A Better Chance TV with host Dr. Monique S. Robinson

Fueling HBCUs, Building Futures: Mentorship, Money, and Micro Schools that Lift Black and Brown Girls

• Monique Robinson, Ed.D

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Start with the celebration, stay for the blueprint. We dig into what it actually takes to carry Black and Brown students from middle school affirmation to HBCU graduation—calling out performative mentorship, naming the prison pipeline, and replacing vague “support” with concrete logistics that feed, fund, and finish. Our guest, Tanisha, reveals BELL Academy—Beyond Excellence Ladies Leadership Academy—a nonprofit microschool where girls gain safety, voice, and hard skills: STEAM and robotics, hydroponics to nourish their communities, and entrepreneurship so every student forms an LLC by eighth grade. It’s identity and agency braided with real-world capacity.

We talk money without flinching. If you don’t trust institutional spend, deliver your support in-kind: printers, paper, art supplies, menstrual products, laundry detergent, even bedding. Care packages matter more than applause, and recurring help beats one-time scholarships. Churches, alumni, and neighbors can step in with rides home, on-campus relationships, and monthly boxes that bridge hunger and dignity. We also unpack FAFSA changes—fewer questions, higher stakes for errors—and why workshops are essential to keep students from getting kicked out of the process over a single misstep.

This conversation is powered by collaboration over ego. A closed door on a building becomes an open campus through community ties; women leaders share platforms, not credit. We spotlight children’s books that put representation on the page, a forthcoming Kwanzaa story, and a simple donor path that keeps tuition low for working moms. If you’ve ever asked “How do I help?” here’s the map: buy directly from BELL Academy’s Amazon registry, attend scholarship events with receipts, assemble a care package for a student, and mentor with consistency, not captions. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who cares about HBCUs and girls’ education, and leave a review telling us one action you’ll take this week. Your follow-through can be the difference between an acceptance letter and a graduation day.

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SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to a Better Chance for Youth television show with your host, Monique Robinson, where we highlight, celebrate, and recognize students from all over the country who are doing great things in the classroom, community, and athletics. Every student deserves an opportunity. An opportunity for hope in a future. So let's celebrate our students, the next generation of teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and future leaders. Join us on another incredible segment of a Better Chance for Youth show with your host, Monique Robinson.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm going to give them every affirmation that they need to be proud of who they are and whose they are, and give them that so that when they do finish in our program, even though we're only going up to eighth grade, they know going into high school, I am that woman. I'm that great woman that's going to make a change in the world. And I was given the tools to do so. So that's what I look at, and that's what that's what I strive for.

SPEAKER_03:

Wow. Um, we have just flown by everything. Thank goodness. But I don't, you know, hey, it is it is very necessary. It's some things that were said that need to be named, especially an element in the room. Um, I've been saying for years, you know, this prisoner pipeline thing is serious. Y'all not paying attention. Um, I've been saying it even when I was an elementary teacher, and also um, you also named how it's a lot of people because it's trending. Um, a lot of people are, I want to be a mentor, or I want to start an HBCU club, I want to do this, and they're not paying attention to detail. Like these are things we started because we're passionate about, and we have education to back it.

SPEAKER_02:

That's right.

SPEAKER_03:

That's the gap. So if you are watching, you know, not taking a shot at anybody, uh, just speaking facts.

SPEAKER_02:

That's right.

SPEAKER_03:

Speaking facts. Um, this is something not something that Tanisha just woke up and said she wanted to do. That's what I've been saying. This is 20 years. 20 years, right? It's the passion behind it. She's educated, she's been a principal, she's been in the classroom. So it's not like you know, she's saying, Hey, I want to do this. And that's one of the things that hurt me that I see um on my end on the nonprofit side. It's like, okay, you just woke up and said, What school you go to? And then when I fact check, it's crazy. So that's why I get excited, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. It sounds good that you want to help the HBCUs, but do you really? Do you really are you or you just riding on the coattail? And I I I look at that too because you know, we talk a lot, but we don't put our money behind what we say. You know, those that have the funds and the money and the where for us all to help HBCUs, they they talk a good game, but they don't they don't put their money where their mouth is. And you have one pretty much if you don't have one in your state, you got one close by you, you know, so you don't have any reason not to give to the United Negro College Fund or that you know to a HBCU. Take the money up to the college then. If you don't trust how things are being spent, then go up there then. Go up there and see what needs to be done and give that way. You know, the students need help. If you if you don't want to give the money to the institution, then go up there and write a check and give it to the student, you know, buy some food, buy something. Right, the students are there and they need help. So, you know, and we know what that's like, where in some days you might not have had food and stuff like that, but guess what? Back to that love again. We made sure each other, you know, we took care of each other. That we, you know, every if I'm eating, you eating, you know what I'm saying? We all go if we got to make Roman noodles by the potload, you know, we that's what we're doing. So there's ways to help the HBCUs, just like there's ways to help black and brown students in our communities, but a lot of us talk about it, but we're not we don't have um the infrastructure to keep it going either. You know, we um we we put these things in place, and then next year we don't see you, like you said, crickets, you know. So how what did you do to really put things in place? And this is why, you know, even in being a um an uh ordained minister, my thing is, you know, I look at a lot of our churches the same way. You know, we got we got to do more, you know. We can't just say that we just giving them a scholarship and sending them off to college, you know. Well, next year, what about next year? They gotta they got four years of this to do, you know, where's the care packages that we're sending down there on a monthly basis? Those type of things. They got to thrive while they're down there, you know. So we can't just send them off with a$50 to$500 scholarship for books and then we forget about them, you know. These are still our this is still our community. We got to make sure they get across that stage. So in that, they might be academically strong, but if they're suffering while they're down there, because they don't have enough food or they don't have you know um clothing or bed bedding or supplies, you know, women's products, men's products. If they don't have those things, where's our care packages that we're sending with? We collect we collect the money every Sunday, so we should we ought to be able to put$100 or$200 to the side to send these students what they need. So that's the other thing about you know us giving to our students so that they can thrive and don't have to feel like nobody's behind us when we get them there. So bragging on them getting accepted is one thing. Now let's brag on they graduate, on them graduate, you know, because when I see students and they come back home, I'm like, what in the world? What are you doing here? You know, I sent you to school, I've sent over 4,000 students to black colleges. And I'm like, when I see one come back home, I'm like, what you doing? Why are you back home? Oh well. Like, what the world? We had a whole plan going on here. Okay, well, let's get your stuff back together and let's go back. Or what do we need to do to get you back on track? Obviously, you didn't have the tools that you needed when you went down there. We need to get you back on track so that you can get back in school and finish. We don't start something and don't finish it, and that's what I'm trying to put in girls when I start my school because they need they and and see what people don't understand is they're the life cycle. So if our girls are not prepared for the world, if our girls are not prepared to be mothers, if they're not prepared to feed into the community, guess what? There is no community without the black woman. That's true, there is not one. So without that black woman being prepared and being strong and knowing what she's standing up against, you know, not just seeing clips on social media, knowing that day-to-day life as a black woman, as a black and brown woman, there's going to be all kinds of diverse. We have degrees, and we still have to worry about the Crown Act, girl. And I wear my locks proud, but right, but in a lot of in a lot of instances, they can't even wear them in schools. You see stupid clips like women, female teachers cutting the locks off of students' hair. That's not your job. Your job is to educate, not worry about what my hair looks like. But we're sitting here in a generation in 2023, still worrying about the Crown Act. That's not safe for a young lady to have to worry about who she is and then come into an educational facility and wonder if my teacher likes me or not because my hue is different.

SPEAKER_03:

I get in a lot of good trouble because of stuff like that. I mean, I guess I mean, I'm just gonna call it spade a spade. I used to be a unique person and my temper used to be extremely different. I've grown. I've grown, I know how to channel my energy into stuff like education. I know how to go to um politicians when necessary and say things that needed to be said. I got actively involved in uh the community action committee purposely, that's part of the city council here, so that I can hear what's being said, so I can translate it to the parents because I like you named earlier, our parents are not prepared. So we get to the roof, we help the parents, we can help the students, we get everybody on one accord, and that's what excites me about your school. And I'm like, uh-uh, Tanisha started this school, I will help her any way I can. Um, and that's one thing that we lack as women as women entrepreneurs, and uh we too worried about somebody doing better than us that we don't want to help. And I'm I'm you know, I know a lot of people from the outside looking in may think that that's the way I am. I truly am not, you know, but I don't put my name on everything, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and and people have to understand that everybody's calling is different. So however my calling was to serve, you know, our community is different on how your platform is to serve. And but if we don't tap into that and it's just a lost calling, it's just a lost gift that was given to us, we can't give it to our children, right? We can't show them to tap into their our given um talents and gifts to use for the world. So we have to understand that our each one of our callings are different and and and celebrate one another and help one another do that. And that's why I'm so thankful to you for reaching out to me when you saw that I that I'm starting the school, because we have to be able to help one another. Nobody can do it by themselves, you know. And starting the school, you know, and I'm gonna tell you, sis, I literally cried. Um, and I'm not a crier, you know. I literally cried when the real estate company told me that I could not have the place that I wanted. I literally went, I said, Lord, I know this is my time to start the school. I know it is. And why is it that this man is telling me now in the contract that I have to have six months holding when they wasn't, then he didn't tell me that in the beginning. I said, I'm not gonna get the place, Lord. And and I just cried, I just balled out, and I was like, I don't never cry, you know. It I got to be in some serious pain to cry, but that really hurt me because I'm like, this is gonna be another year, I don't get to start. And then lo and behold, my best friend, um one of my friends, um, she's the president of the NAACP in Carrollton, um, Dominique Conte. And I have to, I have to give that that love to her because she saw the hurt in my eyes when I couldn't get the place, and she said, Well, let me help you. You know, I know a pastor and he, you know, he has a church. And I'm like, Well, I don't want to turn people away because of you know the school being in the church, you know. And she said, No, it's a it's a separate, he has a separate building. And when I talked to him, and he and and I and he took took me around the building, and it used to be a school, so I don't have to pay for anything. I was like, the Lord just set it up, you know. Right there. And he made it better than what I could have ever imagined. So it used to be a school that closed during COVID and they never reopened. And um, so with that, I was like, oh my god, I know you put that in place because just two, three days ago, I was sitting here bawling my eyes out because I couldn't get a building. And these are some of the things about trying to help children when we try to start our programs and things like that, that we don't have the resources, you know, to go in and get a space to get the money. The I don't have a dime to my name, but I said I'm gonna have this school running. You know what I'm saying? I'm gonna have that. We have to drive, you gotta have it drive the wheel. And I said it's gonna work out because I know God is with me, and then God knows our motives and what what we're doing and what we're trying to do for our people for the culture. And so when you reached out to me, I was like, man, that that's great. And then I had others, my my sorority sisters, Simi and Row, they just been backing me up and like, come on, we can do this. We we got you on the supplies, we got you on this. So it's just been um a journey. I've been speaking it into existence for the last 20 years, and and I know God is with me that we're gonna help these black and brown girls, and we're gonna make them feel safe, we're gonna make them feel loved, and we're gonna put them in the rights of passage program and teach them the principles of being a woman, but also knowing it what it is to be in the world as a black and brown woman so that they are equipped and ready. So when God tells us to put on the full armor, we have to teach them how to put on the full armor first.

SPEAKER_03:

I love it. Well, um, I know we didn't pause in our normal places, but time has gone and gone. But I do want you to you like no guy took they that's why they don't like me to have my friends on here, I think.

SPEAKER_02:

Because I know he's gonna watch the replay and be like while he's editing, he'll probably be telling me off like I told them to take commercial break every eight weeks.

SPEAKER_03:

I did, I had good intentions, but um before we get out of here, all that part is gonna be cut out. So before we get out of here, I want you to directly tell us how we can support, where can we go to to donate to the school, uh Bell Academy. And I was like, oh, it's an acronym.

SPEAKER_02:

I got excited. Well, Bell Academy is an acronym, it stands for Beyond Excellence Ladies Leadership Academy and um Bella for short. And we are in micro school, we are um private, nonprofit, so everything with us is through donations, and we have everything that we need for the young ladies, um, um robotics, um, activities, all those types of things listed on our Amazon site. It is a registry under Amazon called Bell Academy, and it helps us to provide um activities for the young ladies. We will be teaching hydroponics, they will learn how to grow food for the community and give it back to the community, but at the same time, they will be learning how to um use their skills to start their own business. At the end of the program, by the time they're in eighth grade, they every young lady will have their own LLC. And we're teaching them that based on the fact that if they choose not to go to college or anything like that, they will use that the tools that we gave them on how to start a business to have their own business. So that's just as important as the education, being able to start their own. So we have a um, we will have our Facebook page up this weekend. And then also, like I said, to donate, you do not have to send in cash. We're what we're asking is to go on the Amazon gift giving page, which is a registry on Amazon and it's called Bell Academy, and everything we need to help the young ladies um start their businesses, um, robotics, steam, um, art supplies, um, activities, sports. Um, we will have a little soccer team for them. So all these things that um will help them. Um, printers, we do need printers and paper and things like that. All that is listed on the Amazon site, and we would so appreciate your help, and we do need it, and it helps us so we can defer the cost for their parents because we are private and nonprofit, so we'll be charging tuition, but we are trying our best not to charge too much so that the working woman, their mothers, will not have to occur a lot of costs to be at a um private school for their daughters.

SPEAKER_03:

Also, yes, Margaret Collins, that's right. Humble beginnings, her daughter. Um, yeah, that's part of the reason why I'm such a stern teacher because I yeah, that was my education.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and we appreciate her her uh contribution to the culture and the curriculum that she uses.

SPEAKER_03:

So yeah, I still use a lot of that in you know in my teaching philosophy. But I was like, oh, that's right, Chicago. They they don't play about education there. So I would like to thank Tanisha for coming on today, telling us her story, letting us know how we can support. Also, Tanisha's in last week's newsletter, so check it out if you want to get in early, you know, or maybe you might be a little late to the party, but she will probably be in the newsletter for a couple weeks till we feel like you all have dug in your pockets and got on Amazon. You shopping at Timu and Sheen anyway, so might as well help these right.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and and this way they don't feel like they're they're just sending in money and it's not going to what they want. Um, that is not going to it. This way you actually see that you're buying stuff for the school and the money, the money that's being used, your money is going directly to what you purchased for us, not us trying to spend it for you. So those things that's listed in the shop is what we need to run the school. And so we said this would be better than trying to ask for money, and people be like, Okay, we don't know if you're gonna use it for the right purposes.

SPEAKER_03:

That way you know, this way you know it is right, that way you can see it in action and see where it goes. And actually, you probably gave me an idea because we do send off care packages, and I'm like, care packages are expensive.

SPEAKER_02:

If I just go yes, they are, yes, they are, especially and um, you know, especially when it's a you got uh quite a few students that you send to school. So when you're sending out 10, 20 kids and you're buying them all the things that they need to, you know, it only lasts for like a month, tie detergent it by itself, you know, so just get detergent for them to wash clothes. So yeah, we look at all those things, and and if there's any way that we can help your organization as well, as far as making sure that our kids need what they have what they need at their college, respective college, so that they can be okay and don't have to feel like they have to beg anyone for it. We should be taking care of them, and so anyone that's listening, just make a care package. If you don't want to send money to the school, make a care package for a student and just drive it up to the college. It's it's okay. We'll take it. The students will take it.

SPEAKER_03:

They will, and most campuses have on campus, um, which I really like because my friend actually, she's like a mother to me, a second mother. Um, at Central State, she runs the mental health uh component that they have, and they are really successful in. We had it when we was there at Wilkes Forest, but I don't think it was as strong as it is now. So where they are really impacting students' life, and I get excited when you know some of my students were like, Hey, I went and stopped by the lady, you know, she took me to lunch. I'm like, I told y'all you're gonna go get in good with these people.

SPEAKER_02:

That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_03:

That's that's what it's about, and now it makes sense to me because I used to get mad at my mom, like, these are not your kids. Why are you bringing them?

SPEAKER_02:

That's right, because it's still it's still a village. At the end of the day, it's still a village, and we still have to take care of one another. You know, my dad, he couldn't give a uh give a lot, but he was the driver. But so every time somebody couldn't get back home towards Chicago, my dad, put your stuff in the car, put your stuff in the van. That was his contribution. He gets them kids back home, you know. So every little bit helps everybody's everybody's blessing that they give to students is different. So, you know, if you're a parent and you got a student there, take take a student home, don't let them get on the greyhound. You know, we know it's a lot of things happening out here. Don't let them get, you know, travel by themselves, you know. So, whatever way you can help those students progress so that they can get to the finish line, that's how we that's what we need to do.

SPEAKER_03:

Definitely, definitely. So, see y'all told y'all when family come on here, we just you know, we might have to make a part two. So, don't be surprised if you see Tanisha again, maybe not on our show, but maybe um on HBCU Alumni House Party, because she is a World Force alum. Um, and you know, she's doing some amazing things out here, and we got to get the word out. So, support is been real. I do know uh Alamo Fest is coming up in October. That is what Every Person Counts with Mr. Leon Fry, Grambling Alum. Um, he is on actually, he should he was on last week. But please get out and support these events. All the events are going towards helping scholars. Um, yes, we like doing things and you may be having fun in a moment, but most of our parties, I say most, all of our parties are with the purpose. Um, but only thing different is when we have those educational things because I keep stressing FAFSA is changing. When we put the link out to register for the FASFA um workshop, it's changing this year. It's going down to 35 questions. If you answer a question wrong, your application will be denied and kicked out. If you're not educated, we gotta get it together. So uh don't be so prideful. Even I still ask for help when I don't know. So thank you, Tanisha. Um, I'm quite sure this is not the last time we're gonna have her on, and definitely um anything you need from us, we got you till next time.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all so much. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

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SPEAKER_01:

Tune in to a better chance for youth television show with host Tony Robinson on the Daily Gospel Network. The television show dedicated to highlighting incredible students on local culture to change the world. Join us every week as we uplift the youth and help them on the journey to what you deserve. Have the Better Chance for Youth Television Show with host Tony Robinson on the Daily Gospel Network. Thanks for watching a Better Chance for Youth Television Show with your host Monique Robinson. The television show where we highlight incredible students in their quest to change the world. Join us each and every week as we uplift our youth and help them on their journey to the bright future they deserve. So until next time, God bless. From your friends on a Better Chance for Youth Television show with your host, Monique Robinson.

SPEAKER_03:

Also wear a lot of other mini hats, but today I am going to talk about my books. Now, how the idea of writing came about, it was actually my nephews, um Junior and Mark have motivated me to want to write. I love literacy. I've been an educator for 23 years, and reading is very important to me. And when they told me they didn't like to read, who says that? So when my nephews told me they didn't like to read, what I did as a uh as their aunt is I created children's books that has African American boys doing some unique, amazing things. And it has like a little twist in some of them because they also inspire historical facts in one. Now, recently I am in the works of making another children's book that deals with Kwanzaa. So that one will be out during the holidays. So please, please, please check that one out or follow me and see when that one will get released. But right now I have this book here. It actually is all three of my books in one. So it has my first book, um, ABC Black History, where it goes through the alphabet of all the African-American inventions. And then I have my second book, um, a unique uh adventurous story about the magical cheese. Um, and then my most recent one, uh, which is everyday um it's black history. You know, black history can be something in history has happened every day. And all three of my books uh just really, really love them. Uh the pictures make you feel like you're in the adventure. But as a teacher, to see scholars light up when they see things that represent them inside the book is also wonderful. Now, you can purchase my children's book on Amazon or you can inbox me and I can um probably give you a cheaper rate than Amazon, but they are on Amazon, they are on Lulu, they are on Barnes and Noble, but most important, when you read my book, you will see pictures that I don't know if you can really see it, pictures where the characters actually look and resemble, look and resemble us. It represents us. I'm really excited about my upcoming book because growing up in my family, we actually celebrated both. My family celebrated Kwanzaa and we also celebrate Christmas. So this book that's coming out is going to tell that story from my nephew's point of view. And it's I can't give you all the details of the story yet because I'm so excited that we are venturing out and actually doing a holiday one this year. But I love, love, love to see our young people read. And I love it more importantly when they read and they see them reflecting in the pages. So my name is Monique Robinson. I have been an author for I want to say six years as a published author. Uh, used to write all the time when I was in school, according to my mom. She'd tell me I used to have notebooks of just poems and things like that. So I wish I could find it because then I could probably share it with you guys. But I really, really, really uh do love the fact that there are a lot of African-American authors who are doing some amazing things that are reaching out, that are touching the lives of youngsters. I also would like to collaborate. I am a collaborating author, um, and I can't do anything but thank the Filmpreneur project for pushing me in that aspect of my life to where I'm able to write down things that I may have experienced and I'm able to also talk about it. But like I said, today I'm strictly here for the children's books, but I just wanted to inform you that hey, get on Amazon, get on Lulu. This one is actually on per uh for purchase on Lulu. But if you do not want to pay those extra fees and things, you can actually get it through me. Uh, send me your info and I can send you an invoice, and you can get all three books in one book for the price of one. So pretty amazing. Now, the other thing that I would like to tell you is be on the lookout for our Christmas book. Also, be on the lookout for another journal. I well, I can't say another journal. I'm excited about this journal because it is youth affirmations, affirmations for young people. Because often we do things, but we forget about our young people. Um, so we're gonna have several things coming out um as the holiday season is approaching. So look out for our Christmas book and also look out for our journal. Now, if you have any questions about the books about meeting me, you can email me at mrobinson at abc youthfuturesinc.com. Or you can just follow me on Facebook and inbox me. You can follow me on actually any other social media sites and inbox me, and we will greatly assist you with your needs. Thank you. I'm Monique Robinson, and I appreciate you taking the time to learn about my books.

SPEAKER_01:

Thanks for watching a better chance for youth television show with your host, Monique Robinson. The television show where we highlight incredible students in their quest to change the world. Join us each and every week as we uplift our youth and help them on their journey to the bright future they deserve. So until next time, God bless from your friends on a better chance for youth television show with your host, Monique Robinson.

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Monique S. Robinson, Ed.D

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