“The Parker Grant: Leveling the Playing Field for Historically Black Colleges and Universities Across the Diaspora”
Derek Haskell is the Founder and executive director of the C3 Foundation visionary of the Parker Grant Program, an initiative aimed at improving the educational systems for black people across the diaspora, with a focus on supporting historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Haskell recognizes that many HBCUs are experiencing economic and social erosion, losing accreditation, closing down, becoming involved in scandals, and becoming structurally unsafe. To address this issue, Haskell launched the Parker Grant as a solution to increase enrollment in HBCUs, foster improved communication and collaboration between HBCUs, ensure they have access to government assistance, support improvements to their infrastructure, support the development of more current majors/disciplines, and promote social responsibility within their curricula.
In addition to supporting HBCUs in the United States, the Parker Grant has a goal to rebuild the educational standards of all black people across the diaspora through the development of business, trade, and human capital alongside physical infrastructure. The Parker Grants will take an international approach to achieve this goal, partnering with Africa to build business, trade, and invest in developing human capital among the 60% of Africa’s youth population. Haskell and the C3 Foundation seek to work with Africa to build a state-of-the-art Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Institute, where students can be virtually educated using virtual reality and augmented reality by professors of HBCUs in the United States, HBCU Africa.
The Parker Grant program also aims to develop a 21st-century commercial distribution center and promote trade between Africa and the United States. The Parker Grant Trade Initiative recognizes that investing in internet development projects and cybersecurity training is imperative for the success of this project. African students who complete their education in the United States will have the opportunity to return back to Africa and build industries in the areas of their expertise. Prior to Africa students attending HBCUs, Africa’s governing bodies along with the C3 Foundation’s administrative team must identify which occupations will provide the highest probability for students to obtain gainful employment and which occupations are needed for the continent to become a self-sustaining economy.
The Parker Grant project is committed to developing quality in Africa and recognizes that treating the African people and its leadership with respect and as equal partners in the development and implementation of the project is crucial for its success. Haskell and the C3 Foundation are working closely with United States legislative personnel, Africa’s governing bodies, local community partners, and stakeholders to ensure the project’s goals are met in both the United States and Africa. The Parker Grant is a monumental effort to level the playing field of higher education and support historically black colleges and universities for the benefit of black people across the diaspora.
