The 2020 calendar year has proven to be historic by all definitions of the word. For six historically black colleges and universities, it has been monumental.
In a Medium post published Tuesday, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott made her gift of $1.7 billion general knowledge. The sizeable monetary donation was given to institutions and organizations dedicated to the advancement of Black people.
“I began work to complete my pledge with the belief that my life had yielded two assets that could be of particular value to others: the money these systems helped deliver to me, and a conviction that people who have experience with inequities are the ones best equipped to design solutions,” the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wrote.
Hampton University, Tuskegee University, Howard University, and Xavier University of Louisiana each reported the gift as the largest donation in history.
Howard University, the home of the Bisons, reported accepting $40 million.
One Bison from Pontiac, Michigan, hopes to see the money improve the infrastructure around campus.
“A lot of our buildings need to be updated, and we still don’t have an operating student center,” said Khris Bernard.
Increased focus has also been placed on students from disadvantaged households. Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick hopes to provide students with an optimal experience.
“We have a large number of low-income students,” Frederick said. “We’re going to invest in students’ mental health, as well as their ability to afford the education.”
Xavier alumna Imani Turner expressed her desire to see the donation become a tool for change.
“I would like to see the money used to create a program dedicated to servicing students who are survivors of sexual assault and connecting them with other survivors,” said Turner.
The Detroit-native hopes to see the funds go towards preventative COVID-19 measures.
Hampton University, known as “The Standard of Excellence, announced its monetary gift of $30 million. Officials such as student scholarships, technological advances, or funding for the school’s Proton Therapy Institute, a cancer treatment center.
Hampton alum and Detroit Dough co-founder, Autumn Kyles, wants more companies of means to give back.
“My hope is that we can get large brands to donate large sums to these colleges, especially if they have an employment pipeline at the university,” said Kyles.
Tuskegee University, the recipient of $20 million, and Xavier have seen positive feedback since the contribution. Morehouse College states the donation is not its largest; Spelman College did not officially comment on the donated amount.
The magnitude of Scott’s donation stirred many conversations in the HBCU community. Of the many topics discussed was the subject of money mismanagement, a reputation that has followed many historically-black institutions. Officials at Howard University hope to “debunk the myth.”
“Mismanaging funds is not an HBCU problem; it is a higher learning problem,” said Charlie Lewis, president of the Howard University Alumni Association. “It is about effective leadership, effective management, and making sure you have the right safeguards in place.”
The six institutions help to comprise what some call the “Black Ivy Leagues,” a nod to each university’s standard of academic rigor. Some worry the label promotes the erasure of less-recognized Black institutions.
“Smaller, lesser-known schools are the main ones literally begging for outside donations and are always overlooked,” said Miya Ross, a Hampton University student. “It’s sad because they’re the ones we usually hear about being on the verge of having to close their doors.
Ross isn’t wrong. In 2019, Bennett College, a historically-black college for women, made headlines with its struggles gaining accreditation. Smaller HBCUs Fisk University, Bethune-Cookman, and Morris Brown College join Bennett College in the fight for recognition.
One Morehouse alum believes excellence fostered at Black educational spaces deserves attention.
“The richness of an HBCU education is not always easy to articulate, but is something that yields results that encourage a positive ripple effect in society,” said Drake Phifer.
Michael L. Lomax, president, and chief executive of the United Negro College Fund, believes donors are getting a firsthand sense of that richness.
“The donor community is revaluing philanthropy to the black community because it is revaluing the back community, revaluing the people and their lives,” said Lomax.
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