What does it really mean to walk onto a college campus where you’re not the minority — where your professors, your classmates, your leaders look like you? In this powerful episode of Prescribing a Healthier Future, Dr. Akilah Weber Pearson sits down with Dr. Kelly Elmore to explore the impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) — not just on students, but on entire communities.

You’ll hear the untold truth about how one small HBCU in New Orleans sends more Black students to medical school than Harvard, Yale, or any Ivy League university. You’ll also learn how HBCUs shape confidence, leadership, cultural identity, and the healthcare workforce that underserved communities depend on.

But this conversation goes beyond celebration — it exposes the ongoing threats HBCUs face:

💣 racially motivated bomb threats

💸 billions in chronic underfunding

🏛️ political targeting and resource inequity

Dr. Weber Pearson and Dr. Elmore share personal stories from Xavier University, the life-changing support they received, and how HBCUs continue to produce doctors, nurses, lawyers, educators, and leaders who go back home and literally save lives.

If you believe in health equity, representation in medicine, and the power of community-rooted education, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

👇 Support HBCUs:

✔ Contact your elected officials

✔ Support UNCF & scholarship organizations

✔ Recruit from HBCUs

✔ Send your kids to HBCUs

✔ Donate to strengthen their endowments

📌 Subscribe for more conversations on building healthier, more equitable communities.

Here are some notable moments from this episode:

00:05 – The HBCU That Outperforms Harvard

01:10 – When Black Excellence Is the Norm, Not the Exception

04:45 – Choosing Xavier: Cosby, Church, and Childhood Dreams

09:55 – “I Am Home”: Finally Belonging on an HBCU Campus

16:05 – Rocky First Years and Why Parents Shouldn’t Pull Kids Out

23:50 – Med School Hostility and HBCU-Built Resilience

29:10 – Do We Still Need HBCUs? The Data Says Yes

34:35 – Bomb Threats, Safety, and Unshakeable HBCU Communities

38:40 – The $13 Billion Funding Gap and What We’ve Lost

42:35 – How HBCUs Build Healthy Adults and Healthier Communities