Oakland officials are pursuing the establishment of a historically Black college or university (HBCU) in the city, aiming to expand higher education opportunities and provide culturally relevant programs closer to home for California’s Black students. The initiative is led by a volunteer task force including Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, who has been a central advocate since taking office last year.
Currently, there are just over 100 recognized HBCUs nationally, with the vast majority located in the Southeast United States. The West Coast has only one historically Black institution, the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, which is a medical school. An HBCU in Oakland could represent the first opportunity for undergraduate students in California to access this type of education locally.
Kim Thompson, a member of the task force, highlighted concerns about what she described as a "brain drain," noting that many students who leave California to attend HBCUs in the East rarely return. She views the establishment of an HBCU in Oakland as a way to retain more students and prepare them for high-wage STEM careers in the Bay Area, particularly in sectors such as technology, entrepreneurship, life sciences, artificial intelligence, logistics, and transportation.
The Oakland HBCU initiative, launched last year as a fiscally sponsored project of the Oakland Fund, is conducting a feasibility study to assess potential economic impacts and identify growth industries in the city. The task force plans to release the study’s findings soon, after which it will focus on identifying interested institutions and determining a suitable campus location.
Options being considered include developing a satellite campus for an individual HBCU, creating a hub that hosts multiple colleges offering courses, or partnering with the Peralta Community College District to facilitate pathways for community college students to transfer into four-year HBCU programs. Currently, California community colleges have a transfer pathway to more than 30 HBCUs nationwide, which guarantees admission and provides a $5,000 scholarship, but participation remains low. Task force member Taína Knox noted that having an HBCU within California could increase student engagement by removing barriers associated with out-of-state enrollment.
Discussions about bringing an HBCU to Oakland have been ongoing for several years. In 2022, Paul Quinn College from Dallas explored opening a campus in the city. In 2024, representatives including then-Deputy Mayor Kimberly Mayfield attended the United Negro College Fund’s annual conference to gauge interest. Howard University, a leading private HBCU, has also shown interest and conducted a site visit, but leadership transitions have delayed any final decisions.
Mayor Lee, who has personal connections to the HBCU community and has built relationships during her tenure in Congress, emphasized the significance of this effort for Oakland’s Black population. Since her time in Congress, the city’s Black population has declined from around 40% to approximately 20%, a shift Lee attributes to gentrification, redlining, and systemic discrimination. She views founding an HBCU as a way to foster stability for Black residents and demonstrate ongoing commitment to their education and well-being.
Potential campus sites under consideration include the former Holy Names University campus in the Oakland Hills as well as locations in downtown Oakland. The task force plans to reserve a final decision on the location until agreements with interested colleges progress further. Community engagement through listening sessions last fall revealed strong student interest in attending an HBCU locally, particularly among first-generation college students citing the cost and difficulty of traveling out of state as barriers.
The initiative remains in its early stages but reflects a collaborative push to expand Oakland’s higher education landscape and support greater access to pathways for Black students in California.