The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) recently announced a collaboration with TikTok to celebrate the online education movement HillmanTok during their latest visit to Congress.
Earlier this week, a group of educators from HillmanTok University made a trip to Capitol Hill alongside members of the UNCF.
The group that traveled included several key players in the creation of the online HBCU, including makeup content strategist Shyia Simmon, Hillman Tok creator Dr. Leah Barlow, and Gyllian Carter. Key players also present included Denise Francis, a TEDX speaker and educator who was recently featured in “The Psychology of Self Care, Wellness & The Black Mental Health Experience” to talk about the mental health of Black women; Kyra Brown, a professor who tells the story of underrepresented Black women in history and Jordyn Brooks, a content strategist who teaches the HillmanTok CPA Thurman’s financial literacy course.
While there, they participated in a special event that honored Black online creators who are helping make higher learning more accessible through the TikTok movement. They spoke to members of Congress to highlight their success.
“This collaboration celebrates the brilliance of educators, content creators, and digital innovators who are redefining the future of learning and storytelling. By harnessing the power of technology, we are expanding access, elevating the legacy of HBCUs, and engaging a new generation committed to educational excellence,” said UNCF Senior Vice President Ed Smith-Lewis per Essence. “Through this partnership, UNCF reaffirms its role as a catalyst for opportunity—ensuring that HBCUs and their students are equipped to lead, innovate, and thrive in an evolving digital landscape.”
Created by Dr. Barlow initially as a place for her to collaborate and engage with her students, HillmanTok, named after the fictional school from “A Different World,” has expanded to include various subjects, covering more than 400 topics through their courses.
@afamstudies Toward an Intellectual History of Black Women
♬ original sound – Dr. Barlow’s Intro to Af-Am
Modeled after an HBCU, the online university offers courses such as African-American Studies, Government Contracting 101, Posing 101, Forensic Pathology, Emotional Intelligence 101, and Journalism. Lessons can be found either through TikTok’s 10-minute recordings or their Live feature for lesson plans that require more time.
HillmanTok recently announced that it will be branching out from TikTok to a new website that is expected to launch soon. The website will feature a course catalog full of all the available classes and will be a place for students to sign up for lessons, particularly as TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain.
According to HillmanTok leaders, the online university has had over 955,000 searches and 3.5 million views for its videos since its conception.
