Help! There's a University Forming on TikTok

and I don't know which class to take!

Feb 20, 2025

Hi there! Some housekeeping! Welcome to the first official piece of Create Pop- The Jurisdiction.

For those who may remember my Create Pop newsletter, no worries! The essence of the newsletter now exists on my other substack, The Watering Hole.

The Watering Hole is where I now post the Round Up. The Round Up offers everything Create Pop does, plus more.

Now Create Pop is The Jurisdiction. This Substack will primarily cover pop culture, lifestyle, food, and happenings. Think of it as the retro sibling to The Watering Hole!

I’d love it if you subscribe to both and share, whatever you like. It’ll be fun! Now…to our main programming.

Hello, and Welcome…

If you’ve been living under a rock or buying phones with TikTok on them for exuberant amounts of money (it’s back in the App Store) you may have missed the rise of Hillman Tok. Named after the fictional HBCU in A Different World, this movement that began with a small act sparked an educational revolution.

One evening while scrolling through TikTok on my classic escapism route this video by Dr. Barlow appeared. At first, my thumb began to scroll however the presence of Dr. Barlow brought that thumb to a halt. Her delivery was confident, her smile inviting, and her entire posture meant business.

According to Dr. Barlow, she posted the video as part of her Intro to African American Studies class that she teaches. Why TikTok, one would ask? When one thinks about it Why not?

Let’s face it, TikTok has made itself the #1 creator business tool. It’s quick, efficient, and has a built-in audience along with all the tech tools you need to execute your vision.

Its stealth in its simplicity is part of why it’s so dangerous (and in my opinion) is why it’s under fire. Imagine a world in which a person from the community can reach the community, positively teaching, shifting, and impacting those they want to reach in the community. That’s not only power, that’s evolution.

And that’s what’s happening in Hillman Tok.

Soon after Dr. Barlow’s post went viral, other specialists, scientists, and educational aficionados entered the chat. Quite literally, and without exaggeration, this HBCU was built overnight.

You’ve been auto-enrolled…

Why is Hillman Tok automatically classified as an HBCU? Well stating the obvious that this began with a black woman! Again, Dr. Barlow was doing her diligence by posting an intro video to welcome and provide context to her students.

Students who primarily make up a non-traditional class. Now Hillman Tok includes Indigenous, BIPOC, and other voices from marginalized communities crafting, creating, and sharing their wealth of knowledge.

Take for instance,

Dr. Christy History of U.S. Education

@dr.clo.flo Adding History of U.S. education to your spring 2025 schedule with @Dr. Barlow’s Intro to Af-Am!
Dr. Christy’s class explores the History of U.S. Education from an Indigenous perspective. Most of the books and essays on her syllabi are already on my reading list, so I’m excited to dive in!

Then one of my absolute favorites is Professor Dominques’ - Gardening 101 class.

@pharmunique_Welcome to Gardening 101. I am your professor Dr. Dominique Kinsler. Please watch the video in its entirety and work on assignment #1. See you back for class. #creatorsearchinsights #gardening101 #gardentok #tiktokclass #tiktokuniversity

Dominique’s take on gardening makes you want to grab your soil, seeds, and get to work. Her syllabus is a living document that she updates weekly with vital information like how to find your hardiness zones, best tips on container gardening, and more. Gardening is a habit I am nurturing (pun intended) this year so this class came right on time!

What I marvel at most about this educational movement is how it’s equalizing the playing field. Western education (the number #1 thing under fire) has poorly represented the voices and accuracies of an oppressed people’s history. Hillman Tok has created a space for that same demographic to own their autonomy and share their history on a global platform. She may not view it this way but Dr. Barlows’ commitment to teaching African American studies, is an act of defiance.

Truly any educator taking up the mantle to continue to educate about topics considered ‘divisive’ is a liberator.

Thanks to her post others who have been using their platform to share and educate have given us an HBCU that can be accessed anytime, anyplace, and anywhere.

How many credit hours can one take?

Now, thanks to being in the comments or should I say group discussion board - I have way to many classes to take!

As I scrolled, favorited, and saved every video the comments and engagement from the community were giving me life! Each comment is like discovering a link to another topic, another researcher, another hope, and a realized dream.

It’s giving we’re all sitting under the blue tree in Avatar.

My schedule quickly went from Intro to African American Studies to now including courses such as Professor Andre’s Org Chem 101 as well as Racial Health Disparity.

Professor Andre - Organic Chemistry 101

@drdre4000 Link to course information in my bio. I will do it on Zoom and project on Live. Course website has Zoom link and all info.

Racial Health Disparity

@blackgirlsaysomething Welcome to spring 2025 racial disparities and healthcare with Dr.Appleton along with @Dr. Barlow’s Intro to Af-Am @Dr. Christy #spring2025 #blackgirlsaysomething #rdinhealthcare

I’m also in financial literacy, languages, religious studies, and it keeps growing.

Study Hall

Even if you consider yourself, too cool for school, I implore you to tour Hillman Tok and see what it has to offer. Every day a new educator registers their class to be included in the university registrar. You never know, the right course may catch your eye or may be waiting for you to teach it.

Yes, there are measures in place to stop Hillman Tok from succeeding but in my opinion is too late. Gaining knowledge from others keeps us abreast. It’s vital.

Hillman Tok is meeting a need that people are still searching for in traditional schooling. It’s an open platform and community-sourced education. Those giving the information are sharing it willingly and freely. Those who wish to learn can.

The cost is simply time and an effort to understand.

While it lasts (and I hope it does for quite some time) I believe Hillman Tok is part of a new wave of progressive schooling that will hopefully impact us all for the better.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Please like, share, subscribe, and please comment if you plan on checking out any classes! Until next time!