The event marked the first time this cycle that a high-profile debate happened at an HBCU. The colleges, many located across the South in Super Tuesday and other early primary states, have become important stops on the campaign trail this cycle.
This year, HBCUs have become as much a priority as diners in New Hampshire and farm houses in Iowa for candidates including Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Beto O’Rourke, spotted last week on Instagram wearing a North Carolina A&T State University hat after a stop in the state earlier this month.
Candidates including Warren and Bernie Sanders have included funding for HBCUs in their platforms, and Kamala Harris — the lone HBCU graduate in the race — has proposed a plan to increase teacher pay that includes HBCUs and addresses a shortage of teachers of color.
It’s a nod to the strength of black voters , the backbone of the Democratic Party. But equally important is the chance to reach out to tap into a network of students, graduates, their family members, faculty and others connected to the country’s more than 100 HBCUs — a unique web of potential voters, donors, organizers and volunteers
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