All About the HBCU Conference Drama
All week, The Beat DC has been reporting on the drama around the White House HBCU conference. On Wednesday, the United Negro College Fund became the latest organization to call on the White House to postpone the conference. In a letter sent to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Domestic Policy Council Director Andrew Bremberg, UNCF President Michael Lomax (pictured) writes, “UNCF recommends that the White House postpone the HBCU conference in order to focus on appointing an Executive Director who has the respect of the HBCU community and establishing this office as part of the Domestic Policy Council.” Lomax also said that UNCF would not release an HBCU national economic impact study they had previously planned to unveil at the conference. See a copy of UNFC’s letter here.
WH Mad About Alma Adams HBCU Event
And the drama continues. Yesterday, we reported that Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC) would be hosting her own HBCU event during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference which takes place September 20th-24th. “That same week of the White House HBCU Conference, I will be hosting the Inaugural HBCU Brain Trust honoring HBCUs during the CBC Foundation Conference, among other meetings with key leaders in both the private and public sectors,” the congresswoman said. Sources tell The Beat DC this really ticked off folks at the WH. However, the two events are not conflicting, as the WH HBCU conference takes place September 17th-19th. “I am fairly certain that someone in the White House is aware that almost 50 Members of Congress are participating in the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, which will take place for the 47th time this September in Washington. This will mark the third year that Congresswoman Adams has partnered with many influential non-profit, corporate, and government leaders to advance the interests of our HBCUs and the students they serve,” said a spokesperson for Congresswoman Adams.
Alma Adams Hosts Counter Event During WH HBCU Conference
Last week, HBCU Caucus Co-Chair Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC) called on the White House to postpone the annual HBCU conference which takes place September 17th-19th in DC. But, despite HBCU presidents pulling out to protest Donald Trump’s Charlottesville remarks, the WH has decided to move ahead with the conference anyway. On Tuesday, Adams criticized the decision, saying the administration has done nothing to help HBCUs since the Oval Office photo-op in February. "It would be more productive to hear from the President directly or from his Secretary of Education about what progress they are making on the HBCUs' request before asking Presidents to come back to Washington for another photo-op,” the congresswoman said in a statement. The congresswoman says she will instead host her own HBCU event during the CBC Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference. “Despite the ongoing drama and unnecessary distractions of the President's own making, we plan to move forward with opportunities for HBCU leaders to engage in substantive dialogues that put our schools and students first." Read her original statement requesting the conference be postponed here.
HBCU Conference Forges Ahead
After reading The Beat DC’s exclusive story highlighting conflict around the HBCU conference, BuzzFeed’s Darren Sands was on the story. He emailed Omarosa about the troubles and she replied, “President Trump’s commitment to the HBCU community remains strong and unwavering. Registration is currently at capacity and we are looking forward to welcoming HBCU presidents, students, and guests.” At capacity? Not according to what sources are telling The Beat DC. While the official conference website directs registrants to a waiting list, we attempted to book a room at the host hotel and had no issues as they were not sold out. On Monday, we reported that after Trump’s Charlottesville comments, HBCU presidents had begun to pull out of the 2017 National HBCU Week Conference which is scheduled to take place just outside of DC on September 17th-19th. Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC), Co-Chair of the HBCU Caucus, called for the conference to be postponed. On Friday, Thurgood Marshall College Fund President Johnny Taylor sent a letter to Omarosa echoing the Congresswoman’s sentiments and was joined by WH Policy Council’sJa’Ron Smith who also recommended the conference be postponed. Darren picked up the story here.
Stakeholders Ask WH and Omarosa to Postpone HBCU Conference After Presidents Began Pulling Out
On Friday, Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC) called for the postponement of the 2017 National HBCU Week Conference which is scheduled to take place just outside of DC September 17th-19th. “In light of recent events, I have reached the unfortunate conclusion that this year’s 2017 National HBCU Week Conference should be postponed,” said Congresswoman Adams. “Earlier this month, my colleagues and I asked the administration for an update on their progress regarding HBCUs. In February, the President signed an executive order outlining greater investments and additional resources for HBCUs. It has become painstakingly clear that these promises are not being kept.” After the president’s comments calling White supremacists “fine people,” sources say HBCU presidents began pulling out of the conference rapidly. On Friday, Thurgood Marshall College Fund President Johnny Taylor saw the writing on the wall and sent a letter to Omarosa echoing the congresswoman’s sentiments. In the letter, Taylor says he spoke with WH Policy Council’s Ja’Ron Smith about postponing. “We are circling back to share with you that there is pretty strong consensus that the White House consider postponing its planned National HBCU Week conference. We understand the gravity of this recommendation,” the letter read. Read the full letter here.
