The State Must Provide: Why America's Colleges Have Always Been Unequal – And How to Set Them Right

"Did you go to an HBCU? And did you ever, like author Adam Harris did, travel a few miles or even a few blocks away to a state-funded predominately white institution (PWI) and wonder why the library was so much bigger, the books so much newer or the gym so much better? Harris retraces the history of the funding strategies that all but ensured that historically Black college and universities would never compete on a level playing field. What he uncovers is shocking but not surprising: States would spend millions to keep institutions segregated and HBCUs underfunded but wouldn’t spend that same coin to actually improve their facilities. It sounds like a harsh meal, but it’s food for thought – and a call to action to anybody who cares about educational equity."