Students attend first-ever Texas HBCU Conference in Austin

Students pictured with Texas State Representative, Barbara Gervin-Hawkins.

Members of Texas’ historically Black colleges and universities gathered for the inaugural Texas HBCU Conference held at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin. The conference focused on topics surrounding structural problems in higher education and how to better serve students from historically marginalized communities.

The event featured speeches from campus leaders, conversations with state lawmakers who represent HBCUs in their districts, and a roundtable discussion with students who spoke about the experience and challenges of attending HBCUs.

Students and community members from seven of the nine HBCUs in Texas — Jarvis Christian College; Prairie View A&M University; St. Philip's College; Southwestern Christian College; Texas Southern University; Wiley College and Huston-Tillotson University — attended the event.

“The HBCU Conference was an amazing experience and so informative. I enjoyed learning about the history of our college and meeting some amazing and powerful individuals,” said student Pedro Titsworth.

There are over 100 HBCUs across the U.S. granting degrees to students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. St. Philip’s College is currently the only public HBCU in Texas. The college has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing HBCUs and was ranked among the top 10 most affordable historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) by Student Loan Hero in March.

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