Episode #4: Climate Change + COVID-19 + Communities of Color: Vol. 4 “ON THE YARD” Impact on HBCU Students

The fourth episode under the theme “Climate Change + COVID-19 + Communities of Color

Lezli and Zuri begin the conversation with the two of them exploring how the pandemic will impact Zuri’s senior year as well as Zuri’s concerns about the freshman and sophomore classes and their connection to Spelman. They share information on how HBCUs have developed the Black middle class and explore how the pandemic may possibly impact the future of the Black middle class. They discuss Spelman’s 40 million dollar gift from Netflix CoFounder Reed Hastings and his Wife, Patty Quillin and the backlash from some of the alumni and current students of other HBCUs. They are later joined by Zuri’s classmate, Chantia Murphy ‘21. Chantia is an English Major with a 3.9 GPA, first generation American and college student with aspirations of working for a media outlet that focuses on telling Black stories. Chantia shares the financial impact of COVID-19 on her family and why she may not be able to return to Spelman for her senior year.

Relevant and Recommended Reads

Podcast Team = Lezli Levene Harvell (Host & Executive Producer) / Zuri Levene Harvell (Co-Host) / Danielle Pearman (Producer) / Justin Bates (Sound Engineer)

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