After two violent incidents involving LGBTQ students at HBCUs, the Human Rights Campaign launched their Historically Black Colleges and Universities project. The project recruited LGBTQ student leaders on the campus of HBCU’s to help advocate for inclusion and fight for social justice on campus. Since its creation the project has partnered with 30 HBCU’s to work with staff and the student body regarding LGBTQ inclusion and providing a safe and comfortable environment. This project serves as a flagship program that has grown the conversation around these issues on the campuses of HBCUs.

The project has decided to add to their reach by partnering with the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. This partnership will allow the two groups to establish benchmarks and best practices for HBCUs on inclusion. The HBCU project has worked for the past 11 years to provide an annual summit HBCU leadership summit, trainings to universities and student groups, as well as providing support through an alumni channel of LGBTQ alumni. This partnership merges that work with there work of Penn to dive deeper into creating resources for HBCUs on how to handle inclusion.

The impact of the project is felt on the campuses of HBCUs across the country who have taken the matter of inclusion seriously. Hopefully more join in on the fight to provide support and a safe environment for the LGBTQ community.

The next HBCU leadership summit which brings together student leaders, university administrators, staff and faculty of HBCU’s will take place November 10th -13th in Washington D.C. There is still time to apply to be a student leader at the summit. Applications must be submitted by September 26th at midnight.

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