Everyone loves a good “guess where they went to school” list, but there is a deeper story hiding behind a handful of Black celebrities and their ties to HBCUs, and it has nothing to do with attendance. These are the alumni who did not just walk the yard, take pictures at homecoming, and move on. They came back with checks, endowments, and initiatives designed to make sure the schools that shaped them could keep shaping the next generation. Here is a look at the celebrities whose HBCU pride shows up in their bank statements, not just their Instagram caption.Oprah Winfrey’s connection to Tennessee State University goes all the way back to her time there as a communications major, long before the world knew her name. That connection never faded. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oprah donated $2 million to her alma mater to help the school and the surrounding Nashville community weather the crisis, and she went a step further by partnering with the university and a local church to launch NashvilleNurtures, an initiative that has provided meals to more than ten thousand families in the area. It is a reminder that her giving is not limited to headline making checks, it also shows up in the community her school calls home.Spike Lee has never been quiet about what Morehouse College means to him, often crediting the school with shaping him into the filmmaker and the man he became. That loyalty translated into action once he had the means to give back. Lee sat on Morehouse’s board and directed funding toward the school’s journalism program, helping build out resources for the next wave of storytellers coming through the same halls he once walked. For a director whose films have spent decades reflecting Black culture back to the world, investing in Morehouse’s journalism program feels like a full circle move.

A month ahead of Lil Durk‘s murder-for-hire trial, prosecutors have filed multiple motions, including a request to play a music video from Durk to prove he would slide for King Von.On Monday (July 27), both prosecutors and defense attorneys submitted a list of motions leading up to Lil Durk’s upcoming murder-for-hire trial. Among the feds’ motions, include a request to play Durkio’s “Pissed Me Off” music video to the jury and introduce the song into evidence.The Chicago rapper’s 2021 tune is featured on his 7220 album, which came out a year after his friend and fellow OTF (Only the Family) artist King Von died. Prosecutors believe Durk’s retaliatory lyrics on the song are relevant to their case. Lil Durk is accused of paying five men to kill Quando Rondo in 2022, in retaliation for the death of King Von, who was shot and killed by Quando Rondo’s associate Timothy Leeks in November of 2020.On the track, Durk raps, “Boy, no cap, I got killers that I love and they don’t rap (Let’s get it)/Boy, no cap (No cap), I got rappers that I love and they gon’ splat (Gon’ splat)/If I die, just don’t lie, man, you ni**as better slide (You ni**as better slide)/If you can’t get the main ni**a, then you better get his guys (Brrah).”

Forbes just released its top HBCU rankings, highlighting the public and private institutions delivering the highest return on investment, graduation rates, and mid-career median pay. The recognition comes as demand for the Black college experience reaches record highs—even as campuses navigate ongoing controversies like financial aid constraints and Howard University’s recent unenrollments over unpaid balances. Despite those systemic hurdles, the culture on these campuses remains undeniably rooted in history, pride, hustle, and community. Here is a look at which schools led the ranking and what the metrics reveal about graduate outcomes. Despite a 2018 audit that exposed nearly $1 million in embezzled financial aid, to the historic 34-day Blackburn Center sit-in in 2021 over unlivable housing conditions and campus mold, Forbes named Howard the #1 private HBCU in the nation.The Meeca earned the top spot based on its impressive 69% six-year graduation rate, 90% retention rate, and standout alumni including Kamala Harris, Thurgood Marshall, Toni Morrison and Taraji P. Henson. Howard graduates command an early-career median pay of $70,600, and median mid-career salaries exceeding $123,000.Claiming the #2 spot is Spelman College, an institution founded in 1881 where sisterhood, academic prestige and global leadership shines. Spelman, the country’s first HBCU for women, boasts a 91% retention rate, a powerhouse alumni network that includes Alice Walker and Stacey Abrams, and $102,000 mid-career median pay, Forbes reported.The Atlanta college is also known for its strong programs in biology, biochemistry, psychology, and education.ButtonBethlehem‎84‎‎°F‎ButtonButtonButtonButtonButtonButtonSponsoredThe RootButton24.7K FollowersBest HBCUs for securing top jobs and high salaries, rankedStory by Angela Wilson • 8h • 6 min readButtonBest HBCUs for Securing Top Jobs and High Salaries, RankedForbes just released its top HBCU rankings, highlighting the public and private institutions delivering the highest return on investment, graduation rates, and mid-career median pay. The recognition comes as demand for the Black college experience reaches record highs—even as campuses navigate ongoing controversies like financial aid constraints and Howard University’s recent unenrollments over unpaid balances. Despite those systemic hurdles, the culture on these campuses remains undeniably rooted in history, pride, hustle, and community. Here is a look at which schools led the ranking and what the metrics reveal about graduate outcomes.Top Private HBCUs1. Howard UniversityButtonHoward University (Photo: Getty Images)Despite a 2018 audit that exposed nearly $1 million in embezzled financial aid, to the historic 34-day Blackburn Center sit-in in 2021 over unlivable housing conditions and campus mold, Forbes named Howard the #1 private HBCU in the nation.The Meeca earned the top spot based on its impressive 69% six-year graduation rate, 90% retention rate, and standout alumni including Kamala Harris, Thurgood Marshall, Toni Morrison and Taraji P. Henson. Howard graduates command an early-career median pay of $70,600, and median mid-career salaries exceeding $123,000.Drive Better Business OutcomesHerzing University·SponsoredButton2. Spelman CollegeClaiming the #2 spot is Spelman College, an institution founded in 1881 where sisterhood, academic prestige and global leadership shines. Spelman, the country’s first HBCU for women, boasts a 91% retention rate, a powerhouse alumni network that includes Alice Walker and Stacey Abrams, and $102,000 mid-career median pay, Forbes reported.The Atlanta college is also known for its strong programs in biology, biochemistry, psychology, and education.Related: The Rising HBCU Enrollment: 15 Largest Black Schools Ranked by Size3. Morehouse CollegeButtonGraduates of Morehouse College arrive for their graduation ceremony ahead of US President Joe Biden’s commencement address, on the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia on May 19, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, Morehouse’s pipeline of Black male talent remains unrivaled. According to Forbes, Morehouse College graduates boast a median mid-career salary of $126,700—the highest among the top three private HBCUs.With a roster of distinguished alumni that includes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, and Maynard Jackson—the first African American mayor of Atlanta—Morehouse continues to stand on a tradition of brotherhood and a century-long mandate to cultivate transformative leaders that change the world.When it comes to producing Black doctors, Xavier University of Louisiana is in a league of its own. The nation’s only historically Catholic HBCU “has more Black students who go on to graduate from medical school than any other college in the country, outpacing even Ivy League campuses and huge state universities,” the school announced.Driven by elite programs in pre-med, pharmacy, and neuroscience, XULA turns undergraduate ambition into success well beyond the classroom with mid-career alumni salaries soaring past $104,000.