Image by Freddrell Green

By: Freddrell Green, Staff Writer

Despite the contempt for African-American culture, many people show love for its rich history and distinction. This type of love is shown by George Sedberry, a renowned social media influencer who uses his TikTok and Instagram accounts to post videos highlighting African-American history, especially that of historically black colleges and universities.

On Oct. 24, Sedberry visited Morehouse College’s campus as a part of his HBCU Travel Challenge. He plans on visiting every HBCU in the country as a way of popularizing their history and culture.

“There’s just something about Morehouse, that name recognition with the likes of Martin Luther King and Samuel Jackson,” Sedberry said.

Sedberry’s tour of the Atlanta University Center was impactful for him. But Morehouse stood out for its unique culture and hospitality towards Sedberry and his wife.

“I didn’t know Morehouse would accept us because the culture is so rich and protected. But it was a warm welcome. We felt like we belonged,” Sedberry said.

Despite the popularity and exposure Sedberry receives for his work now, his haunted past as a white supremacist makes achievements like this seem almost unimaginable.

“I grew up in a family environment where racism was just conditioned to the point where you don’t really know there’s another way to think until you step outside of it,” Sedberry said.

It wasn’t until Sedberry began a relationship with a woman with biracial children that his stance on race started to shift. This, coupled with his time spent in prison with an inmate who happened to be black, changed his perspective on race and turned him into a better individual.

Ironically, HBCUs have always been connected to Sedberry. He grew up surrounded by all four HBCUs in Arkansas; the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Shorter College, Philander Smith College, and Arkansas Baptist College.

“They’ve been around me my whole life. I just didn’t really think about them in a significant way,” Sedberry said.

Sedberry sees the work he is doing as a calling from God. Despite the positive response he’s gotten from the black community, the white community has antagonized and threatened him and his family for his content

“I’ve gotten death threats. I’ve gotten ‘Don’t come back to Arkansas.’ Remember, I spent years in prison. I have friends on both sides of the fence. So I don’t worry about that,” Sedberry said.

A highlight of Sedberry’s career was when he was offered a chance to speak on the topic of HBCUs at the Apollo Theater during the HBCU NY Classic this year. For Sedberry, this was a moment he could never imagine happening in his life.

When Sedberry finishes the HBCU Travel Challenge, he plans on traveling from New York to California to touch the ocean. He intends to pay homage to Booker T. Washington with the first 500 miles he covers. 

“I’m a white guy doing it in 2023 or 2024 with an RV. He was a 16-year-old young black man who was freed at nine years old in the coal mines, who walked 500 miles to the Hampton School in Virginia with no last name, no middle initial,” Sedberry said.

To view Sedberry’s tour of Morehouse, click the link here.

Copy Edited by: Elijah Megginson, Features Editor