*Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, are donating $120 million to historically Black colleges and universities.
The couple have announced plans to give $40 million each to: the United Negro College Fund, Spelman College and Morehouse College, per Hollywood Reporter.
Mary Schmidt Campbell, the president of Spelman, called it a “historic gift in response to the historic moment we’re experiencing.”
“We are enormously grateful for this affirmation of the importance of the work that HBCUs do to educate the next generation of Black leaders,” she added in a statement.
“HBCUs have a tremendous record, yet are disadvantaged when it comes to giving,” Hastings and Quillin said in a joint statement. “Generally, White capital flows to predominantly White institutions, perpetuating capital isolation.”
Morehouse receives $40 million donation from philanthropists Patty Quillin and Reed Hastings, the largest single donation in the College’s 153-year history. @ProfThomas pic.twitter.com/U1HHYs9YPB
— Morehouse College (@Morehouse) June 17, 2020
Hastings has a history of supporting educational causes, including charter schools. He launched a $100 million education fund in 2016, beginning with money toward college scholarships for black and Latino students.
Hastings said now is the time when “everyone needs to figure out” how to contribute to solving racism. He said HBCUs have been resilient “little-known gems” for black education.
Spelman College intends to use the funds for a scholarship named after alumna and civil rights attorney Dovey Johnson Roundtree, according to the report.Â
Morehouse College President David Thomas called the donation “an affirmation of the work that we are doing at Morehouse College to produce leaders who are equipped to effect change in their professions, communities, the nation and the world,” he said in a video posted to Twitter (see above).
“This liberation gift will make a world-class college education possible for students from struggling families,” he said. “They will gain the freedom to graduate debt-free.”
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