A Yonkers man is helping to educate minority students on the importance of historically black colleges and universities, or HBCU, during Black History Month.

Dennis Richmond Jr., who leads the New York New Jersey Historically Black Colleges and Universities Initiative, says there are just over 100 HBCU’s nationwide, but that number has decreased over time.

He says it’s become his mission to change that.

His organization educates minority middle and high school students about the importance of attending college and debunks the myths about HBCUs.

"The connection with historically black institutions, Black History Month, and everything going on in our political climate is very simple. the connection is that it is important that people realize that all cultures matter,” he says.

A group of students from Yonkers and New Rochelle recently got scholarship books, FAFSA guides, and college brochures from over 20 HBCUs.  Richmond hopes that reaching these students early in their school careers will give them a better chance to succeed once they get to college.

"We could do anything if we want to we just need the right resources and the city is offering many resources for us,” says Richmond Jr.

HBCUs confer around 50,000 degrees of all types around the country every year.