History

N.W.B.P. Black College Tour was born from a request by approximately 20 graduating female high school students. In their quest to fulfill their dreams of attending an institute of higher they also were aware that they needed help to obtain the knowledge and support of discovering what options are available to them outside of their home regions.

Through voicing their needs and concerns to a few caring school officials (Mr. O.L. Mitchell, decease, Dr. Robert Gary and Mr. Burl Garnett Jr), The N.W.B.P. HBCU Tours program was established as an additional offering of the Northwest Black Pioneers organization .

Accomplishments

Since 1995, the following are among our program accomplishments:

The program has service over 700 students from the greater Seattle area as well as students residing in other regions of the country.
Nearly 65% of the students who have participated in our program are now attending a 4-year college or university, community college, vocational or trade school.
30% of the students that have continued their education have enrolled into an HBCU.
In 2001, our program had its first graduate from an HBCU, Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC. One of the inaugural tour participants, she is now at Howard University pursuing her graduate degree in business law.

In 2000 it became apparent to the existing volunteer board that the community needed more than a tour to meet the needs of those students who are interested in traveling the road to success. The board acknowledged and accepted the challenge of expanding the services, experiences and information currently being provided.

Beginning in 2002, the program began to seek community partnerships that would help to address the needs of students who have determined that they were not college material at the time but wanted options that would support them to become self-sufficient, and contributing individuals to their communities.

To address these needs the program not only continues to offer the tour, but have added an educational/service program which now offers tutoring, mentoring, access to a state of the art computer center and access to other local community resources, information and opportunities. With these additions the program changed its name from Northwest Black Pioneers HBCU Tour to better reflect our offerings. We are now known as Northwest Black Pioneers Educational Programs, Services and Tours.