Professor Creates Textbook Fund to Help HBCU Students
The cost of college tuition in America continues to rise each year to outstanding numbers. For some students, paying for college tuition alone can leave them with little to no funds to buy textbooks. One professor has taken the initiative to create a fund to provide financial support to HBCU students from select schools who need to purchase books.
Dr. Stacey Patton, a well-known journalist and educator first noticed a problem when she began teaching journalism at Morgan State University back in 2016. Many of her students had issues affording the required textbooks needed to succeed in class.
“When I began teaching journalism at Morgan State University in 2016, I noticed that a number of my students were struggling to keep up with their assignments,” Dr. Patton stated (via Black Enterprise). “Upon further investigation, I discovered that they had not purchased books for class because they could not afford them.”
Dr. Patton took it upon herself to create the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Textbook Fund. Named after the famous civil rights leader and exemplary journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett, the fund helps students pay for their college books. Since the fund’s start, Dr. Patton and others have raised over $150,000 to raise $250,000 through GoFundMe.
“This semester, my goal is to raise $25,000, which generally helps around 70 students enrolled at Morgan State and Howard University. The funds will be split between the two institutions,” Dr. Patton wrote on the fund’s GoFundMe page. “Each student, regardless of their major, is required to complete a form and provide a list of their book titles. They will receive a maximum of $250.”
Students who receive funds can purchase through Amazon or directly from their college’s bookstore. In addition, they can buy internet service, software, or any other equipment.
Those interested in donating can visit the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Textbook Fund’s GoFundMe page here. They are currently only $5,000 away from achieving their $250,000 goal.