"I can't wait to go to college"

I ran to the mailbox after school every day for about a week because my acceptance letter from Spelman should arrive any day. I even had my late Spelman sister Yvonne Milani drive to the campus from Snellville, Georgia a couple of times to see if they had made a decision. My love affair with Spelman started long before I walked on the campus. My oldest brother went on a college tour and brought me a cap from Spelman and said, “This is where you are going to go to school.” I put the cap on and when I removed it, I hung it next to my door and it remained there for five years until I left for Spelman. Even before the cap, my love affair with HBCUs started with Saturday SWAC football games with my brothers and dad watching the bands of Jackson State University, Alcorn State University, Texas Southern University, Southern University and Grambling State to name a few. I can never remember a period in my life where I was not connected to or proximate to an HBCU. I remember as a small child growing up in Houston, during Sunday car rides, my mother would point out her dorm room at Texas Southern University. I remember thinking, “I can’t wait to go to college.”

Today, I run a social impact agency that has survived for more than a decade and it hasn’t always been easy. A decade ago when I started this journey, people didn’t have a clue what I did for a living. When I attempted to explain, they often ended the conversation with a blank look and would utter the words like, “That’s interesting.” I’d smile and I’ve kept my head down as I continued to do the work. Any social entrepreneur will tell you that it is an even steeper hill to climb and one must be fueled by the mission or else you won’t survive.

The global pandemic was the first time in nearly a decade that I wasn’t flying often, popping in to an event or conference, rushing to meet someone. This great pause gave me a moment to reflect. One afternoon, looking out the window, I saw children walking down the street and it hit me that this life-altering experience would impact their lives in ways that they had yet to imagine. And what would all of this mean for their future? I saw myself in them and remembered that for three generations, and now for four generations, HBCUs have given me and my family the opportunity to choose. For those children and so many others, HBCUs can play a vital role in their local communities. For many communities, HBCUs are the largest or second largest asset. As we emerge from this global pandemic, I am committed to amplifying the impact of HBCU Presidents.

Today, we will officially launch our education platform focused on HBCU Presidents. These leaders are tasked with the tremendous responsibility of leading our storied institutions. They are deserving of the opportunity to lead, with access to resources and opportunities that will allow these centers of excellence to flourish. I’m grateful that I chose an HBCU, and even more grateful to help secure their legacy for generations to come.