If Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, he would have just celebrated his 90th birthday. Inevitably, I find myself wondering how Dr. King would rate America’s progress in achieving social and racial justice. The election of our first black president in 2008 was a watershed event that reminded us of just how far we’ve come since the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which abolished Jim Crow laws that kept black citizens from freely exercising their right to vote. However, the 2018 midterm elections raised the possibility of voter suppression once again. A nation that doesn’t learn from its mistakes is doomed to repeat them, or in the more eloquent words of Dr. King: “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability.” Without hard work, he wrote, “time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.”
As the president of the Council on Postsecondary Education, I’d like to take a moment to consider the importance of higher education in promoting equity, an ongoing struggle best understood not as a battle fought and won, but as a series of advances and retreats. Dr. King believed that education was necessary for the improvement of the individual and the wider culture, and the surest path to social mobility and self-fulfillment. As a student at Morehouse College, he wrote that education should not only make men and women more efficient but should teach them how to think critically: “To think incisively and to think for one’s self is very difficult. We are prone to let our mental life become invaded by legions of half-truths, prejudices and propaganda…To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education.”
This was written in 1947 but easily could have been written today. Is the purpose of education primarily to train for a career or to become a well-rounded person, capable of reason, analysis and judgement? King argues for both, with a warning that neglecting the aims of a liberal arts education puts our very democracy at risk. I read his words not as an endorsement of certain majors over another, but rather as an argument for the dual purpose of education—to train us for a vocation while empowering us to deal with complexity, diversity and change. Our workforce is changing rapidly, and individuals need flexibility and adaptability along with a knowledge of their field to thrive.
I would not be where I am today without the opportunity to pursue higher education. My father was a coal miner and farmer in Clay County, Kentucky, and my mother, an eighth-grade graduate, worked at home caring for her nine children. They didn’t have the support or resources to go to college, but that was the dream they instilled in me. I entered Eastern Kentucky University as a first-generation college student hungry for knowledge. I wanted to find meaningful, rewarding work that made a difference in the world. College enabled me to find not only a job but a calling.
Bound up with this calling is a desire to help every Kentuckian who wants to go to college to experience the transformative power of higher education. Whether a bachelor’s degree, an associate degree or an industry-recognized certificate, education and training beyond high school is still the best insurance we have against unemployment and economic instability. Research shows that college graduates not only earn more money, they tend to enjoy a greater sense of personal well-being. On average, college graduates live longer, experience better health outcomes, and practice healthier behaviors. They volunteer and vote more often, and are more engaged in their communities and in their children’s school.
For many students, college is the first time they will encounter diversity in a meaningful way–not only racial diversity, but diversity of thought and experience. Understanding and honoring these differences develops empathy, the ability to understand the world from different perspectives.
On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I challenge you to join the Council on Postsecondary Education and our colleges and universities in advancing the cause of social and racial justice. Our strategic agenda outlines several objectives we are working to achieve.
Ensuring everyone who wants to go to college has access to a quality education. The college-going rate for black students is 7 points lower than the state average, while Latino and low-income rates are 10 and 11 points lower. CPE will work to make college more affordable and prepare more high school graduates for college-level work. At the same time, we will make our institutions friendlier to adults seeking new jobs or career advancement.
Helping all college students reach their highest potential. The college graduation rate for minority students is nearly 10 points lower than the state average; for low-income students, it’s 12 points lower. Students need targeted resources, strong advising and clearer pathways to ensure they have the support they need to complete a credential or degree.
Creating a more inclusive campus environment. CPE is engaged in a diversity planning process with our institutions to ensure all students feel welcomed, valued and respected the moment they step on campus. We are asking colleges and universities for more engagement around racism, bias and injustice to establish a more equitable and fairer world.
I hope you will take a moment to celebrate the progress we’ve made. Setbacks will be inevitable but should not discourage us from our larger goals. Remember that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Higher education matters, for individual Kentuckians and for the future of our state. I invite you to work with us to help anyone who wants to go to college have the opportunity to be successful.
Dr. Aaron Thompson is the fourth president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. He is the first African American and Kentucky native to hold the position.
