U.S.-Brazil Education Initiative Is Focus of State Visit To Morgan

Delegation to discuss collaboration between Brazil and U.S. HBCUs

Morgan State University is the backdrop for a visit by officials from Brazil on Thursday, September 22, 2011 to further an alliance between U.S. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Brazil. The HBCU – Brazil Alliance was established by the White House Initiative on HBCUs and is a follow up to a visit to Brazil in late August by a U.S. delegation led by Meldon Hollis, associate director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs.

“We are hoping to establish a partnership on education and research that enhances linkages between U.S. HBCUs, Brazilian educational institutions and the private sector to foster collaborations on education for students and faculty at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate level,” says Morgan Provost T. Joan Robinson, who was part of the delegation that recently visited Brazil. Also on that visit was Dr. M’Bare N’Gom, Chairperson of the Department of World Languages and International Studies at Morgan, along with administrators from Florida A&M, North Carolina A&T, Hampton and Xavier Universities.

The HBCU – Brazil Alliance is intended to establish ongoing education collaborative ventures such as student exchanges in science, health, technology, engineering, computer science, mathematics, teacher education, architecture and planning, transportation and other programs. The goal of the alliance and the collaborative projects is to share best practices in civil rights, access to education, health and prevention, environmental justice, education and economic empowerment.

The alliance between HBCUs and Brazil is part of a commitment to cooperation under the U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan signed in March 2008 and affirmed by President Obama and Brazilian President Rousseff in March of this year. The initiative targets racial and ethnic discrimination, establishing a Historically Black College and University network, a short-term exchange program, and programs to target racism and human rights through education.
For more information about the U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan contact JointActionPlan@state.gov.