Suns' Chris Paul Named to President Joe Biden's HBCU Advisory Board

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul was appointed to President Joe Biden's advisory board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on Thursday.

Paul is joined by actress Taraji P. Henson and several other members of the HBCU community on an 18-person board. 

Increasing funding and awareness for HBCUs has long been a passion for Paul, who is enrolled as a student at Winston-Salem State in North Carolina. He collaborated with Boost Mobile for the first HBCU Challenge in November, which was held on the Suns' home floor. The 12-time All-Star also co-created the Mischief for Change Scholarship, a partnership with Sour Patch Kids to create a $1 million college scholarship for HBCU students over the next five years.

"My appreciation comes from the history," Paul told CBS News last year. "For me, I was the only person in my family who didn't attend an HBCU, and so as I got older, I just started to dig into a little bit more. I just want to make sure everyone understands that HBCUs are not less than, they're very capable and important to our history, to our culture, to everything."

Paul also has an ongoing docuseries with ESPN, Why Not Us, that highlights athletes at HBCUs while also painting a picture of the struggles they face—particularly when it comes to funding.

Biden's American Rescue Plan earmarked $2.7 million in funding for HBCUs.