully fund TSU. Leaders will sound the alarm and deliver a call to action to challenge attacks and unjust funding by extremist state legislators across the country.
WHEN: Monday, April 1, 2024, 11 am CST
WHERE: Rotunda of the Tennessee State Capitol, 600 Dr Martin L King Jr Blvd,
Nashville, TN 37243
