Historically Black school enrollment is rising, propelled by the Black Lives Matter movement

Jun 3, 2022
Many HBCUs were established in the years following the Civil War to educate Black people. Now, many are seeing an increase in applications.
Morgan State's freshman class nearly doubled last fall from the previous years. Above, students walk through the Baltimore campus in May.
Stephanie Hughes/Marketplace

What will a $10,000 gift mean for students at Meharry Medical College?

Dec 22, 2021
Students can use the money any way they want, but it could help them reduce debt, and pay for living costs.
Meharry master's student Andreas Nelson said being given $10,000 means the school trusts students to use the money in ways useful to them. Nelson hopes to attend dental school, which leaves the average Meharry student with $280,000 in loans.
Blake Farmer/WPLN News

A gift left the Morehouse Class of '19 debt-free. Here's how it's changing their lives.

May 13, 2021
Billionaire investor Robert F. Smith paid off their student loans. Now they're trying to pay their good fortune forward.
Elijah Dormeus is “literally still in awe of the love that was given to the class, all 400 of us.” Above, Dormeus is surrounded by his family at his Morehouse graduation in 2019.
Courtesy Elijah Dormeus

Historically Black colleges get a $120 million gift. They need it.

Jun 18, 2020
The co-founder of Netflix and his wife hope their donations will help “reverse generations of inequality.”
A Morehouse College graduation ceremony. The HBCU is one of the recipients of a $120 million donation from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.
Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images

States benefit economically from HBCUs, report finds

Jun 25, 2019
Historically black colleges and universities employ local residents, engage with local businesses and churn out high-earning graduates who stay in the area, the report says.
Howard University in Washington, D.C., is a historically black university.
Win McNamee/Getty Images