President Joe Biden announced Thursday that Suns guard Chris Paul has been appointed to his advisory board on historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Paul is one of the 18 members of the board, which has been created to "advance the goal of the HBCU Initiative, established by the Carter Administration, to increase the capacity of HBCUs to provide the highest-quality education to its students and continue serving as engines of opportunity." Actress Taraji P. Henson, United Airlines president Brett Hart and the presidents of five HBCUs will join Paul in a group featuring what the Biden administration calls "qualified and diverse leaders."
NBA LEAGUE PASS: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)
The 12-time All-Star, who played at Wake Forest before declaring for the 2005 NBA Draft but is currently enrolled as a student at Winston-Salem State University, has been a longtime advocate for HBCUs. He most recently helped launch the NBA HBCU Classic as part of the league's 2022 All-Star weekend festivities.
Paul told CBS News last year why he was so passionate about issues surrounding HBCUs, including financial challenges for both institutions and students.
"My appreciation comes from the history," Paul said. "For me, I was the only person in my family who didn't attend an HBCU, and so as I got older, I just started to dig into a little bit more. I just want to make sure everyone understands that HBCUs are not less than, they're very capable and important to our history, to our culture, to everything."
As part of its announcement, the Biden Administration said it has committed more than $5.8 billion to support HBCUs.
President Joe Biden's advisory board on HBCUs
- Makola M. Abdullah
- Javaune Adams-Gaston
- Paige Blake
- Thasunda Brown Duckett
- Willie A. Deese
- Patrick Cokley
- Monica Goldson
- Brett J. Hart
- Taraji P. Henson
- Beverly W. Hogan
- Lisa P. Jackson
- Shevrin D. Jones
- Walter M. Kimbrough
- William F. L. Moses
- Christopher E. Paul
- Quinton T. Ross Jr.
- Ruth J. Simmons
- Janeen Uzzell
(Full bios for each member of the board can be found here.)
