Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® International President and CEO Dr. Glenda Glover takes Sorority’s Advocacy for HBCUs to Capitol Hill, build support for legislation
CHICAGO – Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® International President and CEO Dr. Glenda Glover will testify today at a congressional hearing titled Homecoming: The Historical Roots and Continued Contributions of HBCUs.
The hearing in Washington, D.C. will examine the essential contributions that historically black colleges and universities have made, the history that sets these institutions apart, and the enduring challenges and financial needs that they and their students face.
The hearing will take place at 11 a.m. CDT/noon EDT and can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/user/EdLaborDemocrats.
“Our country cannot reach its goals without strong, viable, sustainable HBCUs - goals related to closing the education gap, the wealth and economic gap, the health goals and sustainability goals,” said President Glover. “HBCUs have proven that they are changing the college landscape and provide a significant return on investment.”
Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson, chair of the Education and Labor Committee’s Higher Education and Workforce Investment (HEWI) Subcommittee, will lead the hearing.
“Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus are graduates of HBCUs, including myself, a proud graduate of Fisk University, which was founded in 1866. These historic institutions have nurtured and prepared generations of African Americans for success in a broad range of fields,” said Congresswoman Wilson. “This hearing will provide an excellent opportunity to examine both their academic strengths and economic challenges, as well as strategies to ensure they continue to help advance their students’ and our nation’s futures.”
The hearing comes as Alpha Kappa Alpha celebrated a historic fundraiser in support of HBCUs in September. The sorority set a new record and raised more than $2.1 million in one day to benefit these institutions. Alpha Kappa Alpha’s annual HBCU Impact Day on September 20 far exceeded the goal, as the country’s first Black sorority received online donations and checks from local AKA chapters, private donors, and corporate matching dollars from across the globe.
“In the fourth and final year of our HBCU Impact Day Initiative, I am pleased, honored, and excited to report that we doubled our giving, exceeding the $2 million mark, an historic moment for Alpha Kappa Alpha, our members, other donors, and the institutions that will benefit from these funds,” commented Dr. Glover. “This means even more support for our HBCUs!”
"We started this journey in 2018 with a goal of raising $1 million in one day. Certainly, unchartered territory," explained Dr. Glover, who is also president of her alma mater Tennessee State University, an HBCU in Nashville, TN. "We had the audacity to believe we could raise $1 million in one day. We did it then, as well as in 2019 and 2020, in fact, exceeding our million-dollar goal! And, in 2021, to raise more than $2.1 million is simply phenomenal.”
HBCU Impact Day is one part of a four-year $10 million fundraising goal set by Dr. Glover under the HBCU for Life: A Call to Action initiative. Glover implemented the program when she took over leadership of the sorority in 2018. Aimed at promoting HBCUs by encouraging students to attend and matriculate through these institutions, members were asked to lead the charge in helping to secure fiscal sustainability and success for accredited HBCUs around the country. The sorority has successfully reached and surpassed the $1 million goal each year of its million dollar in one day fundraising initiative.
Others scheduled to testify at today’s hearing include Dr. Lezli Baskerville, CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, and Dr. Andre Perry, Ph.D., Metropolitan Policy Program Senior Fellow with Brookings Institution.
