Johnson C. Smith University Participates in the Second Annual HBCU STEAM Day of Action on Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C./March 7, 2019 – Today, Johnson C. Smith University joined the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus and the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) Caucus for the second annual HBCU STEAM Day of Action on Capitol Hill. This annual event brings together education and industry leaders and Members of Congress for a collective day of advocacy for our nation’s 102 HBCUs and their 300,000 students.
During STEAM Day our coalition will meet with Republican and Democratic Members of Congress in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. The Senate and House Appropriations Committees, House Energy and Commerce Committee, House Financial Services Subcommittee on Diversity & Inclusion, Congressional Black Caucus, House Education and Labor Committee, and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will host meetings with our group. More than 40 Members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will meet with the coalition.
“JCSU is proud to participate in the second annual HBCU STEAM Day of Action,” said President Clarence D. Armbrister. “HBCUs are drivers of their local economies and help prepare our nation’s students for 21st Century opportunities. HBCU STEAM Day is vitally important because we must ensure that our institutions have the tools and resources not only to survive, but to thrive. I thank Congresswoman Adams for her leadership and look forward to continuing to work together to secure greater resources for our students.”
“HBCUs contribute nearly $15 billion to our annual economy and have provided pathways of opportunity to millions of Americans, many of whom are first generation college students. Despite being historically underfunded and under-resourced, these institutions continue to produce top talent. HBCUs produce 42% of Black engineers, 47% of Black women engineers, and 40% of the Congressional Black Caucus. I would not be in Congress today if not for the North Carolina A&T University,” said Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D., Founder and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. “That is why HBCU STEAM Day is so important. It’s a day when HBCUs and their students to come to Capitol Hill and to advocate for greater resources – and they don’t come alone. They come with industry leaders who have made a commitment to creating strategic and sustainable partnerships with HBCUs. There is no workplace diversity, especially within STEAM fields, without HBCUs. I am proud to host the second annual HBCU STEAM Day of Action and to make clear to all in Congress that HBCUs matter.”
“The importance of HBCUs on our nation’s history and future is something we can never fully measure. Through the STEAM Day of Action, we are bringing together stakeholders from across the country to highlight opportunities for our nation’s HBCUs and their students,” said Congressman Bradley Byrne, Co-Chair of the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus.
“Historically Black Colleges and Universities are an important part of our higher education system and provide unique opportunities to their students. As we work on updating the Higher Education Act this Congress, my goal is to make sure that all colleges and universities, including our nation’s HBCU’s, are worth students’ time and money,” said Senator Lamar Alexander, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Members Attending: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC), Representative Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senator Corey Booker (D-NJ), Senator Doug Jones (D-AL), Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Representative Will Hurd (R-TX), Representative Bobby Scott (D- VA), Representative French Hill (R-AR), Representative Mark Walker (R-NC), Representative G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Representative Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Representative Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Representative Marc Veasey (D-TX), Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY), Representative Karen Bass (D-CA), Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Representative Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Representative Terri Sewell (D-AL), Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Representative Joyce Beatty (D-OH).
Schools & HBCU Advocacy Groups: United Negro College Fund, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, 1890 Universities Foundation, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, National Association for Equal Opportunity, Advancing Minorities' Interest in Engineering, Norfolk State University, Central State University, LeMoyne-Owen University, Winston-Salem State University, Howard University, Arkansas Baptist College, Tougaloo University, Talladega University, Clark Atlanta University, West Virginia State University, Xaviar University of Louisiana, Denmark Technical College, Johnson C. Smith University, Huston- Tillotson University, Florida Memorial University, Morgan State University, Stillman University, Virginia State University, Fort Valley State University, Alabama A&M University, Rust College, Morehouse University, Bowie State University, Alcorn State University, St. Phillip’s College, Philander Smith College, Texas College, Delaware State University, Wiberforce University, Allen University, Saint Augustine University, State, Miles College, Virginia Union University, Tuskegee University, Shorter College, Paine College, Livingston College, Bethune-Cookman University, Barbara-Scotia College, Fayetteville State University, Fisk University, Shaw University, Elizabeth City State University, Morris College, Oakwood University, Clark Atlanta University, Lane College, Lincoln University, North Carolina A&T State University, Southern University and A&M College, Bennett College, Kentucky State College, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Benedict College, Langston University, Jarvis Christian College, Spelman College, Dillard University, Hampton University, Tennessee State University, Voorhees College, and Edward Waters College.
Industry Representatives: Intel, Lyft, SAP, Dell, Amazon, GM Financial, AnitaB.org, Nielsen, Regions Bank, Pandora, Airbnb, Microsoft, Spotify, Wells Fargo, Adtalem, Ally Bank, SAS, Live Oak Bank, and Apple.
