After Beyoncé announced that she would be donating $100,000 to four Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCU) through her #BeyGOOD initiative, Google.org announced they are stepping up to match Queen Bey’s donation. This newly-added donation will grant four additional HBCU students $25,000 each toward scholarships for the 2018-2019 academic school year, bringing the number of institutions receiving funds through Bey’s initiative to eight.
“Google understands the vital role historically black colleges and universities play in delivering a high quality and culturally responsive education,” states Maab Ibrahim, a Google.org program manager. “In the last several years, Google has launched innovative programs to close the distance between Silicon Valley and HBCUs; we are proud to continue that commitment by matching Beyoncé’s generous donation.”
Texas Southern University in Houston, Fisk University in Tennesse, Grambling University in Louisiana and Morehouse College in Atlanta are the four additional HBCUs chosen for to received donations from the new scholarship fund. The original four schools were announced during the Lemonade performer’s first set at Coachella, which largely focused on an African-American collegiate homecoming theme — it even featured step dancers and a marching band.
The first four schools that BeyGOOD donated to were Xavier University of Louisiana, Wilberforce University in Ohio, Tuskegee University in Alabama and Bethune-Cookman University in Florida.
“Partnering with organizations like Google.org in support of HBCUs is our way of elevating cultural touchstones that paint a clear picture of excellence and opportunity through diverse education,” states Ivy McGregor, Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Relations at Parkwood Entertainment, which houses BeyGOOD. “We challenge other businesses across the country to join us in this commitment to higher education and investment in the future.”
Google’s donation is the latest of their effort to attract more African Americans to the tech industry in Silicon Valley. According to a report by Bloomberg, African-Americans make up less than 5 percent of the tech industry’s employment and the current key beneficiary of affirmative action in the tech industry is white women, according to a Salon report from 2017.
