White House Executive delivers TSU Spring Commencement keynote address and shares her role as an advocate for HBCUs
There is nothing like the historical significance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in this country. After the gruesome Civil War, HBCUs became prominent and necessary for formerly enslaved people of African descent, as it provided African Americans access to a complete and quality education at the highest level.
Prior to the Civil War, providing African Americans with access to a complete and quality education was prohibited in nearly every Southern state, and was even looked at unfavorably as a practice in some Northern states. The birth of HBCUs was not only inspired, but it was absolutely necessary.
Attending an HBCU is a one-of-a-kind experience, considering that many of our nation’s best African American scholars and contributors, past and present, have their roots tied to an HBCU.
Dr. Dietra Trent
Notable figures such as famed civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who attended Morehouse College; Justice Thurgood Marshall, who attended Lincoln University and Howard University, and was the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice; and Barbara Jordan, who attended Texas Southern University (TSU), and was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction, the first African American woman from the South elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first African American and first woman to deliver a keynote address at a Democratic National Convention.
Speaking of TSU and HBCU historical significance, it was founded in 1927, with the distinction of being designated a special-purpose institution for urban programming and research, because of the racist and segregationist challenges that African Americans were facing in Texas.
Since inception, TSU has become one of the most diverse and respected institutions in Texas—located in the heart of Houston’s historic Third Ward community—providing higher education access to the nation’s underserved communities with academic and research programs that address critical urban issues and prepares its diverse student population to become a force for positive change in a global society.
With TSU being such a trailblazing HBCU in the country, it was only fitting that they invite a trailblazing White House executive and HBCU graduate, focused on supporting and elevating HBCUs, to serve as their 2023 Spring Commencement keynote speaker on May 13th—Dr. Dietra Trent.
The 926 graduates, which included 562 with undergraduate degrees, 177 with graduate degrees, 59 with Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, and 128 with Juris Doctor degrees from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, were recognized and celebrated after having persevered through portions of an academic journey impacted by COVID-19. Dr. Trent was the perfect keynote speaker to help them understand the importance of perseverance and finding success as an HBCU graduate.
Dr. Dietra Trent
Dr. Trent, an HBCU graduate of Hampton University, was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In short, she is the Executive Director for the White House Initiative on HBCUs. In her capacity, she works closely with the Executive Office of the President and the Secretary of Education to implement a government-wide approach to break down systemic barriers to the participation of HBCUs in federally sponsored programs. In partnership with HBCU leaders and advocacy groups, Dr. Trent and her team work to promote key priorities related to advancing educational and economic opportunity for HBCUs across the federal government.
In an exclusive interview with the Forward Times, Dr. Trent discusses her journey, and explains her role, her motivation to get involved with this work, and the biggest misconception that people have regarding the need for HBCUs to exist and receive federal and state funding.
What was your immediate reaction/response to the news you were being asked to work for the White House?
I was very excited. The most exciting thing for me was to work for the White House Initiative on HBCUs and being asked to serve as the executive director. I’m an HBCU graduate. I know the value of these outstanding institutions, so had it not been for my education at Hampton University, I would not have had the opportunities available to me. So, I’m honored to give back in this way. I’m more than excited to be able to serve in this role every day.
What motivated you to get involved in this work? Who inspired you?
My grandmother was my shero and mentor. She worked within the Virginia public school system for over 40 years. I had the opportunity to see how much she gave firsthand. And that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to go into education. It’s always been one of my most significant honors to be able to do this, but more importantly, having the inspiration from my grandmother.
What has been your biggest challenge in your current role?
The biggest challenge that I’ve had in this role is making sure others genuinely understand how long HBCUs have been disadvantaged. HBCUs need more and better infrastructure, research, and technology, along with more new modern buildings. President Joe Biden has done an incredible job putting a lot of money into our HBCUs, particularly within mass infrastructure. We have a lot of federal agencies who are and who want to be partners. But also, our HBCUs need some essential infrastructure items, such as more administrative staff and grant writers, especially grant writers who focus on regulations. When we talk about infrastructure that isn’t on our campuses, we’re talking about the basics of infrastructure, not just the buildings and the big equipment, but the basics of having additional staff who work behind the scenes.
Dr. Dietra Trent
What is the best advice you can give to any student who may not currently be considering an HBCU as a post-secondary option?
My best advice is that they should consider an HBCU, especially if they’re African American. HBCUs really do instill a sense of responsibility, leadership, and pride within all our African American students. If you look at the folks who are in leadership across America, a nice bulk got started at an HBCU, where they were nurtured, while having a safe space to unapologetically be themselves. They saw themselves in their faculty and all the folks who came on their campuses — they saw excellence. When you look at our leadership today — 70% of the people in leadership within the military are Black, most started at an HBCU. 80% of our federal judges started at an HBCU. HBCUs produce 40% of our STEM and our STEM graduates. The point is — there is nurturing and support at HBCUs for our students. There is an expectation of excellence, an expectation of leadership and service that our African American students, and students of color, would not get at a PWI.
What is the biggest misconception that people have regarding the need for HBCUs to exist and receive federal and state funding?
I think the biggest misconception is that there’s no need for HBCUs anymore, because that’s not the real. In the real world, some people would say they didn’t want to go to an HBCU because that’s not the real world. Well, what an HBCU actually does is it teaches you how to live and how to survive in the real world. It teaches you that you have to be much better, you have to do better, you have to work harder, because they understand that when you do get in the real world, you’re going to have a lot of opposition against you just because of the color of your skin. I think that that is the greatest misconception that people have today.
Having Dr. Trent in such a pivotal role is crucial to ensure HBCUs are at the table and not on the menu when it comes to the critical funding that all institutions of higher learning need to thrive.
Dr. Trent has twenty-five years of higher education and public policy experience. Most recently, she served as Interim Vice President for Compliance, Diversity and Ethics at George Mason University. She first joined the University in August 2019 as Interim Chief of Staff to then Interim President, Anne Holton.
In July 2016, Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed her Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Previously, she served as Deputy Secretary of Education, a position she also held during the Administration of then-Governor Tim Kaine. As Secretary of Education, Dr. Trent’s primary responsibility was to promote the Governor’s agenda to eradicate the Achievement Gap, promote great teaching and learning, and help strengthen educational pathways to the new Virginia Economy. As Secretary, she provided guidance to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), as well as Virginia’s 16 public colleges and universities, 23 community colleges and five higher education and research centers, and seven state-funded arts/cultural institutions.
Prior to joining the McAuliffe Administration, Dr. Trent served as Deputy State Director for Senator Mark Warner. Having served in former Governor’s Tim Kaine and Mark Warner’s offices, as well as the Office of Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, she has a wealth of federal, state, and higher education experience. During her time in Governor Warner’s office, Dr. Trent’s proudest moment was establishing and obtaining state funding for the Minority Political Leadership Institute (MPLI), housed at Virginia Commonwealth University. MPLI is a six-week intensive program designed to promote leadership for aspiring individuals interested in running for elected office or assuming leadership roles in minority communities.
A native of Halifax County, Virginia, Dr. Trent earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice from Hampton University and completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in Public Administration and Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University.