This is one "cookie" that won't crumble.
Taraji P.
Henson's next big role is as an advisor to the president.
Taraji P.
Henson The "Empire" star is among a chosen few that President Biden announced his intent to appoint as members of the newly formed Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The members of the board, which also includes and NBA superstar Chris Paul, will work alongside Biden on the initiative's mission to "increase the capacity of HBCUs to provide the highest-quality education to its students and continue serving as engines of opportunity.
"Henson, who rose to international fame as Cookie Lyon in the Lee Daniels-produced prime-time drama, graduated Washington, D.
C.
's Howard University in 1995.
On Thursday, the Theatre Arts major shared the news on Instagram with a throwback photo wearing a Howard Alumni baseball cap.
"I am excited to announce that President Biden has appointed me to serve on his HBCU Board of Advisors," the Golden Globe Award winner wrote.
"Since taking office, the President and Vice President Harris have invested $5.
8 Billion in HBCUs and I look forward to working with them to continue efforts to support these important institutions.
"In September 2021, the Biden administration launched the HBCU initiative.
According to a White House statement, its aim is to "promote a variety of modern solutions for HBCUs, recognizing that HBCUs are not a monolith, and that the opportunities and challenges relevant to HBCUs are as diverse as the institutions themselves and the communities they serve.
"Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black, first woman and first person of South Asian heritage to serve in the role, graduated from Howard University in 1986.
The Oakland native is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, which was founded on the school's campus in 1908.
After Henson's son was allegedly racially profiled at the University of Southern California in 2015, she revealed she would send him to Howard5.
The private university boasts a prestigious alumni pool, which includes Thurgood Marshall, Zora Neal Hurston, Toni Morrison, Roberta Flack, Phylicia Rashad, Chadwick Boseman and Laz Alonzo.
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