The scholars and leaders, as well as researchers across the globe, gathered to discuss how HBCUs play an important role in cultural exchange, social justice, and innovation in higher education at Howard University recently. As part of the visit, participants toured such cultural and historical sites on campus at Howard, took part in seminars, and conducted collaborative working sessions to further strengthen international partnerships.
This consisted of delegates from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam, among others. This visit was coordinated by the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University, dedicated to promoting global understanding, peace, and academic dialogue.
All of the attendees were Fulbright Scholars, participants in the elite U.S. government exchange program that allows faculty, administrators, researchers, and professionals to study, teach, and conduct research while fostering international collaboration. In the Fulbright Program, scholars from more than 155 countries are welcomed annually into the United States to further cross-cultural exchange and mutual understanding. This program supports scholars from a wide range of settings, including universities, research institutions, government agencies, and non-profit organizations with around 800 grants per year for advanced research and teaching.
Tonija M. Hope, Ph.D., director of the Bunche Center, provided the scholars with an overview of Howard University and HBCUs more broadly and then guided the scholars on a tour of the historic campus.
"The visit to Howard University underscores how centers like the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center are pivotal in shaping the future of cross-cultural understanding and collaboration”, Hope said. “Howard has a rich legacy of producing global leaders and empowering scholars from around the world to forge meaningful connections that transcend borders”.
The Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center honors the legacy of Ralph J. Bunche, an undersecretary-general of the United Nations and the first African American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation efforts in the Middle East. His commitment to diplomacy, equity, and human rights serves as a foundation for the center’s global outreach programs, which mirror the ideals of the Fulbright Program itself.
For many scholars, this experience served as a reminder of the important intersection between academic institutions and social justice. Abebe Getahun Gubale, an Ethiopian aquatic biologist, expressed his pride in visiting Howard, an institution that has nurtured numerous prominent figures of African heritage.
He said his research on fisheries and agriculture, particularly in relation to the Nile River, has taken him to universities like UC San Diego and Prairie View A&M, an HBCU in Texas.
“It’s very important to provide opportunities for less privileged communities”, Gubale said. “At Prairie View, the students are confident in an environment that’s diverse, with instructors from countries like India, Pakistan, and Jamaica".
During their visit, the group explored key areas of Howard's campus, including Founders Library. The home of Howard Law School from 1944 to 1955, Founders provided the space where the legal strategy was drafted that led to the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case, which resulted in the outlawing of segregation. The group was also given a guided tour of the photo exhibit, “Revolution and Image-Making in Postcolonial Ghana”, by Moorland-Spingarn Research Center Director Benjamin Talton, Ph.D. The exhibit showcases the works of Ghanaian photographer Gerald Annan-Forson and highlights the powerful role of visual art in shaping postcolonial African identities.
At institutions across the country, the scholars are exploring a range of subject areas, including education, computer science, art, art history, psychology, physics, anthropology, social sciences, business, marketing, library science, dental sciences, political science, history, engineering, Mathematics, linguistics, economics, biology, public health, music studies, and communications.
David Svintradze, a physicist from the country of Georgia, highlighted the value of the Fulbright seminar in providing him with the opportunity to network with researchers globally. "It’s been valuable networking with people from every continent, learning about different systems of education and research", he said.
