How to Make Black America Better by Tavis Smiley

Author:Tavis Smiley [Smiley, Tavis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-48608-0
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2001-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Tom Joyner

Tom Joyner, why do you ONL Y raise m oney for Black kids to go to H istorically B lack C olleges and Universities?” Whether that question is being asked by Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes or a Tom Joyner Morning Show listener on “Open Lines Thursday” my answer is the same. “You can't help everyone.” I'm the kind of person who likes to focus on one area. Admittedly I don't know a whole lot about a whole lot of things. But back in the day when I decided to get into radio, I gave it all I had. And thankfully, I've been pretty successful at it. Radio has been very good to me. But before I even recognized my calling in that field, Tuskegee Institute, now known as Tuskegee University, a Historically Black College, nurtured me and others like me who might have been lost in a different kind of learning environment. It surprises me when I meet Black people who say they wished they had been familiar with HBCUs when they made their decision to go to college, because the decision was made for me probably before I was born. My grandparents on both sides, my parents, and my older brother Albert all went to HBCUs. When my sons, Thomas, Jr. (Killer) and Oscar (Thriller), were old enough to think about attending college, I told them they could go anywhere they wanted, as long as it was an HBCU.

I wasn't the best student in the world, but what I did gain from my five years at Tuskegee—yes, I said five years—was a sense of pride in what Black people had done, as well as a heightened level of confidence in what I could achieve in the future. I wish every Black kid could go to an HBCU, but that's a lot to ask for, even for a big dreamer like me.

So a more feasible wish of mine was for the thousands of kids who do apply, get accepted, and attend HBCUs to have the financial resources needed for them to complete their education. And that's the sole purpose of the Tom Joyner Foundation. I mean, let's face it, not going to college at all is one thing, but going to college and having to come back home because you ran out of money is a whole “ 'nother” kind of thing. You remember how it was when you went off to school, even if it was just a few miles from the house. Your parents and relatives were so proud, you stood up in church and the whole congregation applauded. No sooner had you packed your bags than your dad was already planning to turn your bedroom into that den he never had. And some of you know what it was like when the school informed you that you wouldn't be able to register for classes for the next semester because you were behind on your tuition payments. I don't think any kid should have to go through that kind of hurt and humiliation.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.