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There was a packed room at the N.C. Legislative Building in Downtown Raleigh on Wednesday as students and lawmakers collectively asked for more funding for HBCUs in the state.

As we celebrate Black History Month, we recall the rich legacy of brave student activists, of past and present, at North Carolina’s HBCUs who have played a crucial part in the civil rights and Black Lives Matter movements, championing equality and justice for all.

Vashti Hinton is the college outreach coordinator at the nonprofit government watchdog and advocacy organization Common Cause NC, where she works with historically Black colleges and universities (known as HBCUs) to promote political education in communities of color.

It was a full-on celebration at the North Carolina Central University student center as they prepared to exercise their rights.

“It is definitely exciting because I think it really does show how people are invested in civic engagement work and helping other young people vote,” she said in response to being chosen as one of YES! Weekly’s People of 2019.

"That's a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with HBCUs in order to insure that people of color are voting, and being educated on the fact that they have a voice," Davis said about Common Cause. "I think it's just good that we all educate ourselves on what everybody's stands, points are and what they're gonna do for the community."