It's still mind boggling to me how quick so many were to believe this donation at face value. There aren't secret Black billionaires in this nation. The fact that no one has heard of Gregory Gerami was the first warning bell in my mind. Google did the rest.
I did not attend an HBCU, but I have many friends who are FAMU alums. My heart breaks for the entire community because there was so much hope around this donation announcement.
When it comes to alumni giving at HBCUs I think the first key is to increase participation. That means encouraging donations of any amount. The PWIs I attended are relentless in their gift solicitations. I've been out of undergrad since 2002 and graduate school since 2014. I donate to both institutions every single year...but only $10-$20 each. The school thanks me and calls me a donor regardless of amount. If HBCUs want to increase giving they need to set up systems that allow people to give, period. Suggested donations of even $10 can be built upon over time, but the key is to get alums into the habit of doing it.
You called it even when there were those on social media blasting you for "undermining a positive and successful Black man." In my line of work, we call it affinity fraud or 'fraud of the heart' in which people use emotion to defraud their own. Trust but verify is something more in Black and HBCU community need to do to avoid embarrassments and mistrust. Also, we need more Blacks and Black media to ask the tough questions and not give people a pass just because they look like us. As I mentioned to others, just because someone looks like you, does not mean they have same interests or thinking like you. This is a lesson for everyone including myself.
The rivalry between FAMU and Bethune-Cookman is definitely deeper rivalry than FAMU and Jackson State :-)
It's still mind boggling to me how quick so many were to believe this donation at face value. There aren't secret Black billionaires in this nation. The fact that no one has heard of Gregory Gerami was the first warning bell in my mind. Google did the rest.
I did not attend an HBCU, but I have many friends who are FAMU alums. My heart breaks for the entire community because there was so much hope around this donation announcement.
When it comes to alumni giving at HBCUs I think the first key is to increase participation. That means encouraging donations of any amount. The PWIs I attended are relentless in their gift solicitations. I've been out of undergrad since 2002 and graduate school since 2014. I donate to both institutions every single year...but only $10-$20 each. The school thanks me and calls me a donor regardless of amount. If HBCUs want to increase giving they need to set up systems that allow people to give, period. Suggested donations of even $10 can be built upon over time, but the key is to get alums into the habit of doing it.
You called it even when there were those on social media blasting you for "undermining a positive and successful Black man." In my line of work, we call it affinity fraud or 'fraud of the heart' in which people use emotion to defraud their own. Trust but verify is something more in Black and HBCU community need to do to avoid embarrassments and mistrust. Also, we need more Blacks and Black media to ask the tough questions and not give people a pass just because they look like us. As I mentioned to others, just because someone looks like you, does not mean they have same interests or thinking like you. This is a lesson for everyone including myself.