Courtesy of Barber-Scotia College
Barber-Scotia College is one step closer to seeking accreditation after losing its status in 2004.
The school’s president, Chris Rey, said it raised more than $100,000 during its alumni weekend on Saturday and aims to raise an additional $60,000 at a gospel concert on Friday featuring Grammy-winning singer and pastor Hezekiah Walker.
Barber-Scotia had a major financial crisis at the start of the year. Rey posted a video in January on his Instagram and Facebook accounts, pleading for alum support.
“As of today, we have completely run out of money,” Rey said in the video. “… This is a call for everyone, that if you believe in HBCUs, if you believe in what we’ve been doing here, I need your help.”
That video gained nearly 150,000 views across the platforms as of April 28. One of those viewers was Walker. Rey said the singer reached out to him, saying, “I want to help support. How can I help?”
Rey and Walker decided to host a fundraising concert and contest. They put out a call for singers and choirs to submit videos for a chance to open or perform alongside Walker at the May 1 show.
The money from this concert will go towards the college’s contingency fund, or its “rainy day fund,” as Rey put it — a key component of the accreditation application.
Rey gave the example, “If it costs a half a million dollars to run Barber-Scotia College, we need to have $50,000 tucked away in a savings account … to show the accreditors that we have access to this $50,000, but it’s being used only in extreme emergencies.”
