The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caravan will come to Mt. SAC for the first time on Wednesday, Oct. 25, offering information to students on why HBCUs may be a good fit for them.

Mt. SAC’s Transfer Center and The Center for Black Culture and Student Success are partnering together to host this special college fair event for students to have the opportunity to engage with their fellow college classmates.

The HBCU Caravan is an organization that travels across the country to different schools to educate and share details about their universities. To get the caravan to visit Mt. SAC, the school had to submit a proposal explaining why Mt. SAC should be on their school list. The event will offer music, food, drinks, raffle prizes and more.

Mercedes Cunningham, program coordinator for the Center for Black Culture and Student Success, said she encourages students to attend so they can learn about where they can thrive.

“There is a special level of liberation that one can feel when they aren’t feeling the weight of oppression,” Cunningham said. “These are called historically black colleges and universities for a reason. This is like tapping into an academic opportunity our ancestors carved out for us and I don’t take that lightly.”

HBCUs have been a significant part of American history for over 180 years. They were established because universities under Jim Crow laws at the time did not admit Black students.

Today, there are 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States.

Although created for Black and African American students, HBCUs are open to students of all races. According to the U.S. Department of Education, HBCUs are defined as “… any historically Black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.”

Some of the top-ranked HBCUs are Spelman College and Morehouse College, both in Atlanta, Georgia, Alabama State University and Howard University in our nation’s capital.

These schools have also had some notable alumni, like Kamala Harris, Chadwick Boseman and Oprah Winfrey.

Even today, HBCUs support students of color in distinct ways. They allow students to “develop their skills and talents” as well as celebrate their culture.

Mt. SACs has a diverse student body with about 3.9% of the student population identifying as Black or African American. This event will allow the campus’ varied student body to gain a better understanding of the offerings of an HBCU. It will provide a community of support, belonging and understanding.

When asked about the importance of this event, Cunningham said, “This is the first time Mt. SAC has ever had a caravan here, so this is a big deal, this is Mt. SAC history in the making.”

The event will be held on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Miracle Mile and Student Center.

Interested students can register by going to the HBCU Eventbrite page.