Apple hosts an industry program for students from historically Black colleges and universi...
Fifty students from a range of historically Black colleges and universities are to get an immersive two-week program with Apple.
Students at the Propel Center (Source: Propel Center)
The new program comes from the Propel Center, which was created in 2021 by one of Apple's earliest investments from its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REIU). In the same year, Apple also awarded $5 million to four historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU).
According to Variety, the Propel Center is now running working with 19 HBCUs for a 2024 Arts & Entertainment Industry Accelerator. It's a year-long program aimed at creating greater diversity in the industry.
"Creativity is central to everything we do at Apple," said Alisha Johnson Wilder, director of Apple's REIU, "and we're thrilled to help create more pathways into the arts and entertainment industries for HBCU students."
"Through Propel Center's programming," she continued, "we're helping expand opportunities for emerging creators from diverse backgrounds by ensuring these talented students have access to the technology, resources, and expertise they need to become leaders in the creative arts."
The accelerator starts on June 10, 2024 at Tennessee State University, and concludes at Atlanta's Clark Atlanta University in the week of June 16. During the program, students will have workshops, meet industry experts at Apple Music offices, and use Apple tools to create music and art.
"Harnessing the undeniable power of creativity and collaboration has enabled Propel Center and Apple to establish a nurturing and inspiring environment to cultivate the many talents of our HBCU students," said Propel Center president Dr. Lisa Herring.
"This year's accelerator marks a continued commitment from Apple and our industry partners to help address equity and diversity gaps in the arts and entertainment industry and other critical business sectors," she continued.
In 2021, Tim Cook talked about why Apple was starting the REIU program, and specifically about its reasons for backing the Propel Center.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Back on topic: HBCUs are not exclusively for Black students. The "H" in HBCU stands for historically. Indeed, there are several HBCUs that have become majority white post Brown v. Board of Education. The one that immediately comes to mind is Bluefield State in West Virginia. ~80% of its student population is white. When it was formed in 1895 it was exclusively for Black students of coal miners. It became quite successful educating Black students that were not allowed entrance in white state educational institutions. Bluefield still receives funds earmarked exclusively for HBCUs.
One of the reasons that Apple (and other companies) support HBCUs with primarily Black student populations is because racism still infects the education sector of states. IIRC, Maryland was found to have intentionally underfunded its sole state Black educational institute/HBCU for decades to the tune of $500M and counting.
Nationally about ~11-12% of HBCU students are white. Another 12% are Latinx/Asian/Native. And even international students attend HBCUs, including non-Black students.
One of my favorite photos about HBCUs shows Albert Einstein giving a lecture at Lincoln University after receiving an honorary degree:
Things have improved, but we, as Americans, still have a long way to go. Even in the 2020’s southern states are still not equally funding HBCUs equally vs PWI. A Biden report stated this. You have southern states banning books and not approving black history curriculum. Other “races” history programs and curriculum are taught without issue, but African American history is a problem. Every time we try to get ahead, other Americans block black progress.
1. Emancipation/Reconstruction met with Jim Crow.
2. Prosperous black community = burned down and destroyed.
3. Wanting equality in education = redlining and informal “segregation”
4. Protesting for non-discriminatory policing, met with new states laws making certain protest felonies. BTW this is in the 2020 not 1950s or 1960s
5. Removing DEI programs which were not meant for just African Americans but minorities and gender equality being banned in the 2020s. These programs have been successful for 40 to 50 years and now it’s a problem?
6. So called bogeyman of CRT.
7. Curtailing voting rights in the 2010s and 2020.
8. Continual Gerrymandering that suppresses the minority voice.
9. And much more
How dare people say we just want a handout, when white Americans were just giving “free” homestead land that was stolen from Native Americans.
How dare you say we want a handout when white Americans were giving unfettered access to the GI bill for returning soldiers. When black veterans asked for the same benefits they were denied. White Americans were giving a “handout” long before others and had more time to establish themselves in the “land of the free”
as a middle age Blackman I haven’t experience the same brutality of Jim Crow, segregation or apartheid. But I still remember my parents, grand and great grandparents talking about it. And I see daily reminders of the effect of long term racism in America. I won competitions where I was “accused” of cheating. Then hearing from others afterwards that they “modified” the test because an African American won.
Don’t get mad at us because of White fragility.