The historically black Talladega College in Alabama doesn’t have to worry about money for a while. Thanks to Donald Trump.
After Talladega announced they would be participating in the 58th presidential inauguration parade, the backlash was swift and severe. Many alumni even expressed their desire to return their diplomas and degrees out of shame for being associated with the institution.
“They’ve said that I have shamed the college by making this decision,” President Billy Hawkins said in an interview on the O’Reilly Factor. “And I’ve had folks that say you know that I’m a disgrace to my African-American race and it’s been pretty nasty.”
The marching band set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the trip, and set a goal for $75,000.
When Hawkins appeared on Fox News Channel’s O’Reilly Factor, he pleaded with viewers to donate to get the school’s band to Washington, D.C. in time for inauguration.
And it worked like a charm.
In 15 days since the fundraising page was started, supporters have donated over $639,000 to send the band to DC.
The page stipulates that the funds will go to “transportation, travel, lodging and other expenses.”
So, in a very Trumpian way, Talladega took a major risk, faced significant resistance, and it paid off bigly. Welcome to Trump’s America.
