Gov. Kay Ivey signed a proclamation Oct. 3 declaring the month as HBCU Month.
The signing makes Alabama the first state in the country to dedicate a month to recognize Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
In Alabama, Ivey’s proclamation comes amid a few recent initiatives to boost job growth and workforce diversity at the state level.
The Alabama Office of Minority Affairs, for example, was established in 2016 to advise the governor on issues affecting women and minorities in the state. The agency now has a HBCU Co-Op Program focuses on establishing a pipeline of diverse talent between the state’s HBCUs and Alabama’s workforce.