Joining President LaForge is Dr. Temika Simmons, co-chair of the Winning the Race committee and program director for the Local Government Leadership Institute.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech and the March on Washington were key moments in the American Civil Rights Movement for African-Americans. It brought to the forefront societal concerns about voting, housing, employment, racial inequality, and education. Here is a look back on how numbers for African-Americans have changed for the better just in higher education, according to the Census Bureau.
- In 1964, African-Americans accounted for 234,000 college undergraduates. In 2012, there were 2.6 million, more than 10 times as many as there were in 1964.
- There were only 3.9 percent of African-Americans age 25 and older who completed at least four years of college in 1964. That percentage rose to 21.2 percent in 2012.
- 365,000 African-Americans had at least a bachelor’s degree in 1964. In 2012, the number was 14 times that — 5.1 million.
In other news on campus, guest speaker Bridget Arend will present “Seven Ways of Learning” on Wednesday, January 23 from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Baioni Conference Center. In athletics news, men’s and women’s basketball will face off against University of Alabama-Huntsville and Lee University this week. The doubleheaders are set for tip off at 5:30 on Thursday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.
As always, to keep up with all of our news, events and activities, please visit our website at deltastate.edu.
