Joe Biden nominates Taraji P. Henson, Chris Paul to HBCU presidential advisory board

US President Joe Biden announced more appointments this week to advisory board posts. Biden nominated actress Taraji P. Henson and NBA star Chris Paul to the presidential advisory boards for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The White House announced Biden’s newest appointments to the HBCU presidential advisory boards, with Henson and Paul the latest to be tapped for the positions. This also comes as Biden re-established the HBCU Initiative in 2021.

“Incredibly humbled to be appointed to President Biden’s HBCU Board of Advisors. Looking forward to working with this amazing group to continue to elevate these institutions,” tweeted Paul.

“I am excited to announce that President Biden has appointed me to serve on his HBCU Board of Advisors. 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,” said Henson in a post the actress shared on Instagram.

The members of the advisory board will work to “increase the capacity of HBCUs to provide the highest quality education to its students and continue serving as engines of opportunity,” said the White House.

The US leader has appointed Tony Allen and Glenda Glover as the board’s chair and vice-chair respectively. Back in February, Biden appointed Dietra Trent as the executive director.

Other appointees that were announced to the advisory board are Makola M. Abdullah, Javaune Adams-Gaston, Paige Blake, Thasunda Brown Duckett, Willie A. Deese, Patrick Cokley, Monica Goldson, Brett J. Hart, Beverly W. Hogan, Lisa P. Jackson, Shevrin D. Jones, Walter M. Kimbrough, William F.L. Moses, Christopher E. Paul, Quinton T. Ross Jr., Ruth J. Simmons, and Janeen Uzzell.

In other related news, Reuters reports that Biden may consider invoking a Cold War-era Defense law in the coming days to encourage domestic production of minerals needed to make batteries for electric cars, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

This kind of order under the Defense Production Act is expected to help companies access government funds for feasibility studies for projects that would extract lithium, nickel, and other metals for electric vehicles, or to improve existing facilities.