USDA Suspends 1890 National Scholars Program, Raising Concerns: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suspended its 1890 National Scholars Program, a continuing program, for students enrolled in schools historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), from being carried out. Coordinated, since 1992, this program supports the career goals of undergraduate majors in agriculture, food, and natural resource sciences by providing financial assistance and covered paid internships and career advancement in the USDA.
This unexpected disruption has also received fire from a segment of teachers and lawmakers who complain that it has been detrimental to the attempt to achieve educational equity and liberation of underrepresented populations. Rep. Alma Adams (N.C.), chair of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, expressed disappointment, citing the detrimental impact of the program on students whose studies and future careers depend on it.
To date, the USDA has not released a statement explaining why the program should have a timeframe by which it will be reinstated. The level of uncertainty about what its future will be means that there are deeply serious questions about, among other things, the loss of financial and professional opportunities for students studying at these colleges and universities, and more broadly, the loss of capacity to make an impact as it relates to diversifying the agricultural workforce.
