HLS 21RS-1250 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 38
BY REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES
SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH: Designates April 26, 2021, as HBCU Day at the state
capitol
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To designate Monday, April 26, 2021, as HBCU Day at the state capitol.
3 WHEREAS, Louisiana is proud to be home to eight Historically Black Colleges and
4Universities, or HBCUs: Dillard University, Grambling State University, Southern
5University and A&M College, Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension
6Center, Southern Law Center, Southern University at New Orleans, Southern University at
7Shreveport, and Xavier University; and
8 WHEREAS, that fact, considered in tandem with the fact that Louisiana is home to
9the nation's only HBCU system, the Southern University System, uniquely positions the state
10as an exemplar of successful HBCU policy and practice; and
11 WHEREAS, in 2019-2020, Louisiana's HBCUs collectively enrolled 22,854 students;
12and
13 WHEREAS, since their establishment 184 years ago, HBCUs have provided Black
14students with a powerful avenue, and for some, the only available path, to a college degree;
15and
16 WHEREAS, as Louisiana grapples with both the global COVID-19 pandemic and
17historic national civil unrest, HBCUs have proven to be invaluable assets based on their
18history, student experiences, and societal contributions; and
19 WHEREAS, several HBCUs are contributing research to help fight the biological and
20sociopolitical impacts of the pandemic; and
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HCR NO. 38
1 WHEREAS, higher education universally provides wide-ranging benefits to students,
2including higher average lifetime wages, better career opportunities, increased job security
3and satisfaction, and better health, and exerts a considerable economic impact on
4communities, the state, and the region; and
5 WHEREAS, HBCUs enroll and successfully graduate greater numbers of low-
6income, first-generation, and academically underprepared college students compared to non-
7HBCUs; and
8 WHEREAS, evidence demonstrates that high levels of student-faculty engagement
9and mentorship at HBCUs lead to stronger student success; and
10 WHEREAS, HBCUs are credited with building the Black middle class in America,
11and Black graduates of HBCUs are significantly more likely to be better off financially and
12socially; and
13 WHEREAS, research has found that, on average, 58% of Black HBCU graduates
14strongly agree that professors at their university cared about them as individuals, as
15compared to 25% for Black non-HBCU graduates; and
16 WHEREAS, Black HBCU graduates are nearly twice as likely as Black graduates
17of non-HBCUs to strongly agree that their university prepared them well for life outside of
18college; and
19 WHEREAS, the pageantry, traditions, bands, and collegiate rivalries of HBCUs are
20second to none; and
21 WHEREAS, Louisiana's HBCUs have distinguished themselves nationally and in the
22state of Louisiana in numerous ways such as the following:
23 (1) Dillard University is one of the nation's leading producers of Black physicists.
24 (2) Grambling State University is the leading producer of computer science
25graduates in the state of Louisiana and the only institution to offer bachelor's degree
26programs in cybersecurity and cloud computing.
27 (3) Southern University in Baton Rouge is a leading producer of Black engineers in
28Louisiana, and its graduates play significant roles at the National Aeronautics and Space
29Administration, Boeing, International Business Machines, Entergy, and Dow Chemical,
30among other leading companies.
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HCR NO. 38
1 (4) Southern University at New Orleans is the only HBCU to offer a forensic science
2program.
3 (5) Southern University at Shreveport is the only two-year community college in
4north Louisiana with an aerospace technology program.
5 (6) Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center is the first
6HBCU to launch its own CBC and THC medical marijuana lines.
7 (7) Southern University Law Center counts among its alumni 104 attorneys who are
8currently serving as judges.
9 (8) Xavier University has been nationally recognized by the Association of
10American Medical Colleges for the number of Black graduates that go on to successfully
11complete medical school.
12 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
13designate Monday, April 26, 2021, as HBCU Day at the state capitol and does hereby
14express sincere gratitude to the Historically Black Colleges and Universities of Louisiana
15for their manifold contributions to the state and the nation.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 38 Original 2021 Regular Session Hughes
Designates April 26, 2021, as HBCU Day at the state capitol.
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