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On September 28th, Kevin Hart and his co-star Tiffany Haddish made a splash in the box office with the opening of their film Night School. During its opening weekend, Night School made its debut at number one in the box office. Additionally, prior to the movie premiere, Kevin Hart awarded over $600,000 in scholarship to students of HBCUs (Historical Black Colleges and Universities).
In early August, Hart gave away $600,000 in scholarships with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP). The scholarship provided funding to support KIPP students from eight different cities who are attending eleven different HBCUs.
“I love the fact that he decided to give back to KIPP students who go to HBCUs”, said scholarship recipient Deja Brooks who attends Xavier University. “It was a blessing because most of us had outstanding balances and did not know how or where we were gonna the money from.”
The students are graduates from various KIPP and charters schools in the cities of Arkansas Delta, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. According to a recent survey of KIPP alumni, KIPP graduates who attend HBCUs reported a stronger sense of belonging, better mental health, and were more likely to have a mentor than those attending non-HBCUs.
“I just wanted to do my part in providing opportunities for our future leaders, especially from my Philly hometown, and show support for HBCUs,” said Hart during a visit to Morehouse College with producer Will Packer on September 11th. Hart spoke about his motivations for wanting to participate in the film and the personal connection he had with furthering students’ opportunities for higher education. “This is just the beginning; trust me when I tell you there are a lot more kids who want to go to college who don’t have the money to make it happen.”