A Forgotten Migration: Black Southerners, Segregation Scholarships, and the Debt Owed to Public HBCUs

by Crystal R. Sanders

Genres: History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2024

Reviews

[David Smedley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing that this interesting book, which chronicles the use of “segregation scholarships” by southern states in the first half of the twentieth century, is that “financial aid”, as it is known in the US (“bursaries” almost everywhere else) actually has discriminating effects, whether the program is progressive (as is the base for “need based” aid) or regressive (the notorious “merit” aid). The authors painstakingly details how such southern states did everything they could to preserve “separate but equal” to avoid desegregating higher education institutions, often developing clearly inferior schools catered to black students. She skillfully notes how “segregation scholarships”, in which home states would pay black students to go outside of the state to get their postsecondary education but at menial rates including very bare minimum transportation allowances. You can admire the students that went through this and at the same tine be fully angry at the policy and processes and externalities to which such students were subjected. As someone who has worked professionally in student aid administration, and benefitted from student aid significantly in my undergraduate and graduate work, I have to say that this subject matter infuriated me though I have always been aware of the unfortunately negative effects of some aspects of student aid policy and regulation. That said, I recommend this very informative book.

(Note: I reviewed a review copy of this book from the publisher)

[Nikhil P. Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A Forgotten Migration" is a strong example of intellectual warfare—how Black students, lawyers, and advocates used education, credentials, and legal pressure to dismantle Jim Crow in higher education.

Sanders’ explanation of segregation scholarships (in the form of tuition assistance) is the highlight. Instead of integrating white public universities or fully funding HBCUs, Southern states paid to send Black students out of state for graduate and professional education. It’s a clever but deeply cynical workaround, and the book does an excellent job showing how it both opened doors for individuals and quietly weakened public HBCUs.

I also appreciated how Sanders balances triumphs and tragedies. The successes are impressive, but the human cost and pyrrhic victories are never far from view—especially in cases like Lloyd Gaines, whose disappearance after challenging segregation in graduate education lingers as a reminder of how dangerous this fight could be.

Where I struggled was structure. The research is strong, but the storytelling can feel loose and repetitive. Clearer milestones—major court cases, NAACP strategy shifts, and a stronger sense of forward momentum—would have made an already important book even better.

This history felt personal. I hold multiple degrees from PWIs and grew up in Hampton Roads around former HBCU faculty, including a “hidden figure” who worked as a human computer at Langley. Reading about earlier generations using intellect and persistence to force change made the story feel immediate.

Bottom line: important history, excellent research, and a compelling look at intellectual warfare against Jim Crow. A tighter structure would have elevated it, but it’s still very much worth reading.

[Zachary Stevenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important and timely subject; inadequately organized