Florida A&M, a dubious donor and $237M: The transformative HBCU gift that wasn’t what it seemed

This image made from video provided by WCTV shows Gregory Gerami, a 30-year-old who called himself Texas’ “youngest African American industrial hemp producer,” third from left, and Florida A&M University president Larry Robinson posed with a ceremonial check while being surrounded by other university officials during a commencement ceremony on May 4, 2024 in Tallahassee, Fla. The $237 million donation was promised by Gerami, but everything was not what it seemed and the donation is now in limbo. Gerami maintains that everything will work out, but FAMU is not the only small university that has engaged with his major donation proposals only to see them go nowhere. (WCTV via AP)By James PollardThe Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — It would have been the largest-ever private gift to a historically Black college or university: $237 million — far beyond the recipient’s endowment. The money was promised by a 30-year-old who had recounted his rise from a childhood in foster care to becoming, as he put it, Texas’ “youngest African American industrial hemp producer.”And so, the first weekend of May, Florida A&M University celebrated Gregory Gerami’s extraordinary contribution with all the necessary pomp. He spoke at commencement. Regalia-clad administrators posed with a...