What I Want My Son to Know About HBCUs

As a high schooler, Asha Brewer had never heard of Prairie View A&M University. But after she told her advisor, Ruth Woods, that she wanted to study medicine, Woods recommended Brewer take a trip to Texas.

It was love at first sight. Today, having graduated with a BS in Biology from the HBCU, Brewer calls it the best decision she’s ever made.

“PV really sharpened me,” Brewer said. “There was a discipline and confidence that I gained there. There was a community around me that looked like me—not just the students, but the professors and staff. I was literally surrounded by excellence. Between the actual atmosphere, juggling leadership roles, and being a part of different organizations, I really learned how to stretch myself.”

In addition to education and self-development, Brewer also met her husband and lifelong friends at the university. So, it only makes sense that she would want her child to attend one as well.

“I would tell James that an HBCU is where you will find your school,” Brewer said. “I think you’ll find professors who will pull and expect greatness out of you, as opposed to just teaching you the material.”

Still, Brewer would send her son with the knowledge that no institution is perfect.

“Systems aren’t perfect, and there are going to be challenges in administration and, particularly for Black schools, resources,” she said.

But for Brewer, even the lack serves a purpose.

“We don’t always have what the PWIs have, but you’ll learn resilience and resourcefulness from that—and how to advocate for yourself.”

For Brewer, that advocacy came in demanding better healthcare services.

“When I was there, there was no access to 24-hour emergency care,” she explained. “We were in a rural town, and the response time was very, very long because you were coming from a totally different city. In my freshman year alone, we had three deaths as a result of delayed response time. I ended up being a voice for that kind of change. It was a small enough university that if you saw something, you didn’t have to be in a position of power or authority to speak up. I loved that you didn’t go unheard in those spaces.”

Brewer wants James to connect with like-minded Black men, build deep friendships, and join organizations on campus.

“Serving in those kinds of spaces—whether it’s student government or organizations within his major—I know for a fact that teaches you real-world skills, like how to manage your time. You’re juggling school and activities that are priorities, but not top priorities. I want him to find peers that push him to be better.”

From her own experience, Brewer learned the diversity within the Black community.

“Our professors weren’t always Black American. Some of our professors were Nigerian. It was still a culture shock to learn that there are so many different kinds of Black people. I just know that being surrounded by brilliant, talented Black people for four years completely rewired how I see the world and my place in it.”

That rewiring still shapes Brewer’s life today.

“Even now, I intentionally patronize Black-owned businesses. I seek out Black creatives to partner with. I just want to make sure James grows up seeing Blackness as something to be proud of—not something to fear or suppress.”