Established after the Civil Water, HBCUs were created to meet the newly freed African- American population's educational needs. When no one else would, HBCUs allowed Black scholars to receive a top-tier education and provided them with the skills they needed to achieve success and financial security. Today, there are over 100 Black colleges and universities in the United States, including public and private institutions and law and medical schools.

We already know that the hallowed halls of HBCUs' birthed some of this country's most prolific innovators and changemakers. John W. Thompson, the first Black chairman of Microsoft Corporation and the CEO of Virtual Instruments, attended Florida A&M University. Morehouse College is best known for producing the great Martin Luther King Jr., but there have been other notable graduates such as legendary social activist Julian Bond, Charles David Moody Jr., president and CEO of the billion-dollar construction business C.D. Moody Construction Company, and Emmy-nominated Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henry.

Morehouse's sister-college Spelman has graduated Stacey Abrams, former House Minority Leader and the first African-American woman to win a major party’s nomination for governor. Other Spelman alumna include Rosalind Brewer, COO of Starbucks, civil rights voice Bernice King (daughter of Dr. King), and One Yard host, Keshia Knight Pulliam, famously known as "Rudy" from The Cosby Show.

There are even more impactful HBCU graduates: Kamala Harris, senator and the first Black female vice presidential hopeful, graduated from Howard, and groundbreaking TV mogul billionaire Oprah Winfrey went to Tennessee State University.

This is the profound reach of the HBCU. These institutions diversify the STEM workforce in tech, fuel American business and produce some of the top minds and talents in politics and in the arts.

How dope is that?