In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing focus on racial justice, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the NFL Foundation’s Inspire Change Initiative hosted a panel on social justice and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)
Moderated by CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers, the participants included Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor of Augusta, Georgia; Randall Woodfin, Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama; and Dr. Ivy Taylor, former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas and current president of Rust College, an HBCU located in Holly Springs, Mississippi.
To address the COVID-19 crisis, Davis said that he made decisions focused on the health and safety of Augusta’s citizens. That included shutting down the city, which had an economic impact on businesses and institutions, including Paine College, an HBCU.
“We began weekly conversations with our entire healthcare continuum in the city of Augusta,” said Davis. “People who could not only make decisions, but also implement decisions to keep people safe.”
Davis said Augusta received $10 million in CARES Act funding, of which the city gave Paine $1.4 million.
“It was an important time for us as we saw all of the winds of change taking shape in America, from George Floyd to the virus,” said Davis. “It simply made sense for us to lean in and do everything we could to help bridge that gap to support our HBCU here.”
Taylor began her presidency at Rust College on June 1, 2020.
