Black excellence continues to thrive at HBCUs.
President Joe Biden appointed Taraji P. Henson and Phoenix Sun’s point guard Chris Paul to his HBCU Board to fulfill the President’s HBCU Initiative. The White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ goal is to increase the capacity of HBCUs to provide the highest-quality education to its students and continue serving as engines of opportunity, according to WhiteHouse.gov
The President wanted to be sure to appoint the most qualified and diverse leaders to serve on his HBCU board. This decision would come not long after several of the nation’s HBCUs received bomb threats from anonymous sources.
President Biden appointed 18 top education leaders, celebrities and athletes to his board of advisers on HBCU’s! I’m certain these qualified leaders will help further the tremendous impact these institutions have on our community! https://t.co/nLvEHVRPLT
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 1, 2022
A White House Press Release stated:
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to supporting the vital mission of HBCUs. Through the American Rescue Plan, grant funding, and by forgiving capital improvement debt [of] many of these institutions, the Biden-Harris Administration has already committed more than $5.8 billion in support. Reestablishing the White House HBCU Initiative – and appointing qualified and diverse individuals to the Board – will allow the administration to build on that financial commitment with continued institutional support.”
Both Taraji and Paul’s appointments come at relevant time for both—Henson being a Washington, D.C. native and graduate of the distinguished university, and Paul’s docuseries “Why Not Us: FAMU Football”, which highlights the struggles that HBCU athletes endure when competing with prospects at larger institutions.
In addition to Henson and Paul, five HBCU presidents have also been appointed to the board— Alabama State University’s Quinton Ross, Virginia State University’s Makola Abdullah, Norfolk State University‘s Javaune Adams-Gaston, Dillard University’s Walter M. Kimbrough, and Prairie View A&M University’s Ruth Simmons. Glenda Glover, president of Tennessee State University, and Tony Allen, president of Delaware State University.
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