Fox 8 News reports that Bennett College has lost its accreditation despite raising millions of dollars before it’s February cut-off. We covered this story intensely from the moment we learned the HBCU was still $5 million short. The trustees of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College (SACSCOC) voted to pull the North Carolina women’s college accreditation back in December, which they vowed to appeal. That ruling was upheld on February 18. Sigh. This means that the beloved college will most likely have to close its doors.
UPDATE: They did it! In the final days of its fundraising effort, Bennett College was able to surpass its fundraising goal of $5 million dollars, netting $8.2 million from donors.
As of today, we have raised $8.2 million! We could not have done it without any of you! We are forever grateful! THANK YOU! 💙🔔💙 #StandWithBennett #BennettCollege #BennettBelles #BennettMatters #HBCUsMatter
— Bennett College (@BennettCollege) February 4, 2019
The HBCU faced an uphill battle just last week, when they were down more than $2 million before the February 1 deadline. The small women’s college based in Greensboro, North Carolina, launched a $5 million fundraiser at the end of last year after their accreditation was stripped due to financial constraints.
They’ve begun to lean on the support of celebrities including Jussie Smollet, the “Empire” actor who was allegedly viciously assaulted in a racially motivated homophobic attack in Chicago. He has been a critical voice in publicizing Bennett’s fundraising efforts through the #StandWithBennett campaign.
They ironically received a $500,000 check from Papa Jones — yep, the pizza chain whose former CEO who used the N-word during a company conference call and complained about sales declining because of Kaepernick’s protest. But that’s it as far as bigger donors are concerned. *Shrug emoji*
I’m wondering, where are our stars who are quick to throw up the black power salute or go after people who choose to watch football (T.I. *cough*) Even Beyonce
Even if they have sent donations, this should be a mission for black Hollywood to get the public to care about HBCUs. This is a time when they could be using their platforms for good by letting their friends and followers know about Bennett’s plight.
These colleges are the backbones of our elevation. They were there when we weren’t allowed to attend the same schools as whites. I’m not understanding the slow and little response.
Anywho, time is ticking. You can donate via Cash App by sending a monetary gift to $StandWithBennett, texting the word BELLES to the number 444999, or online via their website. Go support and then tweet about it.
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