Black colleges have as much, or perhaps more, right to exist than any other college.
He challenged the 11 historically-black schools related to the United Methodist Church, to cling to the values of integrity, excellence, decency and commitment. The United Methodist Church supports its 11 schools through a denomination-wide Black College Fund, which Cook said is essential. The church's responsibility to its historically black colleges is to increase their visibility, legitimacy and respectability, he said. Known as a consummate academic among his colleagues, Cook said he has watched the triumphs of African-Americans in education since the 1960s but is concerned today that doors of opportunity are closing and the progress of life is retreating. Cook was particularly critical of non-minority persons who use the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to condemn affirmative action.