Barber-Scotia College Wants 144,000 Women To Donate $1.44 To Help HBCU Stay Open

The North Carolina institution was one of the first to serve Black women scholars.

Barber-Scotia College, an HBCU in Concord, North Carolina, is calling on thousands of women to donate a small amount toward its future.

According to HBCU Gameday, the school has launched a grassroots campaign with the 144K Collective to hold its doors open amid financial woes. Barber-Scotia is calling upon 144,000 women to gift $1.44 toward the HBCU to keep it afloat.

Founded in 1867, Barber-Scotia initially aimed to educate Black women scholars. As it now tries to maintain operations, it has called upon the very demographic they once served to help them carry on.

Its legacy as a Black women-serving institution is another reason why advocates are fighting for its preservation. Its establishment came at a time when academic opportunities for women, especially Black women, had limits.

The initiative, launched during Women’s History Month, capitalizes on the occasion to celebrate women’s empowerment and achievement. This small donation allows women to take part in a ground-breaking effort to sustain one of the nation’s storied institutions.

“There’s no better time to be a woman and to make an impact,” explained Kirbie Speights, secretary of the 144K Collective, to WCNC.

The school has emphasized a need for more than payout. It has called on its overarching community to volunteer to fix some on-campus structures as well. For those willing to dedicate more of their skills and time, the HBCU has ample opportunity to give back.

“If you want to take over handling the maintenance of the grass or the campus, I would receive that,” said Barber-Scotia President Chris V. Rey. “If you have access to individuals that can fix the roof—I need it all here in Barber-Scotia right now.”

The school also has plans to regain its accreditation, lost in 2004. With their decades-long mission to restore Barber-Scotia to its original vision, the North Carolina HBCU hopes this latest effort will breathe new life on its campus.

“We’ll submit an application to them,” Rey added about regaining accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). “They will send reviewers to the campus to make sure that we are an actual campus…and they will look at our finances to make sure that we are fiscally sound to operate as a college.”

For women looking to support this lofty cause, HBCU supporters can head over to the donation website to make their contribution.