JACKSON, Miss. – August 10: Jackson State University’s future Tigers will enroll during an official “Welcome Home to THEE” transfer period and prepare for a successful transfer for the fall 2024 semester by Lee E. -Meet at Williams Athletics and Assembly Center – Saturday, August 10th at noon. Photo: Aron Smith (Getty Images)
It’s a boom moment for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which saw an overall increase in applications this fall. This comes after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2023 watered down affirmative action, separating Black students from PWIs (predominantly white institutions) and protecting them from systemic racism generations ago. This is a good result, which is partly due to the fact that the students were sent to an educational institution that was established in 1999.
Dara Rennie “Descendants: The Rise of the Red”
Luckily, with so many celebrities showing HBCUs a little TLC these days, the timing couldn’t be better. Here are some notable people you may not know have made significant donations to HBCUs.
Photo: Dia Dipaspil (Getty Images)
chris paul
Paul, himself an HBCU alumnus of Winston-Salem State University, donated $25,000 to his alma mater in 2011. It also donated $1.5 million over five years to bring entertainment, media and sports curriculum businesses to various HBCUs, including North Carolina A&T State University. University and Southern University.
oprah winfrey
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Winfrey, also an HBCU alumnus of Tennessee State University in Nashville, donated $13 million to Morehouse College in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program. She donated $2 million to her alma mater in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
denzel washington
Photo: Stephanie Keenan (Getty Images)
After filming The Great Debaters, the Academy Award-winning actor donated $1 million to Wiley College to re-establish the school’s debate team.
Robert F. Smith
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The founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners has donated $34 million to repay the student loans of Morehouse College’s Class of 2019. This supported approximately 400 graduates. Additionally, he donated $1 million to fund Morehouse’s Robert Frederick Smith Scholars Program.
Spike Lee
Photo: Dominique Bindle (Getty Images)
Lee, who graduated from Morehouse College in 1979, launched the Spike Lee Fellows Program in 2023 for all Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC) film and entertainment students. His programs offer student loan debt relief, industry mentorship, internships, and more.
michael jordan
Photo: Don Juan Moore (Getty Images)
The former basketball legend donated $1 million to Morehouse College to support journalism and sports-related courses. Jordan Brand also entered into a 20-year partnership with Howard University to increase awareness and create recruiting opportunities for HBCU sports.
Terrence “J” Jenkins
Photo: Paras Griffin (Getty Images)
The actor and media personality donated $100,000 to his alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University. Jenkins also serves as a national ambassador for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the largest advocacy organization for public HBCUs.
