In extension of their Tiffany & Co. “About Love ” campaign, Jay-Z and Beyoncé are using their partnership with the luxury jeweler to initiate the About Love scholarship program through their respective BeyGOOD and Shawn Carter Foundation organizations.
The new scholarship is created for students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) who are studying creative fields. It amounts to a total of $2 million pledged by Tiffany & Co. to be dispersed among a select set of smaller private and state schools that include Lincoln University, Norfolk State University, Bennett College, Central State University, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
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“This opportunity is timely as our students come from many different socioeconomic backgrounds,” said Central State University President Jack Thomas. “These funds will have a tremendous effect on who we recruit and our students’ success as they move on to graduate from professional schools and into their careers.
The initiative was launched when the original About Love campaign was launched, however, it was quickly overshadowed by the backlash that the Carters received for the inclusion of the Tiffany Diamond in their photoshoot, making Beyoncé the first Black woman to wear the jewel. Not many were happy about the ad, citing the conflicted history of the diamond, originally mined from South Africa’s Kimberly mine in the 19th century.
Some view it as a representation of the harsh history of British colonialism throughout Africa, referring to the stone as a “blood diamond” in many instances and accusing Beyoncé and Tiffany of “blackwashing.”