A Princeton alum just made history.
Kwanza Jones graduated from the institution 30 years ago, and in 2019 decided to honor her alma mater with a huge donation to the tune of $20M alongside fellow Princeton ’94 graduate José E. Feliciano. Now, they’re getting dormitories named after them, the first Black and Latino donors to be bestowed with the honor.
“We see this gift as the color of commitment. It also demonstrates that people of color belong and we are at the table to help the university to continue to do the work of anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion,” said Jones in a news release.
Jones and Feliciano are business partners and founded the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative (Jones+Feliciano) in 2014, an investment organization.
The donation comes in hopes of furthering racial equity and comes from a personal place. Jones addressed racist experiences BIPOC faced within Princeton as both students and staff.
According to recent enrollment data shared with ESSENCE by Princeton, only 10% of its undergraduate population is Latinx and Black enrollment sits at just 8%.
“One of the reasons José and I committed more than $20 million to Princeton was to demonstrate that underrepresented people of color, whether Black, Brown, or otherwise, that these people, our people… belong. Not that we belong solely as beneficiaries of a Princeton education and experience. But, instead, we belong, as patrons and co-creators of Princeton, and places like Princeton. And, that Princeton, our communities, our nation, and the world is made better because of us.”