Six Remarkable HBCU Alumni Who Are Making a Difference in the World
It’s homecoming season and we’re thrilled to spotlight six HBCU remarkable alumni who are making a difference in the world! Check out these amazing women below:
Taraji P. Henson
Academy and Emmy Award-nominated actress, Taraji P. Henson, graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. In addition to her extensive and very successful career in television and film, she recently launched The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation (BLHF) in honor of her late father. Her mission is “to help eradicate the stigma around mental health issues in the African-American community and provide support for and bring awareness to mental health issues that plague this community.”
Valeisha Butterfield
An award-winning political strategist, youth and women’s activist and lifestyle expert, Valeisha Butterfield-Jones graduated from Clark Atlanta University in 2000 with a BA in Political Science. She is currently the Head of Community Inclusion, and Black Engagement at Google, as well as the Co-founder and CEO of the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN) and the author of the highly acclaimed book, The Girlprint.
Oprah Winfrey
The iconic Oprah Winfrey, arguably the most influential, and philanthropic woman in the world, and the first black woman billionaire, needs no intro! She attended Tennessee State University on a full-ride scholarship, but interestingly, did not graduate because she was one credit short – “a fact her father made sure to keep reminding her of so she would complete her studies. “He’d say, ‘Oprah–‘I don’t know what you’re gonna do without that degree,” Winfrey told graduates at a 2008 commencement speech she gave at Stanford. “And I’d say, ‘But, Dad, I have my own television show.” So, in 1986, she turned in her final paper and got her degree from Tennessee State”. (2)
Melissa Butler
Melissa Butler is an American entrepreneur who founded the cosmetic brand The Lip Bar. She is known for her 2015 appearance on Shark Tank, where her pitch for the vegan lipstick brand was rejected by every judge. Butler is a graduate of Florida A&M University.
Kalilah Wright
Kalilah Wright, born in Jamaica W.I., migrated to the United States at the tender age of 4 and was raised in Brooklyn, NY. She is the Founder and CEO of expressive brand Mess in a Bottle. She is a graduate of Morgan State University.
Angel Anderson
Angel is a mommy, home cook, activist and educator with a knack for blurring the line between food and fashion. In 2015, she walked by a vacant store front with no plan or desire to be a small business owner and decided on the spot to turn it into a spice shop. That spice shop has become a dream incubator and haven. Having hosted over 450 free pop up shops for black business owners, this space has become a DC staple for this DC native. She is a graduate of Howard University.