Are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) necessary in the twenty-first century so-called "post-racial" US American context? This question is raised loudly and frequently given the contemporary social climate and economic considerations. In this article, the author offers a response to and critique of this question and surveys histories, missions, and academic and social environments of the HBCUs. He contends that HBCUs offer alternate higher education experiences for Black educators and students who find themselves on the margins of the US American academic center. Demonstrating the parallels of HBCU settings to villages, the author illustrates how these HBCU village contexts contribute to pedagogy. Ultimately, he appeals to HBCU stakeholders to intentionally and consistently promote "village" environments to cultivate the academic and social sensibilities of its constituents.