Thurgood Marshall College Fund Makes Historic and Timely Choice

On January 4, 2024, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), an organization dedicated to serving the nation’s public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and public Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) named Racquel Oden as the chair of its board of trustees. Oden, a Black women, is the first woman in TMCF’s 37-year history to serve in this vital role. According to a statement issued by the organization, “Oden’s appointment as Board Chair serves as a powerful symbol of TMCF’s dedication to promoting equity, particularly in the face of challenges to diversity and inclusion efforts following recent Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action.”

Oden, the Head of the U.S. for HSBC Bank, leads Wealth and Personal Banking. She brings considerable experience to the TMCF leadership role, and the organization plans to leverage her expertise. TMCF shared that Oden’s “work in industry uniquely positions her to serve as an advocate to secure new partnerships.” According to Oden, “TMCF represents 80% of all students attending HBCUs. As a board member for the past 16 years, I’ve supported TMCF as it promotes access, equity, and inclusion by nurturing the growth of talent from HBCUs through scholarships and leadership development. I am excited to build on that legacy of service as the first woman to step into the role.”

Harry L. Williams, the president of the TMCF is excited about the possibilities of working with Oden, stating: “As she assumes the crucial role of Board Chair, Racquel’s historic appointment reflects a significant step forward for our organization, underscoring our commitment to equity and inclusion. Her leadership is poised to guide TMCF to new heights, solidifying our position to change the world one leader at a time as well as position ourselves as an authority on equity and inclusion.”

The TMCF was founded by visionary N. Joyce Payne in 1987 with the express purpose of supporting African American students seeking higher education. According to David Wilson, president of Morgan State University — one of the TMCF member colleges, “I applaud the vision of Dr. Joyce Payne in birthing the TMCF. She was and still is dynamic. And she understood that public HBCUs, which were being short-changed by states for funding and were not represented by another organization that represented private HBCUs, needed a voice.” He added, “It was her temerity and vision that brought TMCF into existence.”

Continuing Payne’s legacy, and as the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion are being challenged across the nation, TMCF is “championing” its legacy of inclusion and equity. The organization sees the appointment of Oden as a “signaling that TMCF’s pursuit of equity goes beyond rhetoric.”

Morgan State’s Wilson is particularly pleased the Oden has corporate experience and graduated from historically Black Hampton University. He shared, “Having someone of Oden’s stature in the Board Chair role is crucial as the nation seems to be going through a period of confusion about why it’s perceived to be the best in the world.” He added, “America is a nation of diversity born by the different groups that have made it the envy of the world. It is quite fitting that one of the national associations representing the voice of HBCUs would appoint a person like Oden because the very purpose of the institutions — that she will be a major advocate for — was to push the country to live up to the ideals in the Constitution, and those ideals are at the core — diversity, equity and inclusion [DEI].”

Amid debates about the value (and even legality) of DEI work in higher education and beyond, according to Wilson, “HBCUs cannot run away from DEI, that’s our birthright, that’s our DNA. We’re not about banning history and running away from facts. We are the truth tellers. We aren’t afraid of making people uncomfortable in their learning. We cannot be the most competitive nation in the world unless HBCUs are driving a major part of the higher education agenda. Kudos to the TMCF board for elevating a person of immense talent and experience into the leadership role. I can’t wait to work with her.”

Robert Palmer, a professor at historically Black Howard University and expert on HBCUs sees Oden’s appointment as an “important milestone for TMCF” but believes it could have a larger impact on HBCUs overall. He stressed, “At a time when equity and diversity are being challenged nationwide, we must remind ourselves that these issues play out at HBCUs in a very different fashion. In society, when we think about equity and diversity, many of us think about these issues within the context of race, but at HBCUs, issues around equity and diversity may come in the form of gender.” He further explained, “At some HBCUs, we have seen disparate treatment for women presidents, causing some to raise concerns about sexism and Black women in executive leadership positions.”

Palmer hopes that the appointment of Oden to the prominent position at TMCF will push more HBCU stakeholders, specifically boards of trustees, “to not only consider more women for leadership positions but also to critically examine policies and practices within their institutions to ensure women presidents and other women executive leaders are treated equally to their male counterparts.”