Ah, to be a famous artist pledging a million dollars to a university he once dropped out of! P Diddy had the privilege to pledge a million dollars each to his alma mater- Howard University, and another HBCU- Jackson State University, last year. It was recently revealed by Jackson State University’s interim president that Diddy has indeed fulfilled his $1 million donation pledge to them this year!
P Diddy, originally Sean John Combs, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, actor, and record executive. A man of many talents, the man goes by many names such as Puff Daddy, Diddy, P Diddy, and many more. Founder of his record label “Bad Boy Records,” Diddy is a three-time Grammy winner and has a net worth of one billion dollars or more.
Diddy was a football player all through high school at Mount Saint Michael Academy and graduated in 1987. Although he enrolled at Howard University to major in business, he left after sophomore year to intern at Uptown Records in New York City, where he was promoted to CP before being fired in 1993.
However, Diddy did return to Howard almost two decades later to receive an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities and to deliver Howard University’s 146th Commencement Address in 2014.
What makes everything even better is his donation pledge of one million USD that he made last year. Keep scrolling to know more about the star’s generous donation and desire to bring up historically black colleges and universities.
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P Diddy Pledges $2 Million Donation At The 2022 BET Awards.
On June 26th last year, during the BET Awards, Sean Combs made an announcement that sent the audience into an emotional frenzy, but in a good way. The BET Awards, or the Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards, is an annual American award show organized and broadcasted by the BET network. The awards primarily honor Black people and other members of minority groups who have shown excellence in the fields of music, sports, film, philanthropy, and activism.
Last year, during the 22nd BET Awards, Sean Combs bagged the BET Lifetime Achievement Award, which is awarded to veteran music artists that have made a name for themselves in the music industry with a significant amount of success. BET themselves stated that the award recognizes industry giants who have not only significantly shaped culture through their extensive careers but have also been transformative leaders that consistently inspire generations by setting a true standard of excellence. Some of the other renowned recipients of this award are Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, Prince, and Diana Ross.
BET Awards executive producer Jesse Collins expressed his joy in the show being able to honor an individual who has “repped Black excellence from day one” and that his contributions to the Black culture go beyond his achievements in the world of hip-hop.
During his acceptance speech last year, Diddy made a lot of points but waited till the end to reveal the big news of his intention to donate two million dollars. His ten-minute speech comprised primarily of him expressing his gratitude to God, his mom, and many others. His humbling speech was truly moving and was tied together beautifully at the end as he talked about wanting to unify the Black community and wanting to donate to two HBCUs.
He talked elaborately with regard to dreaming about “Black people being free,” controlling their own destiny, being wealthy, and being together in harmony.
At the end of his speech, he said, “Hold up, hold up,” and dropped an absolute bomb of an announcement on the audience. He said that before he leaves with his award, he wanted to announce that he is set to donate “$1 million to Howard University” and set to “drop another $1 million on Deion Sanders and Jackson State” because Black people should play for their community. The crowd went nuts with joy after Diddy’s announcement, and he finally left after saying thank you once again.
Watch the complete speech below!
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JSU Reveals That Diddy Has Fulfilled His $1 Million Donation Pledge To The University
Diddy did not let JSU down and has been confirmed to have begun the donation process! He came through on his promise, and Jackson State University is set to receive the first of the three installments of the donation next week. The donation is specifically going to be put to use for the benefit of the JSU football team, which was coached by Sean’s friend Deion Sanders for a while.
When Diddy made the pledge, Sanders was Jackson State’s head coach, leading the team to its second-consecutive SWAC title. However, Sanders left JSU for a head football coaching job at the University of Colorado, with a 29.5 million USD contract! Many questioned whether this would affect Combs’ donation to JSU, but evidently, it hasn’t.
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Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony, who is Jackson State University’s acting president, recently revealed that the donation had been received by JSU at the Board of Trustees’ monthly Institutions of Higher Learning meeting on June 15th. She said that P Diddy has “released $1 million to Jackson State for athletics” and that JSU is very pleased about the same. She elaborated further, stating that JSU will receive 332,000 USD by June 23rd as a first installment and then “another installment in 2024 and another in 2025.”
Ashley Robinson, the Vice President and Director of Athletics at JSU, commented on how JSU is extremely proud to have someone as successful as Diddy acknowledge Jackson State and that the donation “goes beyond just the impact of the university but as well as the City of Jackson.”
This is not the first time Diddy has been involved in charitable gestures. He founded Daddy’s House Social Programs for the benefit of inner-city youth, where they would be tutored and given practical classes on day-to-day life issues. He donated one million USD to Howard University back in 2016, starting the Sean Combs Scholarship Fund to help students battle student debt. Diddy has been actively making efforts to help people as and when he can, with a focus on his community and their welfare.
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