By Edna Whittier, The Roanoke Times — In 1988, President Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act to compensate Japanese Americans who were in internment camps during World War II. Offering a formal apology it paid $20,000 to each surviving victim and their heirs. In 2004, the State of Virginia established the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship fund setting aside $1 million (with another $1 million contributed by philanthropist John…
The catalyst for Black wealth also applauds Robert Smith’s gift to Morehouse Graduates. By Hazel Trice Edney — The short-term economic impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is $15…
By Ade Adeniji, Inside Philanthropy — It’s graduation season again, as students around the country don their caps and gowns, receive cheers from family, and then scramble to move out of their dorms. At Morehouse College, the all-male historically black college founded in 1857 in Atlanta, the nearly 400-member class of 2019 watched billionaire private equity veteran Robert F. Smith deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary doctorate. Near…
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA — During what will likely be seen as one of the most memorable graduation presents for parents and their children — a quiet African American billionaire delivered a welcomed surprise. At their graduation on May 19, investor and chemical engineer Robert Smith announced he would pay off the student loan debt of Morehouse’s 2019 graduating class. Morehouse’s graduating class is 400 strong. Smith’s graduation gift…