My name is Dr. Stacey Patton. I am a journalism professor raising funds to support HBCU students.

For more than a decade, I've been launching the Ida B. Wells Textbook Fund each semester to help students at Howard University and Morgan State University afford the books and supplies they need to succeed.

But this year, the need is especially urgent.

Changes to federal student loan programs are making it harder for many families to finance college, while the cost of tuition, housing, food, books and technology continues to rise. For students already living on the financial edge, one unexpected expense can mean going without a textbook, skipping meals or falling behind in class. A textbook should never have to compete with dinner.

That is why the Ida B. Wells Textbook Fund will provide financial assistance directly to students at Howard and Morgan State. Each student can receive a maximum of $300.00. Students will be able to use these funds to purchase textbooks, required course materials, digital equipment, technology and other academic supplies. And when necessary, the funds can also be used for food.

Sometimes helping a student stay on track does not require thousands of dollars. Sometimes it is the $150 textbook they cannot afford, the hard drive they need to complete an assignment or enough groceries to get through the week.

The fund is named for Ida B. Wells because she understood the power of education, journalism and truth-telling.

If you can give $10, give $10. If you can cover a textbook, even better. And if you cannot donate, please share.

Every contribution helps put essential resources directly into the hands of students who need them. Let’s make sure they do not have to carry this burden alone.

Thanks for investing in our students!

S. Patton