The clash over a South Carolina State University’s commencement speaker comes as the state official at the center of campus protests makes a sweeping claim: that President Donald Trump has done more for HBCUs than any other president.
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, a staunch conservative and Trump supporter, was picked as a commencement speaker.
After learning of the invitation, students marched across campus, carried signs, and chanted against Evette’s planned appearance, saying they wanted a speaker who better reflected the values of the graduating class.
An online petition also began circulating, calling for a different commencement speaker and arguing that Evette does not represent the student body or HBCUs.
“Pamela Evette’s political positions and affiliations have raised significant controversy in South Carolina, especially among communities who feel marginalized by current state policies,” the petition says. “Many students, families and alumni are concerned that her presence at one of our most significant events does not reflect the values we collectively hold dear.”
Evette defends her appearance
Evette responded on social media by saying, “facts trump feelings in the real world,” and arguing that Trump and conservatives have done more for HBCUs than any administration in history.
“I’m ending DEI on campuses once and for all. Stay tuned. I’m going to have a lot more to say about this later,” Evette said. “In the meantime, I look forward to celebrating commencement with the students and faculty at S.C. State.”
She said she still plans to speak at the graduation ceremony.
Her comments tied the campus dispute to a national debate over Trump’s HBCU record. That framing put the university protest in direct conversation with a claim that has become a talking point for Trump allies and a point of dispute among HBCU advocates.
Did Donald Trump really do more for HBCUs?
Trump’s record includes signing the FUTURE Act in 2019, which permanently extended $255 million in annual mandatory funding for minority-serving institutions, including $85 million a year for HBCUs. He also signed the HBCU PARTNERS Act in 2020, requiring federal agencies to improve access to grants for HBCUs and report on their efforts.
“The only words the president contributed were his signature, ‘Donald J. Trump,’” Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., an original sponsor of the bill, previously told Inside Higher Ed.
HBCUs received funding under the same program during President Barack Obama’s time in the White House, according to PolitiFact.
In 2025, the Trump White House also said it was relocating the HBCU Initiative back to the White House and promoting a new executive order aimed at strengthening institutional development, workforce preparation and private-sector partnerships.
But saying he did more than any other president is harder to prove, because much of the funding came through bipartisan congressional action, and other administrations also made major investments in HBCUs.
The Biden administration said in 2024 that it had committed a total of roughly $16 billion to HBCUs from fiscal year 2021 to 2024.
Inside Higher Ed described Trump’s record as a “mixed bag,” noting that his administration did deliver notable gains but that the result was not solely the product of presidential action.
Why it matters at SC State
For students, the issue is not just Trump’s record but whether Evette belongs on a stage that symbolizes academic achievement and institutional identity. Their protest suggests that commencement at SC State has become a test of how closely the university’s public choices match its mission and student values.
