042 | On My Brain: Freaknik and the "Top" HBCUs

American Black Gen Xers are buzzing with the release of "Freaknik: The Greatest Party Never Told." I watched it and two things stood out to me--one was folks' perception of Freaknik and the other was the way the documentary ended. I shared some thoughts.
On another note, I've had thoughts rattling around in my head for a while about what folks regularly regard as the "top" HBCUs. I'm not so sure this conversation serves us in the best way, and I talk about why.
Got thoughts? Let me hear them! Email eddie@eddiefrancis.com and I may share them on an upcoming episode of "For Our Edification."
 

029 | HBCU Fundraising Disparities

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS
On May 27th, USA Today published the article, "How funders, school leaders can step up to combat philanthropic disparities faced by HBCUs.” The only problem is that I felt the article need a bit more fundraising and philanthropy meat on the bone. Cue our resident fundraising and philanthropy expert--Dr. Halima Leak Francis!
Having researched fundraising capacity-building at HBCUs, Halima talks about why these fundraising disparities in exist. She also discusses what funders value in their relationships with institutions and more.
References:
How funders, school leaders can step up to combat philanthropic disparities faced by HBCUs (USA Today): https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/05/27/hbcus-philanthropic-funding-continues-to-favor-white-institutions/70254668007/
Changing the Odds: Lessons Learned from the Kresge HBCU Initiative:  https://kresge.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Changing-the-odds_lessons-learned.pdf 
Making Bricks without Straw: The Kresge HBCU Initiative and Fundraising at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Halima's dissertation): https://www.proquest.com/openview/f7f14fea88534469d95891934e9ea01f/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750
Listen again:
Understanding Black Philanthropy:  https://forouredification.podbean.com/e/black-philanthropy/
What Is a Philanthropic Identity? https://forouredification.podbean.com/e/philanthropic-identity/ 
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

005 | Doctor Who? Identity and Value on Halima’s Doctoral Journey, Part 1

The year 2018 was a great one for Halima. After defending her doctoral dissertation in November 2017, she received her Ph.D. in 2018 from New York University's Steihardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. Having had so many conversations about the process, we thought it would be a good idea to pick her brain about how the process affected her identity and value.
In part one, Halima discusses why she chose to pursue a Ph.D. and why she chose her research. We find out how her passion for understanding fundraising capacity-building at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and being an alumna of Hampton University served as key motivators. This part goes deep as we find out how the inequities between HBCUs' and majority institutions' are more intricate than many realize.
That being said, we learn that the doctoral journey can be a very personal process. Halima also discusses who she was prior to her doctoral journey and her identity and value now.
Closing music by Swagg Beats