On Friday, February 3, Apex High School held the second annual HBCU fair. The fair was in the auxiliary gym during both first and second lunch. There were a variety of HBCUs in attendance as well as a couple of beauty schools and a community college. The HBCU fair also served as this month’s Freshman Friday event in order to encourage students to show up to learn about these institutions.

There were eleven schools in attendance on Friday at the HBCU fair. The universities in attendance included North Carolina A&T, Elizabeth City State University, Livingston University, Shaw University, North Carolina Central University, Winston-Salem State University, Fayetteville State University, and Selma University. There were more than just four-year universities; however, for many people, a four-year university is not something that they are interested in, so there were other options represented at the fair as well. There were two beauty schools that came: the Aveda Institute cosmetology school and the Paul Mitchell beauty school. Also represented was Wayne Community College from Goldsboro, NC.

HBCUs, or, historically black colleges and universities, have been around since the 1800s and are still prominent around the country to this day. The first HBCU was Cheyney University in Pennsylvania which was founded in 1837. Today, there are about one hundred HBCUs, with some in North Carolina, including the oldest HBCU in the south, Shaw University.

HBCUs were founded so that black and brown people could have the opportunity for higher education during a time when segregation was still running rampant, and predominantly white universities were not allowing black students to attend. Now, they are popular for other reasons as well; HBCUs carry a strong sense of history and culture that are important to remember. HBCUs are also cheaper than many other schools, despite the fact that they have programs that are just as good, if not better than other, more expensive schools. HBCUs are not exclusively for black students. Students from all cultures and backgrounds attend HBCUs and can even get scholarships to do so.

Overall, the HBCU fair is a great addition to Black History Month here at Apex High School. It is a way to both look into the past as well as help plan for your own future after high school.