Educational funding for veterans and their families members are
often overlooked by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Since
I have been writing about men and women of color who serve our country, I have
noticed a trend that often one generation or two are unaware of a family
member’s military service. The unawareness of a person’s military service also
extends to the community as well. The lives of our military members are filled
with many stories of sacrifice and hardship that comes with the courage to
serve bravely.
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| Montford Point Marines |
There are few true rewards that can be given to our military
who chooses to risk their lives for our freedoms we enjoy. But there are many
benefits that come with their service that we may neglect to highlight that
will not only improve their lives but even enrich the communities they live in.
Here is some history for us to review.
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| Original Triple Nickels Paratroopers |
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After World War II, the
Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, which was also nicked name the
G.I. Bill, was a law passed that
provided many benefits for returning World War II veterans. The benefits
included low-cost mortgages, low-interest loans to start a business, cash
payments of tuition and living expenses to attend college, high school, or
vocational education, as well as one year of unemployment compensation. It was
available to every veteran who had been on active duty during the war years for
at least ninety days and had not been dishonorably discharged; combat was not
required.
By the end of the program in 1956, roughly 2.2 million
veterans had used the G.I. Bill education benefits in order to attend colleges
or universities, and an additional 6.6 million used these benefits for some
kind of training program. *
HBCUs saw many Black men and women attend college using G.I.
funds. Although not as many took advantage of the funds as their White counterparts,
those who did attend college helped increase enrollments at HBCUs, especially
in the southern states. The G.I. Bill passage lead to additional laws
passed that benefited HBCUs’ students. The
Lanham Act of 1946 provided $100,000,000 in federal funding for HBCUs for
expansions and improvements. In subsequent
years and wars, additional educational funds have been provided for veterans
and later for family members of veterans.
In 2008, the Post-9/11
Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 became law.
This
bill was unique in two ways: (1.) It covered 100% of educational costs of a
public university or college for veterans serving active duty on or before
September 11, 2001; and (2.) It allowed benefits to be transferred to a spouse
or children. At private colleges and universities, the program is called the
Yellow Ribbon program and the tuition
is shared one to one up to 100% with the institution.
When I share this information with Black veterans of
recent wars, their career options and educational opportunities are not
addressed within their community nor are they recruited by HBCUs.
A crisis in America usually hits the Black community hardest
and has greater long term effects. At this moment, education, and economic
plights are being touted loudly in the Black community but often without solutions or
servant leadership to lead the charge make lasting changes. But in the Black
veteran community, there is historical proof that veteran educational benefits,
veteran business ownership, and military leadership knowledge can be used to
transform a community and strengthen the Black Middle Class. The G.I. Bill help
increased Black college attendance from 1% in the 1940s to almost 4% a decade
later throughout the US. That educated Black Middle Class help provide a foundation
for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
Years later, the Post- 9/11 Veterans Bill can be an
opportunity to educate millions of family members of veterans of Afghanistan
and Iraq Wars. Many of those veterans will also become entrepreneurs. With the
fastest growing segment of the Armed Forces being Black women according to a
Pew Research, this will have a direct positive effect on the Black community in
the next decade. But those changes will not happen if we are not more engaging
of our veterans and their families who need us now more than ever as they
transition to post combat life.
I encourage HBCUs and the communities of HBCUs to
become
more engage in Veteran Affairs. We often hear that sports and bands make
up the
core of a HBCUs’ interests. I challenge that notion but recognized why
it is
repeated. It is time for HBCU communities to look for new ways to engage
and
look for leadership in places that minority communities often overlook
but majority
communities turn to first, a person with a military background. Maybe
the
structure and discipline of a veteran may play to strengths and improve
weakness
without the wave of emotion that often accompanies HBCU discussions.
With millions of dollars that is being provided for veterans’ tuition,
this can help
bring much needed increases in enrollment at HBCUs. The harvest is
plentiful.
If HBCUs do not aggressively recruit our country’s veterans
and offer veterans jobs to glen from their leadership experiences, there are
other intuitions that will do so without thinking. Educating our veterans and
their families to help provide economic stability after their years of service
should be a priority for everyone. HBCUs have an opportunity to seize the
moment.
This story can found in
Mocha Market Military Issue and on
H.O.P.E. Scholarship
