Oprah Winfrey continues to give back and her latest philanthropic effort came with another eight-figure donation to Atlanta’s HBCU Morehouse College. To celebrate the $12 million donation that Winfrey made 30 years ago, she made another surprise $13 million donation to her scholarship program taking the total endowment to $25 million which is the largest in the school’s 150-year history.
The donation will go to the Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program which was launched in 1989 and has educated 600 students.
“I was really surprised to learn that it’s been 30 years since I made that $12 million donation to Morehouse, so today I would like to add $13 million to that,” Winfrey said. “I understand that African American men are an endangered species. They are so misunderstood. They are so marginalized.
“Seeing you young Oprah Winfrey scholars here today has moved me deeply,” she added, via CNN.com. “I am so proud of you, I’m proud of everybody in attendance at this school who is seeking to know more clearly who you are, the value you hold and how you will share that value with the rest of the world.”
You can check out video of Oprah’s surprise donation in the video below which was shared by the college on social media.
Morehouse is one of the few remaining traditional men’s liberal arts colleges in the United States. Morehouse College is part of the Atlanta University Center along with Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse School of Medicine and all women’s college Spelman College.
After the surprising donation, Morehouse College president David A. Thomas issued a statement expressing his gratitude.
“I’m grateful to Oprah Winfrey for her generosity,” Thomas said. “I am also feeling hopeful for Morehouse and what it has garnered in terms of philanthropic support with gifts like Oprah’s and Robert Smith’s. I am hopeful that this will also get others to step up with their support of Morehouse, but even more broadly, historically black colleges and universities.”
Billionaire Robert Smith previously donated $34 million to Morehouse College last month to pay off the student loan debt of the 2019 graduating class.
