Black churches from across the country are coming to the aid of several historically black colleges in New Orleans 18 months after Hurricane Katrina ripped through campuses, destroyed buildings and disrupted thousands of lives.
Nationally syndicated radio host Tom Joyner has called on black churches to donate at least one of their collections this Sunday, Jan. 14, to help rebuild the three major black colleges in New Orleans.
Joyner chose the Sunday during the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as the day he is encouraging pastors around the country to join him. Bishop Paul Morton of New Orleans and Bishop Eddie Long of Atlanta agreed to help with the Tom Joyner Foundation’s Rebuilding Through Education Initiative, which Joyner kicked off on Dec. 8th.
Tom Joyner announced last month that he will be raising at least $1 million for New Orleans' three historically black colleges hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. Rebuilding Through Education is a nationwide campaign that will be promoted on Joyner's syndicated morning program -- aired in 120 markets reaching nearly 8 million listeners -- throughout January 2007.
AP Video
The money will be divided among three black institutions -- Dillard University, Southern University of New Orleans and Xavier University -- that sustained at least $1 billion in flood and fire destruction. All three schools have limited endowments and depleting donations from alumni.
"We all need to stand together and make sure we take care of our own," said Joyner, whose foundation has raised more than $55 million to help keep students in historically black colleges and universities and helped more than 14,000 students. "Everybody sees the New Orleans Saints play their game at the Super Dome and think all is well in the city. Well, I know, and anyone who lives here or goes to school or teaches at any of these schools knows there’s still so much work to be done."
DONATE TO REBUILDING THROUGH EDUCATION
Donations to the Tom Joyner Foundation to help rebuild HBCUs in New Orleans can be made by clicking here or if preferred, checks or money orders should be sent to:
Rebuilding Through Education - January '07
c/o Tom Joyner Foundation
P.O. Box 630495
Irving, TX 75063-0495
Bishop Eddie Long, who serves as senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church -- which enjoys more than 25,000 members -- said, "Fixing the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina is marathon and not a sprint. As we continue to run this race for our brothers and sisters whose lives were forever changed, may we not forget their struggle and their loss. I am honored to partner with Tom Joyner and others around this nation as we address the needs our HBCUs in the Gulf Coast area and ensure their long-lasting legacies of producing our future leaders."
"On Sunday, Jan. 14, we will be taking up a special offering to provide financial assistance to the rebuilding of our great institutions of higher learning," added Long. "Dillard University, Southern University at New Orleans and Xavier University need us now more than ever. And we are truly blessed to be a blessing to the students, faculty and staff of these great schools."
Southern and Dillard suffered estimated damages of $600 million and $400 million, respectively, during Katrina, while Xavier's losses are approaching $100 million.
Today, at Southern University, more than 2,000 black students are still attending classes in trailers, and students, faculty and staff are using hundreds of other converted trailers for temporary housing.
Joyner, who is renowned for helping support historically black colleges and universities, is setting out to help the schools complete the existing repairs and provide financial assistance for students.
In August 2005, after Hurricane Katrina severely impacted the college campuses, Joyner's foundation raised more than $1.5 million to provide $1,000 scholarships to students from the New Orleans HBCUs who had to transfer to other schools while the city was under water. In addition, each school has also received an additional $100,000 over the past year.
Eighteen months after Katrina, the campuses are at varying stages of rebuilding and recovery while moving forward with their mission to educate their students.
At Southern University, a state-funded commuter school founded in 1956, officials say they need help.
About 2,300 students are using 46 trailers for classrooms on the north campus and 400 trailers are being used to house students, faculty and staff. Enrollment at Southern University is down from 3,700 students prior to Katrina. Eleven campus buildings were damaged by as much as 11 feet of water.
"Our main concern is returning to the main campus," Gloria B. Moultrie, vice chancellor for community outreach, told BlackAmericaWeb.com last week.
"We’re using the trailers for classrooms, computer centers, bathrooms, offices, a health unit, and a dining area," Moultrie said in an interview. "And we’re using trailers for housing. Many students have families. After a while, this gets a bit weary for us."
Dillard is receiving $2 million from the federal government to rebuild off-campus housing damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The grant announced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development comes under a program meant to help historically black colleges and universities further address the needs of their communities.
Xavier, founded in 1925, is the nation's only historically black Catholic college and graduates a quarter of the nation's black pharmacists and sends the largest number of black students to medical schools.
Joyner said he wants to impress upon his listeners that "there are still problems here."
Bishop Paul Morton of the Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church New Orleans/Atlanta shared his concern about his church’s commitment to the New Orleans’ schools.
"I am elated to partner with the Tom Joyner Foundation in this important initiative," he said. "We have a responsibility to the city of New Orleans and to these great institutions to assist them in their rebuilding efforts. We can change a generation by empowering great minds through education."
--
Associated Press contributed to this story.
