Simmons College and Kentucky State University, two Black institutions of higher learning, will be receiving half a million dollars courtesy of Atlanta’s own Jack Harlow.
The rap artist posted about the donation after his two-on-two basketball match with local rap stars: his partner Quavo, 2 Chainz, and Lil Baby.
The win was a cool $500K and he and the Migos member —who many say is the best hooper in Hip-Hop— easily snatched the purse with a 21-7 win.
I’ll be donating $500k to Kentucky State University and Simmons College of Kentucky 💜💜💜💜 https://t.co/YV7c8p2Y6f
— Jack Harlow (@jackharlow) March 7, 2021
https://twitter.com/2Cool2BIog/status/1368369586027044864?s=20
Students at Simmons and KSU will delight in the gift.
All of this NBA All-Star weekend was dedicated to lifting Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
107 colleges in the United States are identified by the US Department of Education as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). These schools were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to serve people of African descent (during and after slavery).
Many people have attended HBCUs including Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Stacey Abrams, Cedric Richmond, and the first Africa-American and woman Vice President, Kamala Harris.
The NBA’s attention this weekend had the aim to bring more awareness and dollars to the schools. According to DiverseEducation.com, in 2015 lawsuits in South Carolina and Maryland were filed on behalf of South Carolina State University and Morgan State University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Coppin State University, and Bowie State University because they have received less funding and inequitable program offering compared to predominantly White institutions in those states. This historically in our nation has been a reality: Black schools get less.
Coupled by the misnomer that HBCUs are ghetto schools that teach Blacks to be “Black,” the NBA’s notion to celebrate the excellence in these schools was met with resounding approval.
Jack Harlow’s gift will help the students at the schools, but fans can do so much more.
Consider donating to the UNCF or the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Both help HBCUs and the students from those schools day in and day out.