Philanthropy and HBCUs: Supporting our Future

The crowd at the Attucks Theatre roared its support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the 7th Annual Celebration of Black Philanthropy Month.

The Hampton Roads Community Foundation hosted the event “Philanthropy and HBCUs: Supporting our Future” with guest speaker Dr. Dawnn Lewis, who played Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor on “A Different World.” The show, which was set at a fictional historically Black college based in Virginia, helped to spark national interest in HBCUs and drove increased enrollment. Lewis also wrote the show's theme song.

 Lewis was joined for a panel discussion by Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston, the president of Norfolk State University, and Dr. Makolah M. Abdullah, the president of Virginia State University. NSU’s former rector, Devon Henry, led the conversation. He asked Lewis if she knew the show would have so much momentum.

“We were all just happy to be working,” Lewis said. Producer Debbie Allen, a graduate of Howard University, took over running the show during its second season. Lewis said Allen made it true to her understanding of an HBCU.

“We talked about things that mattered,” Lewis said. “People were surprised to see these topics come out of the mouths of African American young people. … Our show had something for everyone.”

Now, Lewis said, as she tours HBCU campuses with her former cast mates, it's extraordinary to hear a student say, “I went to college because of you.” 

HBCUs provide an opportunity for students to see themselves in a new way, without other’s perceived notions of who they are, said Dr. Adams-Gaston. Abdullah, who himself graduated from Howard University and comes from a long line of HBCU grads, said he owes all that he has to HBCUs.

“HBCUs always produce,” Abdullah said. “There wouldn’t be a Black middle class without HBCUs.”

Statistics bear out Abdullah’s statement. Although they account for approximately 3% of all colleges and universities in the United States, HBCUs award about 13% of bachelor’s degrees to Black college graduates.

Additionally, HBCUs play a significant role in supporting the economic mobility of African Americans, producing 40% of all Black engineers, 50% of all Black teachers, 70% of all Black doctors and dentists, and 80% of Black judges, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Adams-Gaston said that is why Black philanthropy is so important for HBCUs. Giving, especially alumni giving, has the power to change those institutions. 

“I have a basic philosophy. Giving is a learned behavior,” she said. “We may not all have millions, but we can all give something.”

 To close the event, Hampton Roads Community Foundation President and CEO Dr. Deborah M. DiCroce said the Foundation brought the Black Philanthropy Month celebration to Hampton Roads as part of its larger commitment to racial equity and becoming a more equitable community.

 To demonstrate that commitment, DiCroce handed checks worth $10,000 from the Foundation to both Adams-Gaston and Abdullah for their schools.

 To learn more about giving in the Black community, and about the Foundation’s Visionaries for Change giving circle which supports Black-serving nonprofit organizations, visit HamptonRoadsCF.org.