Journalism Professor Provides Support For HBCU Students Through Ida B. Wells-Barnett Textbook Fund
The initiative was launched by Dr. Stacey Patton, and it helps cover the costs of textbooks for students at Howard and Morgan State.
by Nick Fenley
January 14, 2022 at 11:52 pm
In 2016, Dr. Stacey Patton—a nationally-recognized journalist, advocate, and educator—began teaching at Morgan State University in Baltimore. However, she soon realized that many of her students faced a pretty serious issue: keeping up with the cost of textbooks.
"When I began teaching journalism at Morgan State University in 2016, I noticed that a number of my students were struggling to keep up with their assignments," Dr. Patton recalled. "Upon further investigation, I discovered that they had not purchased books for class because they could not afford them."
To help mitigate her students' financial hardships, Dr. Patton launched the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Textbook Fund. The initiative is named for the noteworthy Ida B. Wells, a civil rights pioneer who helped blast the evils of lynching through her journalism.
Dr. Patton has raised over $150,000 over the past nine academic semesters through this initiative, and she currently has a goal of raising $25,000 through GoFundMe.