A town hall event was held in Raleigh to address the future of St. Augustine's University.
Friday night, members of the community gathered at Martin Street Baptist Church voicing their concerns about the future of the historically Black University. The town hall was hosted in part by Save SAU Coalition, Falcon's Unite and Roland Martin Unfiltered.
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"Understand what's going on, because this could be your HBCU next," said Roland Martin, host of the popular digital show.
Hundred of people signed up to be in attendance with thousands more listening in online. Martin spoke to panelists made up of alumni, students, former leadership and city leaders to discuss challenges plaguing the university in it's fight to remain open.
The HBCU is facing staggering financial debt and loss of accreditation. The school lost it's accreditation appeal in March due to staggering financial debt and an inability to prove it is stable.
SAU has been sued by two companies for a total of more than $18 million. The university is also battling a dramatic loss in its enrollment, with just 200 students enrolled this year compared to 1,108 last year.
SAU alums and supporters hope the event can boost the exposure for the university.
"We've been putting a lot of work into this," said Save SAU Coalition Chairman Benjamin Johnson. "And we're still striving. We're still working at trying to correct the wrongs of others. But we're fighting for our legacy."
Martin’s stop in Raleigh was coordinated three weeks ago with Falcons Unite, a group formed in 2014 to support the university.
“Where we are right now is unchartered waters,” said Falcons Unite co-founder, Steven Williams. “This has never happened in HBCU history and honestly, this is why people show up.”
Friday’s town hall included discussions about a desire for new leadership on the Board of Trustees, and what the community can do to support the university.
“We’re just here to save a university who practically saved a lot of us,” Williams said