On October 7, 2013, Judge Catherine Blake of the U.S. District Court for
the District of Maryland handed down a historic victory for civil
rights in higher education. While some have tried to downplay the
significance of Judge Blake’s decision, it is clear that this decision
will have far-reaching impacts on the way the state administers higher
education and will require a huge infusion of resources into Maryland’s
Historically Black Institutions (HBIs). Judge Blake clearly stated that
Maryland has continued a pattern of discrimination against Maryland’s
HBIs. Maryland discriminated by unnecessarily duplicating academic
programs and perpetuating a “dual structure of higher education” that
was traceable to the era of legal segregation. Maryland’s four HBIs are
Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Morgan State University
and the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.
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