Apple hosts an entertainment industry accelerator for students

Fifty students from a range of historically Black colleges and universities are to get an immersive two-week program with Apple.

The new program comes from the Propel Center, which was created in 2021 by one of Apple's earliest investments from its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REIU). In the same year, Apple also awarded $5 million to four historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU).

According to Variety, the Propel Center is now running working with 19 HBCUs for a 2024 Arts & Entertainment Industry Accelerator. It's a year-long program aimed at creating greater diversity in the industry.

"Creativity is central to everything we do at Apple," said Alisha Johnson Wilder, director of Apple's REIU, "and we're thrilled to help create more pathways into the arts and entertainment industries for HBCU students."

"Through Propel Center's programming," she continued, "we're helping expand opportunities for emerging creators from diverse backgrounds by ensuring these talented students have access to the technology, resources, and expertise they need to become leaders in the creative arts."

The accelerator starts on June 10, 2024 at Tennessee State University, and concludes at Atlanta's Clark Atlanta University in the week of June 16. During the program, students will have workshops, meet industry experts at Apple Music offices, and use Apple tools to create music and art.

"Harnessing the undeniable power of creativity and collaboration has enabled Propel Center and Apple to establish a nurturing and inspiring environment to cultivate the many talents of our HBCU students," said Propel Center president Dr. Lisa Herring.

"This year's accelerator marks a continued commitment from Apple and our industry partners to help address equity and diversity gaps in the arts and entertainment industry and other critical business sectors," she continued.

In 2021, Tim Cook talked about why Apple was starting the REIU program, and specifically about its reasons for backing the Propel Center.

8 Comments

dtownwarrior 7 Years · 47 comments

About 6 months ago

I would suggest closing the comment section for this story.

Mike Wuerthele 8 Years · 6906 comments

dtownwarrior said:

I would suggest closing the comment section for this story.

We'll see.

hecalder 7 Years · 15 comments

Do you know if anyone in this country will do it for other races? As you call others brown/red/yellow. We are all left out. Maybe it’s time to end this already getting old. Everyone in history has been treated wrong by others who fear or lack of knowledge and humanity are who need the education. Not saying it is bad to help others but come on really? Most were born after 1960’s when things started improving. Unless you were born directly affected by this so called reparations to make things right they should not be done. All help should be given on actual needs including access to education, not just certain groups. I could be wrong but it just gets old to me. I work hard to prove I am as capable as the next person and I feel a sense of pride to do it. There will always be racism and discrimination. There is in every single country. USA has gotten way better than 60 years ago. Time to stop free hand outs to feel better and people need to deserve things because of there actual merits and not anymore. My ancestors were this and that so I deserve to own everything for free and give give give.

cia 21 Years · 269 comments

☝️ There it is! Didn't take long.

ronn 20 Years · 688 comments

dtownwarrior said:

I would suggest closing the comment section for this story.

And then the racists when. They overwhelm with off-topic, idiotic statements. I suggest not feeding them and report them when they violate the rules/TOS of AI.

Back on topic: HBCUs are not exclusively for Black students. The "H" in HBCU stands for historically. Indeed, there are several HBCUs that have become majority white post Brown v. Board of Education. The one that immediately comes to mind is Bluefield State in West Virginia. ~80% of its student population is white. When it was formed in 1895 it was exclusively for Black students of coal miners. It became quite successful educating Black students that were not allowed entrance in white state educational institutions. Bluefield still receives funds earmarked exclusively for HBCUs.

One of the reasons that Apple (and other companies) support HBCUs with primarily Black student populations is because racism still infects the education sector of states. IIRC, Maryland was found to have intentionally underfunded its sole state Black educational institute/HBCU for decades to the tune of $500M and counting.

Nationally about ~11-12% of HBCU students are white. Another 12% are Latinx/Asian/Native. And even international students attend HBCUs, including non-Black students.

One of my favorite photos about HBCUs shows Albert Einstein giving a lecture at Lincoln University after receiving an honorary degree:
In 1946, Einstein, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist traveled to Lincoln University where he gave a speech in which he called racism "a disease of white people," and added, "I do not intend to be quiet about it." Lincoln was the first school in the United States to grant college degrees to blacks. Einstein, who was Jewish, identified with the racial discrimination he witnessed towards African Americans in Princeton, New Jersey where he was a faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Study. Einstein experienced anti-Semitic threats during his time as a professor at the University of Berlin and chose not to return to his native Germany after the rise of the Nazi party. While at Lincoln, Einstein also received an honorary degree and gave a lecture on relativity.