MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Oklahoma's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter is standing with Bacone College amid financial distress.
About 75% of Bacone's student population are Native American, but the school does not qualify as a tribal college, so they get no federal funding.
Bernard Allen-Bey, the state's NAACP president, said he felt inclined to speak up for the school because Bacone is not the only minority serving school to see problems like this.
"This institution is not in a vacuum, and it fits into the condition of the state’s overall education system," said Allen-Bey. "It’s not a coincidence, it’s just not an isolated event. I think we need to take a look at how the education of Black, and Native American and minority students is funded and how the mechanisms work, because we need special considerations to educate that segment of society."
Last week, the college narrowly escaped a Sheriff's saleto make up for debt they owe to an HVAC company in Utah. Professors lost their jobs and officials told students not in their last year of education not to return for the spring semester.
Interim President Dr. Nicky Michael said it felt like word of what is happening to the college and more importantly its students wasn't spreading far nor loud enough. When she learned the civil rights organization is looking to help them however they could, she said it revitalized her and her remaining staff.
"This is a national issue, you know, were gonna be in the spotlight given the circumstances and we need to really address the very underlying issues, not just the surface issues," said Michael. "I think the NAACP kind of support really helped validate and give us a little strength and energy in what were trying to fight for."
Allen-Bey works for Langston College, the only historically Black university in the state of Oklahoma, and said they also have struggled to secure substantial financial support.
"I don’t think whoever is funding education in the state is actually taking a look at ‘how do we assure that these students have the resources and these institutions have the resources that they need to deliver a quality education to that segment of the society,'" said Allen-Bey.
Michael echoed the sentiment. She said that while Bacone does intend to pay off the debts they owe to the HVAC company, the funding the school doesn't receive has likely exacerbated the issue because they do not have enough revenue coming in.
"What's happening at Bacone is really a symptom of a much larger problem of obviously funding, but it’s funding for two major and only minority serving institutions in the state of Oklahoma," said Michael.
Because what is happening with the college is legal, NAACP is not able to take much action. However, Allen-Bey said they intend to show up and support the community of Bacone in any way they can.
"There’s not a lot we can do other than to advocate, we can show up and we can say ‘we don’t know why, but this is not right, and we want you all to look at it and change it,'" said Allen-Bey. "Our whole thing is to make it known that this is happening, and that we need to try to have somebody whoever has the means to step in and help because they can’t help if they don’t know."
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