"HBCUs Prepare You to Not Just Face the World, But Change It"

Kicking off Black History Month, this episode honors the Black excellence among us: HBCU graduates. HBCU graduates are everywhere across all industries, all the way to the White House. Even just this week, Stacey Abrams, a Spelman alumna, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the world. HBCUs have a rich history and have some of the most prestigious alumni in our history, and we will be delving into what that means for higher education as a whole.

Jainaba Seckan is devoted to excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusion. A graduate of Spelman College where she earned her B.A. in International Studies, she brings a global perspective to her work in creating inclusive spaces for people of all backgrounds. She is a certified unconscious bias trainer with a proven ability to develop and manage diversity initiatives and produce data-driven solutions. In Harvard University’s Office for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Jainaba plays a critical role in advancing a University-wide change initiative aimed towards inclusive excellence. Jainaba was featured in the OkayAfrica 100 Women 2019 List honoring African women who are change agents and innovators in their industries.

Twitter: @jseckan
LinkedIn: Jainaba Seckan 

Minister Devon Jerome Crawford, is staff director of the William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for Social Justice at The Center for Public Leadership. Originally from Birmingham, AL, is an alumnus of Morehouse College where he received a Bachelors in Philosophy, and University of Chicago where he received a masters in divinity. Early in his career Crawford served as a Humanity in Action fellow for the NAACP, where he connected the polls to pop culture, leading a countrywide millennial voter campaign in partnership with Chance the Rapper’s Magnificent Coloring world tour. He was also named an Oprah Winfrey South Africa and Zimbabwe Leadership Fellow (Morehouse College) and a John Lewis Fellow (Humanity in Action). A scholar of African and African-American religious ethics, historical theory, the intersection of faith and politics, and social movements in the U.S., Crawford’s writing and activism have been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, CNN, The Chicago Tribune, and The Birmingham Times.

Twitter: @devonjcrawford
Website: https://trotter.hks.harvard.edu/