growing apathy is in direct contrast with the roots of black-studies programs, which grew out of the fervor and advocacy of the black power movement. In the 1960s and 70s, students rallied on campuses across the nation, demanding courses that focused on the history and culture of African descendants.

In 1968 the Africana-studies department at San Francisco State University became the first black-studies department at a four-year campus. Several other institutions soon followed with their own programs, including historically black Howard University in 1969.

But from the start, HBCUs faced internal challenges in developing these programs. According to Stewart, administrators resisted establishing such curricula because of the association with "militancy" and for fear of losing support from outside communities. Some HBCUs also felt that because they were black institutions, theywere not obligated to dedicate a department to the study -- just being a black school was enough.

Blackmon was attracted to FAMU because he found its student body very representative of the black diaspora, but he still feels that black-studies classes -- which he has taken independently -- have a place in an HBCU curriculum. "I believe the history really tells you who you are, what you're capable of and what you've accomplished in history, and lets you know there is still work to be done."

Jackson, who has noticed a growth in enrollment in black-studies courses at FAMU, says that HBCUs are on a par with their traditionally white counterparts at the undergraduate level. It's at the graduate level where differences become more obvious. "The white schools have