Supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) appears to be a unified effort.
Joe Biden is set to appoint “qualified and diverse” leaders in education, sports, and more to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The responsibilities of the board members will be to “increase the capacity of HBCUs to provide the highest-quality education to its students and continue serving as engines of opportunity,” according to the press release from the White House.
Actress Taraji P. Henson and NBA All-Star Chris Paul are expected to be on the board. They will be joined by Makola M. Abdullah, Javaune Adams-Gaston, Paige Blake, Thasunda Brown Duckett, Willie A. Deese, Patrick Cokley, Monica Goldson, William F. L. Moses, and more.
The new additions come after President Biden named Dr. Tony Allen as chair and Dr. Glenda Glover as Vice Chair of the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs in 2021. Dr. Dietra Trent was also named executive director in February 2022.
Appoints Reflect A Shared Mission For HBCUs
As AfroTech previously reported, Chris Paul partnered with plant-based protein manufacturer Koia to provide a healthier lifestyle by ensuring its product offerings are distributed throughout HBCUs and minority communities.
What’s more, Taraji P. Henson has crafted her own plan to better urban schools and HBCUs through her Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, which was created to provide the Black community with mental health resources and break stigmas surrounding the matter, as AfroTech previously told you. The foundation also aims to increase the number of African American therapists. To help in achieving that mission, scholarships are offered to Black students who plan to pursue a career in the mental health field, according to the company’s website.
