The Magnetic Pull of Historically Black Colleges: Background information when reading Sky Full of Elephants

One of the first scenes in Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell takes place in Professor Charlie Brunton's lecture hall at Howard University. Howard is one of the oldest HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities), founded in 1867. Located in Washington, D.C., it has over the decades been a space safe from racial taunts and cruelty, microaggressions, and discrimination. In Campbell's novel, Professor Brunton inspires his students at a time when all the white people in the country have died in a mass suicide known as "the event." By default, HBCUs have become the de facto breeding ground for intellectual, spiritual, and social life.

Howard is joyful. "People laughed loud and broke out into little dances. They'd see a friend and shout them over all the way from one side of the Yard to the other. Greetings, here and there, collided in hand slaps and embraces that thudded chests and patted backs. Students flirted and smiled at each other, effortless as sunlight on a ...