South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn has strongly opposed Bernie Sanders’s free college plan because he thinks it would wither historically black colleges into nonexistence.
Clyburn, who endorsed Hillary Clinton ahead of the Democratic primary in South Carolina on Saturday, explained his opposition in an interview with Buzzfeed.
For private historically black colleges and universities, free college at public institutions could pull away crucial students that perpetuate and develop the culture and scholarship there. The schools have faced financial trouble in recent decades, especially since the recession, and some have called their situation an “unprecedented crisis.” Despite their small enrollments, they have a disproportionate effect: 22 percent of African Americans with a bachelor’s degree completed it through an HBCU.
“You’ve got to think about the consequences of things,” Clyburn said. “[If] you start handing out two years of free college at public institutions are you ready for all the black, private HBCUs to close down? That’s what’s going to happen.”
Clyburn sits on the board for Allen University, an HBCU in South Carolina, and has financially donated to others, Buzzfeed noted.
Bernie Sanders started an HBCU tour to strengthen his support among African-American voters, and has enlisted various celebrities to reach out on his behalf.
HBCUs were crucial in establishing African-American access to higher education. The Department of Education lists 107 colleges across the United States as HBCUs. The majority are small, private colleges, which wouldn’t qualify under Sanders’s plan for free public college for all.
