During the month of February, we appreciated the opportunity to celebrate HBS students, alumni, and faculty who are establishing their own places in history. We are excited to continue to honor the legacy of the Black and African American members of our community, and invite you to learn more about the incredible accomplishments highlighted over the past month.
African American Student Union Spotlight Series
The HBS African American Student Union (AASU) strives to be an extended family for its members from the moment they decide to attend HBS, through the transition to second year, and beyond graduation.
Learn more about the paths and passions of individual AASU members through our MBA Voices blog post series: Spotlight on the Midwest, Spotlight on STEM, Spotlight on HBCUs, and Spotlight on the Public Sector.
Meet the Inaugural RISE Fellows
As part of the HBS Action Plan for Advancing Racial Equity, 20 MBA students were selected last fall as the inaugural recipients of the Recognizing Individuals Seeking Equity (RISE) Fellowship. The fellows were chosen for their demonstrated commitment to serving Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and other marginalized communities of color within the US prior to enrolling at HBS.
Learn more about eight of the RISE fellows and their work, motivations, and plans for the future: 2021 RISE Fellows Profiles.
Piloting an Experimental and Experiential Course
Senior Lecturers Archie Jones, Henry McGee, and Jeffrey Bussgang teamed up last year to design a new Harvard Business School (HBS) course, Scaling Minority Businesses, in which students learn about the unique challenges of Black-owned businesses. Students are grouped into teams and paired with one of ten Black entrepreneurs in the Boston area, support their business’s strategic initiatives, and assist in their continued growth.
Read more about the new Scaling Minorities Businesses course: Piloting an Experimental and Experiential Course and Exploring Racial Justice with the Scaling Minority Businesses Course.
Black Business Leaders Podcast Series
HBS's Cold Call podcast hosted a Black Business Leaders Series during the month of February. This special weekly series features faculty discussing cases with Black business leaders and issues of racial equity and diversity at the forefront.
Listen to the 30-minute podcast episodes: Black Business Leaders Series 2022.
Q&A with AASU Conference 2022 Co-Chairs
The African American Student Union’s (AASU) 49th Annual H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference at Harvard Business School was hosted February 18-19, 2022, with the theme "Rise Up: Bolstering Momentum Around Black Excellence." The conference kicked off with the third annual Black Tech Masters Series alongside the third annual Black New Venture Competition on Friday, followed by the conference on Saturday.
We asked AASU’s conference co-chairs, April Weathers (MBA 2022) and Cyril Straughn-Turner (MBA 2022), about this year’s theme, speaker lineup, and priorities for this popular event: AASU Conference 2022 Q&A.