HillmanTok University – a 'virtual HBCU' – is growing as Trump dismantles federal DEI
Braiding for Beginners.
Educating the Black Child 101.
Introduction to Black Entrepreneurship.
Americans can enroll in these courses at HillmanTok University, a virtual "college" that launched on TikTok in late January.
The college is designed to bring the experience of an attending an HBCU, or historically Black college or university, to online users. HillmanTok University has rapidly expanded since its launch in the wake of the Trump administration's attacks on federal diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Founder Cierra Hinton, a former elementary school teacher who lives in Georgia, said the virtual school's official enrollment has grown to about 11,000 people who have access to almost 400 free courses streamed on multiple online platforms in the last three weeks.
The TikTok account has more than 370,000 users who can access the courses. Some professors have posted tests on their TikTok pages. The school is not officially accredited.
Hinton said the online model of a university is bringing joy and community to Black learners and teachers during "the rollbacks on DEI and the current political climate."
"There are people who are thirsty for education and knowledge, and there are people who are very desiring to give it," Hinton said. "Everyone is in a place of trying to focus on what we can control instead of what we can't. And what we are able to do is have some autonomy over the ability to build with one another and to build each other up."
What is HillmanTok University?
In an interview with Paste BN, Hinton described HillmanTok University as a virtual Black college taught by real college professors .
"It kind of happened on accident," she said.
On Jan. 25, Hinton logged on to TikTok to watch an organized 35-person Introduction to African American Studies video lesson taught by Leah Barlow, an assistant professor of liberal studies at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Barlow initially hosted the class on her own TikTok page.
Hinton noticed others online were also taking courses hosted by Black professors and creators. There were discussions about a potential school color and a mascot.
That's when she thought: "We really have something here and started to build Hillman University's TikTok page.
"In the course of a weekend, we really shaped out and molded out this course list that really grew," she said. "We've blossomed into this real, living, breathing community of professors and college courses."
HillmanTok University now has several departments with a variety of courses ranging from the traditional classes like psychology, health and Spanish to "more colorful" classes like "We Got Food at Home," a culinary course, Hinton said.
Hinton left her role as an elementary school teacher to focus on building HillmanTok University full-time in mid-February.
'We're restoring culture'
The mission of HillmanTok University is help to Black people connect and to create a necessary movement of Black culture and education, said Hinton and Leah Moffit, a team member at HillmanTok University.
"We are literally creating a culture and connecting community," said Hinton. She said name comes from the fictional setting of "A Different World," a hit sitcom that aired from 1987 to 1993 and was set at a HBCU called Hillman College.
"There are some people that don't even realize that Hillman is a reference to one of the biggest groundbreaking shows in black sitcoms," Hinton said. "Some people don't even realize that black sitcoms were a big thing in all of TV history. We're restoring culture."
Moffit said its especially crucial to spread the message of joy and culture now during Black History Month.
"It's about community appreciation, community uplifting and community connection," Moffitt said.
Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.