President Donald Trump prepares to sign an executive order aimed at bolstering historically black colleges and universities in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 28. | Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images Trump administration downsizes HBCU conference

The Trump administration is downsizing an annual conference of historically black colleges and universities after refusing to accede to the request of college leaders and some members of Congress to delay it after President Donald Trump's response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Education Department says the event will now be "more intimate" and "feature a series of strategic meetings for students and leaders to share their perspectives on the opportunities and challenges facing the HBCU community."


The response represents a shift by the administration. Last month, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said there was "a pretty lengthy waiting list" by HBCU officials to attend the annual conference and that the White House had no intention of canceling it.

The Trump administration did not say in its statement Friday how many participants had canceled.

"Responding to suggestions and feedback from many key stakeholders, the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will modify its planned conference to best meet the current needs of HBCUs, their students and the broader HBCU community," the new announcement said.

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It's the latest development in the Trump administration's rocky relationship with black colleges. HBCU leaders and members of the Congressional Black Caucus have called on the White House and Education Department to delay this month's conference following unrest in Charlottesville and what many of them say is a lack of progress on Trump's promises to HBCUs.

According the department's announcement, the HBCU event will now feature conversations with school leaders at the White House, focusing on "how the administration can best work with and support HBCU schools and students."

"These conversations will also inform how to best structure a larger-scale and highly beneficial HBCU Conference at a future date," the announcement said.