Research Visual Post

One key source for numbers I've found is the Hate Crimes and Black College Student Enrollment study by Dominique J. Baker and Tolani Britton. Their research dealt with and was based in hard numbers from across multiple states between the years 2000 and 2018.

Figure 2 of the study shows the total reports of hate crimes by state for states with one or more HBCU (Historically Black College and University) (Baker and Britton, 46).

Most of these states have fluctuating levels of reported hate crimes of various ebbs and flows. More than not showed an increase starting around 2015 and 2016 which usually kept rising, others showing an increase just after these years.

In the following figure, figures 3a and 3b (Baker and Britton, 47), we see enrollment at colleges separated as total enrollment and black enrollment, split between HBCUs and non-HBCUs.

3a) outcome as total enrollment

3b) outcome as black enrollment

While correlation is not inherently causation or relation, there comes a time when connections can, at the very least, be hypothesized. Baker and Britton actually touch upon this in their report, stating that there wasn't enough research done into the matter of black student enrollment and that more must be done before definition conclusions can be made (Baker and Britton, 3-4). They did state in their conclusion on page 35, however, that they found a 20% increase in first time black college students at HBCUs. The graphs correlate rather directly, showing a downturn of black enrollment at non-HBCUs as hate crimes rose and the opposite at HBCUs. Total enrollment at HBCUs rose in a similar pattern to that of solely black student enrollment. These trends show, or at the very least suggest, that not only will black students seek out spaces perceived to be safer, so too might other students of color. Based on this evidence, it is my opinion that this correlation is in fact an example and result of racism on US campuses. 

Citation

Baker, Dominique J; Britton, Tolani. “Hate Crimes and Black College Student Enrollment.” Center for Education Policy Analysis, 6 Jan. 2021, cepa.stanford.edu/content/hate-crimes-and-black-college-student-enrollment.