The critically acclaimed actor and New York Times best-selling author, Hill Harper worked tirelessly to advance the cause of change for his friend and former classmate, President-elect Barack Obama.
Now that the general election is over, Harper is embarking on a new campaign that will inspire minority youth to become financially fit and economically empowered.
Saturday, Harper visited Paul Quinn College in Dallas to talk money with local high school and college students. Paul Quinn College was the third official stop of a 14-city tour hosted by the United Negro College Fund, in partnership with the Wachovia Foundation and Harper’s Manifest Your Destiny Foundation entitled the “HBCU Empower Me Tour.”
Harper spoke with Diverse in an exclusive interview prior to his appearance at Paul Quinn.
“We have not developed a great deal of financial literacy within our communities and families,” Harper told Diverse. “Most young people think of money as an end result, rather than what it really is: a life tool.”
Money, like education, is only the vehicle, Harper explained, not the destination.
Launched in September, the “HBCU Empower Me Tour” aims to motivate minority youth to attain sound financial knowledge and chart strong financial destinies.
As part of its ambition, the tour also seeks to encourage students on Black college campuses to persevere in getting their college degree.
Data show that HBCUs enroll nearly 20 percent of Black undergraduate students. The aggregate six-year graduation rate for HBCUs in 2006 was 37.9 percent compared to 45 percent for traditionally-White institutions, according to a recent report released by Education Sector, an independent think tank.
“The number one reason why students do not complete their college educations after starting is due to financial inadequacies. Many of our students come from low- to moderate-income families. They have to make very challenging financial decisions. We want them to make the right decisions so they can move from a position of powerlessness to ‘empoweredness,’” says Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF and former president of Dillard University in New Orleans.
