CONGRESSIONAL HEARING
HISTORIC HEARING ON CAPITOL HILL SUPREME BASILEUS TESTIFIES FOR HBCUs
On October 7 , 2021 , Supreme Basileus Glenda Glover testified during a virtual congressional hearing to advocate for additional funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities ( HBCUs ). Soror Glover also serves as president of Tennessee State University , an HBCU located in Nashville , TN . This hearing marks the first congressional hearing with all African American witnesses . U . S . Congresswoman Frederica S . Wilson , chair of the Education and Labor Committee ’ s Higher Education and Workforce Subcommittee since 2008 , invited Dr . Glover to testify and led the historic hearing titled Homecoming : The Historical Roots and Continued Contributions of HBCUs .
The Education and Labor Committee ’ s Higher Education and Workforce Subcommittee was designed to address the needs of our nation ’ s HBCUs and their students , including infrastructure modernization , improved research capabilities , financial assistance to reduce economic barriers and eliminate food and housing insecurity , and investments to account for decades of gross underfunding . The hearing convened to examine the state of these vital institutions .
Congresswoman Wilson , who served as the 11th South Atlantic Regional Director and remains very active in the sorority , noted that the hearing was a game changer for HBCUs across the country . “ Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus are graduates of HBCUs , including myself , a proud graduate of Fisk University . These historic institutions have nurtured and prepared generations of African Americans for success in a broad range of fields ,” said Congresswoman Wilson .
Lawmakers and witnesses discussed the many contributions that HBCUs have made throughout their history and the obstacles that these institutions and their students have overcome .
“ Today we ask you to continue that financial support of HBCUs , not just on the emergency basis as the CARES Act and other emergency funding has done in the past ,” Glover said .
We ask you to assist HBCUs as they seek to grow , develop , become more competitive and sustainable for years to come .
― Supreme Basileus Glenda Glover
Other witnesses who testified include Dr . Andre Perry , Metropolitan Policy Program Senior Fellow with Brookings Institution ; Mrs . Angela Sailor , Vice President , The Edwin J . Feulner Institute at The Heritage Foundation ; and Dr . Lezli Baskerville , CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education .
Alpha Kappa Alpha is steadfastly committed to HBCUs . AKA set a new record and raised more than $ 2.1 million in one day during HBCU Impact Day to benefit these institutions . The signature fundraising initiative is one part of a four-year $ 10 million fundraising goal set by Dr . Glover under the HBCU for Life : A Call to Action initiative in conjunction with the sorority ’ s international program of service . The sorority has surpassed the $ 1 million in one day goal each year of the four-year fundraising initiative .
The hearing is available for viewing on the House Committee on Education and Labor ’ s YouTube channel .
We thank Supreme Basileus Glenda Glover for lending her voice to an important dialogue . fall 2021 I vyL eaf ® 55