HBCU Action Nation

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an immediate need for colleges and universities to implement their emergency response plans and pivot to continue to support students, faculty and staff. The nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were disproportionately impacted by the shutdown.  

HBCU Action Nation was a grassroots call to action in the form of a virtual Town Hall encompassing a comprehensive group of interested parties, national and local organizations, and influencers to support these HBCUs. 

vitalink and HBCUgrow sponsored and helped implement the two-day virtual seminar with the goal of bringing together those who had successfully dealt with not only a pivot to online learning but also the tasks of supporting employees through the crisis, managing enrollment, dealing with accreditation issues, maintaining empty facilities, and otherwise addressing business continuity challenges during the nationwide shutdown. Almost 500 people attended the two-day event. 

Other event sponsors included: Tennessee State University, Denny’s, Inc., Hewlett Foundation, vitalink, Bethune Cookman College, HBCUgrow, Military Learners Now, DunnLLC, Lowcountry Rice Culture Project, Jonathan Green Living Collection, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, International African American Museum, Online Learning Consortium, and United States Distance Learning Association.

A Breath of Freedom, Acrylic on archival mat board, 10 ½ X 14”, Courtesy of the The U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina