In 1997, i had an opportunity to work on an educational project with a gentleman named doctor samuel proctor. A number of you know him as a form present of North Carolina a t, hbcu, former president of Virginia Union university, private hbcu. He spent time in washington, d. C. , as a kennedy appointee to the peace corps but a number of you know him to his work as a pastor of the baptist church. In 1997 when opportunity to sit at a very lovely room similar to this with a donor and a donor who owns a very large and Famous Family foundation. The head of the walked into the room and made exchange niceties she said and ask you one question . He said yes. Is there a need for black colleges today . And doctor proctor leaned back in his seat having her discretion of most of life and he said maam, if you make him can restructure the question . The question is not whether there is a need for hbcus today. The question is, what would america be today without the hbcus . And so she nodded to dr. Pr