Boston City Council Holds First Hearing on HBCU Satellite Campus Proposal

BOSTON — August 26, 2025 — Boston City Council holds first public hearing on bringing an HBCU satellite campus to the city. District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell and Council President Ruthzee Louijeune convened the Education Committee hearing August 26 under docket number 1283, making the case that HBCUs — which produce 40 percent of Black engineers and 50 percent of Black doctors and lawyers nationally — could help reverse worsening local outcomes, including a drop in Black students' share of exam school seats from 22 percent to 15 percent and steep enrollment declines at Boston University, Northeastern, Harvard, and MIT following the 2023 Supreme Court ruling on race-conscious admissions. Worrell cited Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation projections that closing racial graduation-rate gaps could yield $20 billion in state revenue over a decade. Public testimony was divided: HBCU alumni Edwin Sumter and Curtis Rollins voiced support but Rollins warned "the cultural experience would be difficult to transfer," while Russell Glover argued the city's structural racism must be addressed before any new institution can take root.