HBCU Love: ESSENCE CEO To Receive Honorary Doctorate From Texas College

Getty By Essence ·April 29, 2021April 29, 2021

Ever since Kamala Harris, a proud Howard University graduate, was sworn in as our nation’s next Vice President, the world has been buzzing about all things HBCU. But we’ve long known about the rich legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Everyone else is just catching up. (Yes, that was a flex.)

There are currently 107 HBCUs and the oldest, Pennsylvania’s Cheyney University, was founded back in 1837. These illustrious institutions were built on the backs of our ancestors, many of whom worked tirelessly to create and maintain those campuses. Most of these schools have survived the abolition of slavery, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement and more. That’s right, HBCUs are much more than a lit homecoming weekend (we see you A&T also known as the #GHOE) or a mention in your favorite rapper’s quotable lyrics (from Biggie to Drake to J. Cole). They are an important part of American history and should be celebrated as such.

Enter ESSENCE’s very own CEO Caroline Wanga, who graduated from Texas College, an HBCU founded in Tyler, Texas in 1894. (Also the proud 2005 alum served as TC’s homecoming queen.). On May 15, she returns as their commencement speaker and will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

As if further proof was needed to put respect on the name of all HBCUs, their grads have been killing it in every industry you can imagine since the 1800s! From politics, to entertainment to STEM careers, there is an example of the #BlackExcellence nurtured at these distinct institutions of higher learning in a vast number of fields. While there are thousands to explore, here’s a look at 15 notable HBCU graduates.

01KATHERINE JOHNSON – West Virginia State UniversityJohnson was a NASA mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics were critical in sending the first astronaut to the moon. In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. Her brilliance was recognized in the 2016 hit movie, Hidden Figures.

Photo Credit: NASA 02Ruth E. Carter – Hampton UniversityA highly sought-after costume designer for film and television, Carter has created countless iconic looks for cult classics on the silver screen including School Daze, Love & Basketball and most recently Coming 2 America. In 2019, Carter became the first African American to win an Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix 03Caroline Wanga – Texas CollegePrior to her role as the Chief Executive Officer of Essence Communications, Inc., our very own Wanga rose through the corporate ranks to help transform the organizational culture at Target where she served as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Vice President of Human Resources.Wanga also serves on the Intersectionality, Culture, and Diversity Advisory Board for Twitter. In May 2021, she’ll receive an honorary doctorate in humane letters from her alma mater.

Photo credit: Kwaku Alston 04Taraji P. Henson – Howard UniversitySince her breakthrough role in 2001’s Baby Boy, Henson has delivered unforgettable performances on both the small and big screen from Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to Cookie in Empire proving her diversity as an actress. In 2018, the multi-hyphenate founded a nonprofit organization, the Boris L. Henson Foundation, to help eradicate the stigma around mental health in underserved communities and in 2020 Henson launched TPH Hair, a product line for all hair textures.

KWAKU ALSTON 05Stacey Abrams – Spelman CollegeThis author, lawyer and politician is most notably credited for turning the red state of Georgia blue through her laser focused and strategic initiatives ahead on the historic 2020 Presidential Election. As the former Georgia House Democratic Leader, Abrams passed legislation to improve the welfare of grandparents and other kin raising children and secured increased funding to support these families.

06Terrance J – North Carolina A&T UniversityAn accomplished television host, actor and author, Terrence J recently was recognized for his work behind the camera. This month he won an Academy Award for the short film Two Distant Strangers as an executive producer of the film. The film examines the deaths of Black Americans during encounters with police through a character caught in a time loop.

Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for ESSENCE 07Nikki Giovanni – Fisk UniversityOne of America’s most revered poets and lecturers, Giovanni has a career that spans five decades. She’s published numerous collections of poetry—from her first self-published volume Black Feeling Black Talk (1968) to New York Times best-seller Bicycles: Love Poems (2009)—several works of nonfiction and children’s literature. Her most recent publications include Make Me Rain: Poems and Prose (2020).

Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images 08Michael Strahan – Texas Southern UniversityStrahan is a former NFL defensive lineman turned talk show host who is currently a daily staple in many of in our homes via Good Morning America. Over the course of his long football career, Strahan became one of the league’s all-time QB sack leaders and in 2014 was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.