North Carolina and HBCUs, 1977-1980

In 1977 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) sued the department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) again in Adams v. Califano over the failure to develop appropriate requirements for state desegregation plans. The NAACP's motion focused mainly on North Carolina, characterizing the UNC system as defiant in their negotiation with HEW.

Judge John Pratt’s ruling required states to increase black enrollment at predominately white public colleges and universities. However, Judge Pratt did not place a requirement to increase white enrolment at historically black colleges and universities (HBCU). He stated that the new HEW criteria should preserve the racial identifiably of HBCUs.

The UNC system officials were insistent that the desegregation plans included integrating HBCUs and not just historically white institutions. William Friday, president of the UNC system, insisted that it was impossible to create a desegregation plan that would satisfy the contradictory goals of desegregating and preserving the identity of HBCUs. The likely prospect of renewed conflict was disheartening to UNC system officials.

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