National SDS Condemns Trump and Dept of Ed Cuts to Grant Funding for Historical Black College and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges, and More

Earlier this month the Department of Education issued a statement ending all discretionary grant funding for Minority- Serving Institutions (MSI) across the country. This will cut off hundreds of millions of dollars to Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI), Tribal Colleges and more.

This is yet another assault by the Trump administration on equal access to higher education. Alongside these specific cuts to MSIs, Trump’s administration continues to cut FAFSA and educational funding across the board. A college education is becoming more and more inaccessible. The ending of this funding will amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 and reverse the progressive wins of the Civil Rights Movement made possible by the student movement, Black, Chicano and indigenous liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s.

Black and brown students across the US will have a harder time affording education, accessing courses about their communities and histories, and participating in cultural organizations. It’s important to note that these funding cuts specifically target Hispanic Serving Institutions, as the Trump administration continues to pour more money into violent deportation raids across the country.

National SDS calls on all of our chapters to protest in defense of ethnic studies, cultural programs, increased enrollment initiatives, and cultural centers on their campuses. Now more than ever students across the country must build a student movement to defend equal access to education for all!

Education is a right- not just for the rich and white!
Money for jobs and education, not for war and deportations!