The Financial Struggles Facing HBCUs and Students
According to a 2021 report from the U.S. Department of Education, 42.9 million Americans have federal student loans. That’s 1 in 8 Americans. Furthermore, the current total outstanding student loan debt is $1.59 trillion, with most students leaving college saddled with nearly $30,000 in personal debt. However, there is one group of students that is, […]
Kristen Clarke, First Black Woman to Become U.S. Civil Rights Attorney
Sworn into office by Vice President Kamala Harris on May 25, 2021, Kristen M. Clarke is Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). And as Harris holds firsts for her office, Clarke is also the first woman and first Black woman to hold her position. Symone Sanders, spokesperson for […]
Cisco, AVC Technologies Pledge Support For HBCUs and Student Freedom Initiative
A new partnership between Student Freedom Initiative, Cisco and AVC Technologies aims to advance technology and digital capacity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and support students working with Student Freedom Initiative. In May 2021, Cisco announced it would donate $150 million to help achieve the mission of Student Freedom Initiative. The self-sustaining non-profit […]
Mackenzie Scott and Robert F. Smith’s Philanthropy Goals in the Arts and Racial Justice
Philanthropist Mackenzie Scott made national headlines this June when she announced her most recent slate of high-impact, large-scale donations, amounting to more than $2.7 billion given to hundreds of groups. Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, donated to 286 organizations with a diverse array of causes, including racial justice, higher education and the […]
Diversity Commitments Lag Behind Promises of Equity
Social media was alive with pledges of unity and diversity in Summer 2020. Virtual spaces echoed the relatively young and multiethnic movement in support of Black Lives Matter following the brutal and public killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25. Companies and business leaders took notice. In June, promises of support for […]
How Robert F. Smith Became a Billionaire
Those looking for Robert F. Smith’s secrets to becoming a billionaire should study his journey to the top — from his extensive education in engineering and finance to his founding of Vista Equity Partners — and all the hard work that got him there. He’s also a savvy businessman who graduated with honors from the […]
Discussing Ways Corporations Can Help Advance Racial Equity
This last year has been particularly hard for many Americans, but communities of color have been hit hardest. Recent analysis by the New York Times found that women and communities of color have been impacted the most by the health and economic crisis of the past year, with Black and Hispanic women still being unemployed […]
5 Donations Made to Universities and Students in May 2021
In 2019, entrepreneur, chemical engineer and philanthropist Robert F. Smith made history by making, not one, but two significant donations to a notable historically Black college or university (HBCU): Morehouse College. In January 2019, Smith donated over $1.5 million to create a scholarship program and establish an on-campus park to act as an outdoor study […]
Black Business Women Need Equitable Access to Resources
Recent data shared by the Harvard Business Review (HBR) reveals that Black women start more businesses than white men or any other group. Nevertheless, institutional inequities are holding them back from achieving long-term success. The research data undeniably shows that Black women are a force in business. If entrepreneurs are thought to embody confidence in […]