Thomas Joyner, Jr., president and CEO of the Tom Joyner Foundation, offered the following statement in response to the recent announcement by his father, Tom, who offered to assist Trayvon Martin’s friend, Rachel Jeantel, attend college.
“At the Tom Joyner Foundation, our passion is focused on helping students fulfill their dreams 
at HBCUs. We’re going to do everything we can to help Rachel Jeantel to pursue her dreams of getting a college education. We look forward to helping her experience the nurturing environment that an HBCU offers that has helped so many students over the years succeed.”
The Joyner family has a deep ties with HBCUs: Joyner Jr. is a graduate of Howard University; his brother, a graduate of Florida A&M University, his father, Tom, is a graduate of Tuskegee Institute.