Bethune-Cookman University Board Chair Belvin Perry Jr. holds a town hall meeting regarding the status on the university Friday, April 9, 2021. (Credit: Nigel Cook/News-Journal)
Bethune-Cookman University has sued the alumni association that for decades has raised money and supported the school.
B-CU is demanding the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune National Alumni Association stop using the university’s name, logos and trademarks — as well as its founder’s name. The suit alleges the alumni group has nonetheless infringed on those trademarks and “falsely represents that it is associated with the university.”
Johnny McCray Jr., the association’s president who was also personally named in the suit, called it “unnecessary and unfortunate,” and said its members have voted to carry on, raising money for students who attend B-CU and other institutions.
The university’s lawsuit follows a Sept. 1 vote by the B-CU Board of Trustees to disassociate from the alumni group in favor of starting their own direct-support organization. The university, which is preparing for a 10-year accreditation review, cited a “need to have control and oversight over its fundraising activities.”
Later that month, the National Alumni Association of Bethune-Cookman University Inc., changed its name to the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune National Alumni Association, Florida Department of State records show. The organization claims 21 chapters across the United States and in the Bahamas.
The university pointed to “publicly disparaging remarks” about B-CU and its trustees by McCray. In the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Orlando, B-CU alleges the association has not filed an IRS Form 990 since 2016, causing it to lose its tax-exempt status.
That allegation is not true, said La-Vaughn Starks, the alumni association treasurer. She said the alumni have filed IRS forms for 2019 and 2020. The form that wasn’t filed in 2016 happened under a previous administration led by then-President Jennifer Adams, who’s a university trustee.
“I’ve been president of this association for 18 months. We have not had any financial issues,” McCray said. “In fact, we are working assiduously to clear up much of the mess that started during (the Adams) administration.”
He also said it’s not true that the alumni association has lost its tax-exempt status.
University officials declined to comment on the lawsuit, other than providing an emailed comment from spokeswoman Sara Brady that the suit “speaks for itself.”
Accreditation steers B-CU to start support organization
The university since 2005 has held the trademark “Bethune-Cookman,” the name with which the school has been associated since 1926. It also owns the service mark “Florida Classic,” associated with the annual football contest in which it competes with Florida A&M University in Orlando, as well as two logos.
Bethune-Cookman, in the lawsuit, notes that it is accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and losing that accreditation would harm the school including losing access to federal student loans and grants, as well other funding sources.
SACS has revised its standards to more stringently require institutions “exercise sufficient direction and control over the fundraising activities of institution-related entities,” the suit states.
B-CU has, this year, created its own direct-support organization, as many other universities — including the University of Florida and Florida State University — have done.
Alumni Association leaders, namely McCray, have “a history of publicly disparaging the university and its Board of Trustees.” The lawsuit cites an opinion piece written by McCray and published in the St. Augustine Record, questioning the reason for former President Brent Chrite’s departure last year, and sharing that the alumni had voted “no confidence” in the leadership of the Board of Trustees.
Who owns Bethune’s name?
The university, its lawyers argue, is “inextricably associated” with its founder, Bethune. The alumni association’s use of the Bethune name as part of its name violates its cease and desist demand, as it creates a “false impression” that the former alumni association is associated with the university.
Additionally, the university alleges the association has continued to use its name and logos on its website, in emails and in other materials. The alumni association’s logo includes a collage of images, including Bethune’s face, the university’s marching band, the on-campus statue of its founder and other campus landmarks.
“The former alumni association’s intentional unauthorized commercial use of the university’s marks has deceived and is likely to deceive donors and the relevant consuming public into believing, mistakenly, that the former alumni association’s services originate from, are associated or affiliated with, or are otherwise authorized by the university, which they are not,” the suit sttes.
B-CU is alleging:
Trademark infringement
False designation of origin
Dilution by blurring
The university is seeking “corrective advertising for informing consumers and donors of its unauthorized use of the university’s marks and lack of affiliation with” the school, its full costs and reasonable attorney’s fees.”
McCray called the case “baseless,” considering the steps the association has already taken with regard to the school’s wishes.
“We immediately changed the name of our association, but that wasn’t good enough,” McCray said. “I sent out emails that we were not going to fight this. I explained to the members the intellectual trademarks they don’t want us to use, and we’re going to do it, but it takes time for a 90-year-old organization to dismantle things that have been in place for many years.”
McCray said he repeatedly offered to sit down with university officials and come to an understanding without going to court. Those offers were refused, he said.
“This is all a direct result of the leadership trying to dismantle and discredit the national alumni association,” he said. “It’s a sad day. We’ve done so much for the school in recent months and recent years.”
Johnny McCray Jr.(Credit: News-Journal File)
McCray said his organization raised nearly $300,000 for the school during a 90-day campaign last year. Alumni raised $116,000 for the Mary McLeod Bethune Statuary Fund, and McCray said he personally contributed $25,000.
“Dr. Bethune started this school with five little girls and $1.50. She knew scholarships would be needed to send young students to school,” he said. “The national alumni association has developed a new mission where we are going to support individuals who want to seek an education. That won’t be limited to just Bethune-Cookman students.”
Several researchers at Tuskegee University have helped the HBCU lock in $2 million in funding from the National Science Foundation! Get the full story from the Tuskegee release below.
(L to R): Drs. Vijay Rangari (PI), Co-PIs: Drs. Jeelani, Zainuddin, Abebe, and Qazi
Tuskegee University was awarded a five-year $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to educate the next generation of STEM graduates in sustainable packaging materials. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to Tuskegee University will establish a multidisciplinary traineeship in sustainable nanobiomaterials. This project is a partnership between three doctoral programs to develop innovative sustainable biomaterials for biodegradable packaging systems, including biomedical and food packaging. The project anticipates training 40 graduate-level students: including ten from the master’s program and 30 from the doctoral program within the Materials Science and Engineering, Integrative Biosciences, and Integrative Pathobiology Department.
Dr. Vijaya Rangari, Department of Materials Science and Engineering professor and principal investigator of the grant, says that the current generation packaging materials are made of polymer composites derived from petroleum sources.
“These materials are not degradable, and either end up in landfills or are incinerated, releasing toxic gases. Factors such as greater environmental awareness, societal concerns, and the depletion of petrochemical resources collectively drive a desire to develop new materials and products based on plant fibers and degradable biopolymers.,” explained Rangari.
The trainees will research the following fields: synthesis of calcium and silica-based nanoparticles from waste resources such as bone ash, fish scales, egg, and seashells. Antimicrobial functionalization of nanoparticles and short plant fibers using green synthesis methods. In addition, students will learn about the structural, morphological, and spectral characterization of as-prepared nanoparticles, fabrication of antimicrobial polymer packaging films using polymer blow films, 3D printing, and solution casting. The project will also support the study of nanomechanical, structural, morphological, and thermal characterization of as-prepared polymer composite films and antimicrobial inhibition, product design, prototyping, biodegradability, and commercial feasibility studies. The knowledge and training gained by the trainees will eventually result in modern design and manufacturing methodologies.
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“Through this grant, our graduates will help bring much-needed diversity to the nation’s advanced technology workforce. It is also anticipated that the knowledge gained by the students through their involvement in new research areas developed through this grant will eventually result in modern design and manufacturing methodologies that may well lead to patentable processes for the production of biodegradable packaging polymer composites for various applications in food and biomedical industries,” he continued.
The Tuskegee NRT effort will produce many minority graduates, including a considerable number of women with Ph.D. degrees in STEM. An area of focus for the traineeship includes faculty support and training to mentor the trainees and provides trainees with opportunities to mentor. These graduates will become excellent role models for many young students and help bring much-needed diversity to the nation’s advanced technological workforce in Sustainable Nanobiomaterials.
“This grant will allow Tuskegee University to increase the number of African American PhDs significantly in Materials Science and Engineering and maintain its lead in this effort,” said Dr. Shaik Jeelani, vice president for research and dean of Tuskegee’s Graduate School, and research team member.
The grant’s involvement also includes Dr. Shaik Zainuddin, associate professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Dr. Woubit Abebe, professor in the Department of Pathobiology; Dr. Desmond Mortley, Research Professor, Plant and Soil Sciences; Dr. Byungjin Min, associate professor of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Dr. Maria Calhoun, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Temesgen Samuel, associate dean for Research and Advanced Studies, in the College of Vet Med, and PD, Center for Biomedical Research/RCMI.
The policy now changes to “requests, encourages, and appeals to” staffers , in accordance with governor’s directive. Mask-wearing is still required, and the student vaccine policy does not change.
Virginia State University said Thursday it will comply with a directive from Gov. Glenn Youngkin to not require COVID-19 vaccines for state employees, opting to go instead with a policy that “strongly requests, encourages, and appeals to” university personnel to get their shots.
University spokesperson Gwen Williams Dandridge confirmed in an email to The Progress-Index that vaccines will not be required, nor will reporting of an employee’s vaccination status or being tested “as a term of employment.” Masks, however, will still be mandated for everyone on campus.
“[T]he VSU administration strongly requests, encourages, and appeals to all employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots as part of our campus efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and maintain a safe and healthy campus environment,” Dandridge said in the email. “VSU will continue to enforce a strict mask mandate for all employees at all times when on campus except when eating or alone in an individual office.”
Wednesday, Youngkin issued an executive order rescinding the vaccination requirement for all employees of Virginia’s executive branch of government. That includes the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of the commonwealth, as well as executive branch agencies and authorities, and staffs at Virginia institutions of higher learning.
That order had been issued by Youngkin’s predecessor, former Gov. Ralph Northam.
As of last fall, Dandridge said, 91% of VSU employees had complied with the vaccination requirement, which led to a COVID on-campus positivity rate of less than 1%. VSU will continue to offer free testing, vaccination clinics and masks to its workers.
The change does not affect VSU’s vaccine and mask requirement for students on-campus, Dandridge said. Those protocols “will remain in effect,” she wrote.
“VSU has created a culture of responsibility and safety,” Dandridge said.
The governor’s directive will also apply to the area’s other colleges, Richard Bland College and John Tyler Community College.
The entrepreneurial dreams of a Stillman College business major are coming true after he came out on top in a pitch competition. Get the full story from David Miller in the Stillman release below.
Campus mentors, family helping fuel “Trey the Barber,” Tuscaloosa enterprise
Too broad. Not attainable. Under-developed.
Judges’ feedback of Lorenza James III’s full-service barber franchise at the River Pitch competition two years ago was discouraging. James, then a freshman at Stillman College, had been building his “Trey the Barber” brand since December 2017, operating in shops and independently.
His aim changed as his client base grew, and his knowledge of the industry revealed gaps in services for African American customers. Washes, conditioning, cuts, non-surgical hair replacement – a full suite of services at shops in the $1.2 trillion industry of Black hair care was a no-brainer, and Tuscaloosa was the perfect launching pad, James thought.
Though his business plan was a bit more developed than his competitors at River Pitch, he failed to place. The critiques stung, he said, but the feedback helped sharpen his focus and strengthen his desire to get his enterprise established.
“Ultimately, the competition was to win [$1,000] and expand,” James said. “You get some advice, too, but hearing ‘no’ put me in a whole different mindset.”
James, now a senior at Stillman, has since opened 8Fifteen, LLC in downtown Tuscaloosa, a multi-room shop that’s undergoing renovations while serving clients. There, he cuts hair and sells skin and hair care products. Soon, he hopes to expand barber services and reach the ultimate goal of a full-service shop for African American customers.
James currently has 568 clients on his roster, with nearly 130 who are recurring each week or every other week.
“I also have two digital billboards in Tuscaloosa – one next to Cookout on 15th (Street) and one on Highway 69 – that have been up since the beginning of October,” he said. “I’ve gained about 25 new clients since then.”
With his enterprise trending positively, it may have seemed a curious decision to enter the 2021 River Pitch competition. James didn’t need the affirmation of panelists or peers. An injection of capital – a $1,000 prize for placing – would help, but he wasn’t hurting for support. For James, re-entering the competition on Nov. 9 was a chance to showcase the progress he’d made and present a more developed plan.
This time around, James would impress the judges and walk away the winner of Booth 10 and a $1,000 prize.
“I sat down and listened to every pitch before me,” James said. “I took note of what they were all doing: one idea was underdeveloped; one guy didn’t make eye contact with the judges. So, once I went, I felt confident. [Judges] were in awe that I had everything put together.”
A winding road
James is a Tuscaloosa native and graduate of Paul W. Bryant High School. His heart was set on playing college basketball when he enrolled at the University of North Alabama. When he didn’t make the team, and he lost his motivation in the classroom.
James was put on academic suspension and would leave UNA.
“Stillman accepted my GPA and ACT score,” James said. “I got another chance.”
Though the opportunity to play basketball at Stillman didn’t work out either, James would experience college with his cousin and close friend, Caleb Watson, who died in April 2018. Watson’s memory is a cornerstone for the growth of 8Fifteen, James said.
“He was my best friend,” James said of Watson. “We got close when he hit 18 and I was about 15 or 16. We started to link up, play ball, play games together. It just worked.
“When he died, I decided to take business seriously and never let up.”
A network of support, education
Isaac McCoy, dean of the Stillman College School of Business, helps foster entrepreneurship at the college and works with students to re-tool their business plans, which are typically in early stages of conceptualization.
Shortly after McCoy’s tenure as dean began in 2018, he heard of James’ plans and decided to engage him. McCoy describes James as “charismatic” and someone who “exemplifies the spirit and the culture” of entrepreneurism.
“There are a number of people who have an idea and share it, but there’s a different level with someone who can activate it right now,” McCoy said. “Trey (James) was like, ‘I got something right now. I’m trying to make millions now.’ What’s unique was that his business
was in conjunction with his academic pursuit, which wasn’t hindering his entrepreneurial spirit.”
McCoy lauds James as an “example” of entrepreneurship, not just for students, but for African Americans who aspire to launch businesses. McCoy said learning from failure and overcoming the perceived expectation of it is a critical benchmark for Black business success, and he’s proud of James for continually following through on his plans.
“Dean McCoy has poured into me about staying focused and continuing to grind,” James said.
James also credits Eddie Fraction, interim director of bands at Stillman, for being a “positive force” and motivator. The pair are collaborating on a mentorship project called “Teach, Inspire and Elevate” to help area youth stay in touch with the arts and teach them life skills.
“And I can’t forget my girlfriend, Tykenya (Reid), who always has my back and gives me a chance to breathe when things aren’t going good,” James said. “And my grandfather (Dr. Rev. Lorenza James), he always finds time to ask me questions about my business and life that gets me thinking and helps set up my tasks.”
The road ahead
James has taken an old-school approach to building his brand and strategizing for the future. For instance, in lieu of social media blitzes and paid promos with influencers, he’s relied mostly on traditional advertising methods and has devoted time to “things that make you great,” like reading books.
James said this strategy was encouraged by Smash tha Legend, a barber who started in a suite in Baton Rouge before expanding to Houston.
“I traveled to Houston to check on him and ask him questions about barbering,” James said. “But he was telling me about life.”
While some of James’ work lives on his social media accounts, he continues to rely on word-of-mouth marketing and authentic relationships with his clients. He took this same approach to research, visiting Great Clips and Sport Clips shops for ideas on how to model his operation.
“Honestly, a lot of Black guys look at me funny when I tell them about Great Clips and Sports Clips,” James said. “But those shops have full-service models on a small scale, but a lot of locations. So, I wanted to know what makes them work.”
James said he’s confident in his unique approach to business and his path to creating the “biggest Black franchise in cosmetology.” His next step: the grand opening of 8Fifteen in April.
President Colette Pierce Burnette (Credit: Rodolfo Gonzalez/Gonzofotoz)
By her own account, the 2016 movie “Hidden Figures” altered Colette Pierce Burnette’s life.
“My husband and I saw that movie together, and I kept saying: ‘That happened to me! That happened to me!'” the outgoing president of Huston-Tillotson University said about the lives of trailblazing Black women who toiled almost invisibly in the fields of math and science.
Seeing “Hidden Figures” helped spark a “fire in the belly” to make sure that higher education became more equitable. She came to Huston-Tillotson at a time when historically Black colleges were stepping into the national spotlight — and she could do something significant about those inequities, some of which she experienced personally.
Burnette, who conquered the fields of engineering, information technology and higher education management, had many times been the only woman — and the only Black woman — in the room. Early conclusions were ignored; her work was discounted.
Burnette, who just turned 64, is no longer a hidden figure.
In fact, the Austin Chamber of Commerce has named Burnette its 2021 Austinite of the Year, not only for her work in accelerating and expanding the city’s historically Black university, but also for her citywide civic leadership, including crucial service as co-chair for the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities.
“In every room I’ve been with her, she has encouraged courageous leadership,” said Nikki Graham, the 2021 chairwoman of the Austin Chamber of Commerce. “She’s collaborative. She wants people to work together. But she’s not afraid to push the status quo and make people see things differently. She has played a key role in this important time in our city’s history.”
Laura Huffman, president and CEO of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, said the Austinite of the Year Award is given to people for making outsize contributions to the community. She said she feels Burnette helped turn longtime talk on issues such as social justice, economic opportunity and affordability into action, especially by making Huston-Tillotson a locus of that action.
“In every sense of the spirit of this award, she has made extraordinary contributions in a very short time,” Huffman said. “Her impact was felt immediately and deeply on the most important issues our community has been struggling with, and on the opportunities we have to fix those problems. … She’s practical, but she’s also aspirational. She truly believes that Austin’s best days are ahead of us — and I love that about her.”
Raven Robinson, left, greets Colette Pierce Burnette at. A2015 news conference where Pierce Burnett was named the president of Huston-Tillotson University. Jay Janner/American-Statesman
Burnette gets choked up when she thinks about the new honor — she has earned many — which is often given to leaders who have devoted lifetimes to improving Austin.
“When I found out, I was speechless,” Burnette said. “It’s big. But not for me — I mean, not just for me. It’s big for a lot of people. I may be the face of it, but I’m not it. I am a vessel. People say: ‘How do you do it? How do keep up the stamina? How do you keep up the energy?’ It’s just not me. … I have an army of people behind me.”
‘There was no mediocrity’
Burnette was born in 1957 in Cleveland, Ohio, where she also grew up. Her father, who moved to the North from Mississippi during the Great Migration, was one of 18 kids. He finished the sixth grade. Her mother, a Cleveland native, graduated from high school.
“My mom and dad are the smartest people I know,” Burnette said. “But they didn’t have the opportunities.”
Schooling, therefore, was paramount for the Pierce children.
“I thought college was the 13th grade,” Burnette said. “I did not know that it was optional until I got to Ohio State, and then I realized that people were there by choice. My dad knew that my sister and I were going to college.”
A child of the 1960s — “protected from but not protected from” the great swirl of social changes — Burnette attended the still-new John F. Kennedy High School, a Black public school in Cleveland with high standards.
“Education truly is the great equalizer,” Burnette said. “In my school, there was no mediocrity. It was all excellence.
“When I go back to my high school reunions, I have judges in my class, a college president — myself — doctors, very successful entrepreneurs. So even though we were quote-unquote ‘low income,’ you don’t know it until you look back on it.”
Early on, the girl from a large, strong family was good at math.
“My grandmother used to get butcher paper from the local deli, which was owned by Italians — there were very few stores that were owned by Black people in my community,” Burnette recalled. “She’d paste the butcher paper up on the walls around the kitchen. While I was eating, I’d recite my times tables — all the elements of math — and my spelling words, etc.”
At Ohio State University in the 1970s, she was the only Black engineering student in her graduating class, and also the first Black Ohio State student to intern at an engineering job.
“When I walked in my chemistry class, the only thing I recognized was the beakers and the Bunsen burners,” Burnette said. “I was the only girl in that class and the only Black. But my upbringing made me know that I could do anything. I was a bit fearless.”
Minnie M. McGee, an administrator who had attended a historically Black college in the South, had been hired to recruit and retain Black students in Ohio State’s engineering program.
“She built a cocoon where I could just be me,” Burnette said. “Where someone was pouring into me and making me proud of who I am so my own gifts could come out, without me apologizing.”
After earning a Bachelor of Science degree, she took a job as an engineer at Proctor and Gamble, running the computer lab at a plant that made Tide and Crest.
Soon after, Burnette met and married now-retired Air Force Lt. Col. Daarel Burnette, who had attended Morehouse College, a historically Black college in Atlanta.
“I knew absolutely nothing about active-duty military life,” she said. “I knew he was cute. He is from the South, and I am from the North. He is introverted, and I’m extroverted.”
The couple raised two children, Daarel Burnette II, a journalist now working in Washington, D.C., and Daana Burnette, a producer in Los Angeles.
“We got married in July, and we got orders to move in August — to Warner Robins, Georgia,” Burnette said about a place not unlike the setting for “Hidden Figures.” “I had to get 20 references for a job. I interviewed with an older white guy — all of them were Georgia Tech graduates. … They called me the ‘sassy Negro.’ … But I come from big family in Cleveland. That did not intimidate me.”
She faced another hurdle when she went to pick up an application for the officer’s club.
“She told me: ‘There is criteria to join this club,'” Burnette said. “‘Well, my husband is an officer, is that criteria?’ She didn’t believe me. My husband had to come back that afternoon to pick up the application.”
While there, she earned her Master of Science degree in administration from Georgia College, a public liberal arts school in Milledgeville
The Burnette family moved often, living across the country and abroad.
“My husband’s career was good to me,” Burnette said. “I would have stayed in Ohio for my whole life. I’m from Cleveland, went to school in Columbus, and took my first job in Cincinnati. I’d still be working for Proctor and Gamble.”
Among other jobs, Burnette worked for The Washington Post as a systems analyst, and she ran her own computer consulting firm, CompuMent.
While her early adult career was spent in the corporate world, she moved over to education when her husband retired.
Burnette started by teaching community college and then earned her Ed.D. in higher education administration from the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League school. She is also a graduate of the management development program at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.
Before coming to Austin, she held numerous administrative positions at universities across the country.
“We learn backwards to live forwards,” Burnette said. “Everything in my life has prepared me for my journey in Austin and for my presidency of Huston-Tillotson. I am praying and hopeful that my journey at Huston-Tillotson will now prepare me for my next chapter — and I don’t know what that is. “
Leading a university and a community
Burnette joined Huston-Tillotson as president and CEO on July 21, 2015, the first woman to hold that position since Huston and Tillotson colleges merged in 1952.
Many Austinites don’t know that Huston-Tillotson was the first institution of higher learning in Austin, established in 1875, two years before St. Edward’s University and eight years before the University of Texas.
The school’s rich history — though often hidden in the heart of the city — attracted Burnette. So did the community that surrounded it.
“As I drove around East Austin and saw the remnants of it — you’d see where there used to be a barbershop, but now there’s just a sign … or a school that is not in the best condition anymore,” Burnette said. “It really reminded me of the community that I grew up in. I had the feeling that I was home in a very odd way in East Austin.”
Although she did not attend a historically Black college herself, she had long been a proponent of the schools. A member of Delta Sigma Theta, a historically Black sorority with a strong presence at Ohio State, she remains very engaged with the organization.
During the past couple of years, the general public has learned more about the reach of historically Black colleges and historically Black sororities and fraternities because of interest in Vice President Kamala Harris, a graduate of Howard University and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
“HBCs have been important since their inception,” Burnette said. “The world is finally recognizing the beauty of these schools and how they built the middle class.”
Huston-Tillotson, however, was financially fragile when she arrived. Enrollment was down. As president, she gave speeches about perseverance.
“Not using as an excuse that you came from a quote-unquote ‘underprepared’ high school,” Burnette said. “Preparation is relative. Grit is a good part of preparation. It is sometimes even more so than the reading, writing and arithmetic part of it.”
She credits her predecessor, Huston-Tillotson President Larry L. Earvin, with setting the stage.
“When I arrived, I read something in the Statesman about the college not facing outward,” she said. “I only knew about facing outward. … If Cleveland had had a historically Black college with such rich history in the middle of my community, how wonderful that would have been.”
Injured at the airport early in her tenure, Burnette took Uber back and forth to Huston-Tillotson. She always chatted with the drivers.
“Eight or maybe nine of the first 10 didn’t even know the university existed,” Burnette said. “I could not understand that in a city like Austin with a university in the heart of the city — and people didn’t know it was there.”
That has changed substantially during the past seven years.
“Colette has transformed Huston-Tillotson,” said Graham, formerly with Bank of America, now the head of Hector and Gloria Lopez Foundation, which supports students who identify as Latino, low-income and first-generation in their pursuit of higher education. “She has increased HT’s endowment, made it a central focus of the community, and made clear the needs of college attainment for young men of color in order to build the highly skilled, talented workforce we need in Austin. She has put a finer point on the needs of HBCs in keeping with a trend we see nationwide.”
Huffman goes even further in her assessment.
“I believe that Dr. Burnette has made the students and the institution of HT part of the economic success of Austin,” she said. “I do think part of growing the university is making sure that economic opportunities are available to the students, to the teachers, to the staff — and that they are helping drive the success of the community. I think she’s done that.”
Making a ‘Beloved Community’
“Austin is such a magical city,” Burnette said. “There is so much opportunity here. There are so many things my students have been able to do, and be a part of, and to be able to blossom. We have a long way to go as an institution, but we are at that stage.”
Although here for just seven years, Burnette has put down deep roots and has served on numerous citywide boards and committees, despite holding down a daunting day job.
“I am a self-proclaimed lifetime member of the Austin community,” she said. “Nobody can take that away from me. … You are not going to get rid of me.”
As Austin looked once again for answers about social justice and equity in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, Burnette discovered many others in Austin who shared her passions.
“I’ve always been a social justice warrior,” Burnette said. “I met people who really leaned into wanting Austin be a beloved community as Dr. King defined it.”
As Mayor Steve Adler put together the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities, he sensed that Burnette fit the job of co-chair of the task force, along with Paul Cruz, then chief of Austin schools.
“I am not a token,” she said. “I am unapologetically a Black female. I was hesitant to do it, because my job was so complicated.”
Improving Austin’s effectiveness at social equity helped her day job. She discovered that she could not recruit effectively for a historically Black college if the city’s reputation was not inclusive. Also, she could draft local leaders in her efforts to build up Huston-Tillotson.
“It put me in a position to meet more people and share the gifts of the institution in a more public way,” Burnette said. “I met the movers and shakers and thought leaders in the city.”
As a result, enrollment is up and Huston-Tillotson is no longer fiscally fragile. So why leave her position at the college?
“I have stood in my purpose as president of the university,'” Burnette said. “And my purpose in the community. A mentor once told me, ‘You always leave the party when you’re having fun.’ The university is in a really good place right now.”
She has but one regret regarding her Huston-Tillotson tenure: She did not build more buildings.
“We have the land. We need a new academic building, and we need a new residence hall. Our gym is not air-conditioned. We don’t have a student union,” she said. “I kept looking for a private-public partnership. … That’s not going to happen by June 30. But the next person is going to get that done. You rarely get to see the tree from the seeds you plant. I want to come back for the ribbon cutting, and I hope I just get to touch the scissors.”
In the near future, Burnette will continue to teach a course in social justice in higher education leadership at the University of Texas. She has thought about running a nonprofit that has social justice and higher education as part of its mission.
“Look, Colette has the energy, the intellect and the influence to make sure Austin achieves its fullest potential,” Huffman said. “She’s also someone whose enthusiasm is contagious. You find yourself wanting to work with her.”
“She has a background in business and a unique set of skills that help her relate to elected officials, business people and academics alike. She’s a unifier,” Graham said. “She brings all people to the table at HT while shining a light on the needs of the surrounding community.
Earlier this afternoon, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. released a communication confirming its National President, Cheryl A. Hickmon, has sadly passed away. She was recently elected as 27th National President this past November.
Hickmon was initiated into the sorority through the Alpha Xi Chapter at South Carolina State University. While studying at the HBCU as part of the Class of 1984, she pursued her B.S. in Professional Biology. By the time of graduation, she had become president of the Alpha Xi Chapter. She went on to become a Clinical Laboratory Project Manager and Senior Clinical Technology Supervisor.
Despite Hickmon’s busy professional life, DST was never far from her heart. With experience she gained in her initiating chapter, she went on to do work on a regional level. She served as President of the Hartford Alumnae Chapter of Hartford, Connecticut for two terms. During her tenure she focused on increasing fundraising to fund scholarships for students in the area. She also helped to bring in new members. She also served as Committee Chair in the chapter for several committees. Regionally, she was a leader for years. She served as Regional Director for the Eastern Region for four years. She lead the sorority’s South Atlantic region as Regional Representative for two years.
Hickmon’s appointment as National President happened only recently during the sorority’s 55th National Convention in held last November in Atlanta. Prior to that election, she was already a known powerhouse at that level. She had served as National First Vice President, National Secretary and more.
The HBCU Buzz Team offers our condolences to the family, friends, and membership body of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. National President Cheryl A. Hickmon.
Johnson C. Smith University announced today the appointment of Maurice Flowers as head coach of the Golden Bulls football team. Flowers, a 1996 graduate of JCSU, was selected after a national search. He most recently served as head football coach at Fort Valley State University. His first day on the job is today.
“We conducted a national search for a head coach who would take Golden Bulls football to the next level in every aspect,” said JCSU President Clarence D. Armbrister. “Coach Flowers stood out as the right person for the job at this point in the University’s history. I’m happy to welcome him back to his alma mater and look forward to his leadership as he builds a winning tradition that makes all Smithites proud.”
Flowers is charged with building a winning tradition on the gridiron and working with the campus community to foster academic achievement and leadership development for football student-athletes.
“I’m pleased and excited to welcome Maurice Flowers as the new Golden Bulls head football coach,” said Stephen Joyner Sr., director of Athletics. “Coach Flowers impressed the search committee with his leadership skills, knowledge of football and how to build a strong football program as well as his commitment to developing well-rounded student-athletes, who achieve academically and serve as campus leaders.”
Joyner said Flowers can draw from his connection to JCSU and the Charlotte community as he hits the ground running to build on JCSU’s historic place in college football history.
“Coach Flowers’s passion for collegiate athletics and understanding of the role of sports in connecting colleges to their communities bring a fresh perspective to football at JCSU,” Joyner said. “As a former Golden Bulls football and basketball athlete, Coach Flowers has a love for his alma mater and is dedicated to building on a tradition that began in 1892 when JCSU won the first ever Black college football game. I’m happy to welcome him home and give him my full support as we begin this new era.”
Flowers, who earned a bachelor’s degree in communications, said he’s thrilled to be back at his alma mater, where he started his college coaching career, and is excited about the work ahead.
“I am incredibly grateful and honored to return home to my alma mater as the head football coach at Johnson C. Smith University,” Flowers said. “My family and I are thrilled to be back, and excited to see my coaching career come full circle with this opportunity. I want to thank President Clarence Armbrister, Athletic Director Steve Joyner, and the rest of the search committee for their confidence in me to build a Golden Bulls football program that reflects the excellence that is Johnson C. Smith University.”
At Fort Valley State University, Flowers led the team to a 5-5 finish (3-3 SIAC) in the 2021 season. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 fall season was cancelled. Flowers completed a non-conference schedule in spring 2021 finishing 2-0. He opened the 2021 fall season with a resounding 30-0 win over Tuskegee University in the ESPN-televised inaugural Boeing Red Tails Classic. Flowers had seven All-SIAC selections, as well as three players selected to play in the 2022 HBCU Legacy Bowl.
Prior to FVSU, Flowers served as the Fayetteville State University offensive coordinator in 2017 and 2019. Both years his offense was one of the top offenses in the CIAA. He helped lead the team to the CIAA South Division titles and the CIAA championship game, averaging 34 points per game. Six offensive players earned All-CIAA recognition in 2019.
Flowers began his collegiate coaching career in 2010 at JCSU as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. JCSU finished the 2011 season with a victory over SIAC Champion Miles College in the Pioneer Bowl.
Flowers was a high school head coach in Charlotte, first at Olympic High School then West Charlotte High School, before moving on to Chester High School in South Carolina. He’s coached more than 50 players who earned college scholarships, including quarterback Tony McNeal (Clemson).
Flowers attended East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, where he was All-Conference in both football and basketball before bringing his talents to JCSU as a student-athlete. He was named College Football Preview Magazine All-American Quarterback three years in a row while serving as team captain for the Golden Bulls. He was also a forward on the 1988-89 JCSU basketball team. He and his wife, Tonya, are the proud parents of three daughters.
Missouri Governor Mike Parsons has listed Harris-StoweState University as one of the institutions set to receive a portion of a $470M budget for construction. Get the full story from Kurt Erickson at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch below.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson delivers his State of the State address Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Jefferson City, Mo. (Credit: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Missouri may be poised to embark on a major building spree using $2.8 billion in federal pandemic relief funds.
In outlining his budget plan Wednesday for the fiscal year beginning July 1, Gov. Mike Parson laid out dozens of major brick-and-mortar projects he wants to launch, arguing in a speech to lawmakers that spending the federal money on one-time expenses will not leave the state facing a financial cliff when the money runs out.
“Providing essential services to Missouri citizens and businesses is the role of state government,” budget documents noted.
Parson budget chief Dan Haug said most of the American Rescue Plan Act money must be spent by 2026, meaning there is a rush to get the money approved by the Legislature.
“These are big projects that are going to take a while to get going,” Haug said.
The projects represent a cross-section of state government, including:
• Nearly $470 million for university building projects, including a new academic building at Harris-Stowe State University, an expansion of the Arnold campus of Jefferson College and upgrades at University of Missouri-St. Louis and St. Louis Community College.
The entrance to Harris-Stowe State University’s Henry Givens Jr. Campus on Compton Avenue is photographed on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Credit: Christian Gooden)
• $250 million to expand broadband internet access and $30 million on the construction of 100 cell towers.
• $411 million on drinking water, storm water and wastewater projects, including identifying water service lines containing lead.
• $250 million in matching funds to cities and towns for local development projects.
• $69.3 million to help build a 86-mile section of the Rock Island Corridor recreational trail from Eugene to Beaufort, including a bridge over the Gasconade River.
• $43 million to build a new arena and buy land for additional campgrounds at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia.
The Missouri Budget Project, which tracks state spending, urged Parson to earmark the federal funds for a number of the same projects he outlined on Wednesday.
“Every Missourian deserves the opportunity to thrive, with quality housing they can afford, a job that lets them provide for their families, and a strong community,” said budget project director Amy Blouin. “By investing in the things that help all of our families succeed, we can build a stronger foundation for our state’s economic prosperity.”
Clark Atlanta University alumna Pinky Cole has graced the latest over of ESSENCE along with her partner, fellow entrepreneur Derrick Hayes. The cover makes them the first restauranteurs to grace the longstanding magazine’s cover! Get the full story from Jennifer Ogunsola at Essence below.
PINKY COLE AND DERRICK HAYES | PHOTOGRAPHY BY DREA NICOLE
FOR THE ENTREPRENEURS BEHIND SLUTTY VEGAN AND BIG DAVE’S CHEESESTEAKS, A LOVE OF FOOD AND COMMUNITY—AND NOW EACH OTHER—HAS TURNED THEIR MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESSES INTO A FAMILY AFFAIR.
“Let me tell you something about me,” says Aisha “Pinky” Cole. “I’m so confident in myself that two things are either going to happen—either you’re going to love me and be inspired, or you’re going to be intimidated.”
During a recent appearance on the nationally syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club, these words from Cole stood out. The quote exemplifies who and what Cole represents: At just 34, she has built a vegan empire while becoming a cultural phenomenon. And no, these words of power and self-esteem aren’t being thrown around loosely. Four years ago, Cole created Slutty Vegan* in Atlanta. You’ve most likely heard of it, eaten it or wanted to eat it. And if you -haven’t, your chance to do so has just increased, as Cole is scheduled to open a new Slutty Vegan every month this year in a different city.
The rise of the provocatively named plant-based burger joint has seemingly been discussed everywhere. This summer, you’ll also be able to buy Cole’s first cookbook, Eat Plants B*tch(Simon & Schuster), and make your own -mouthwatering vegan dishes. “It’s plant-based recipes for the meat eater, because my target audience is not the vegan,” she explains.
DERRICK HAYES WEARS AMIRI PAJAMA TOP AND BOTTOMS, $2,380, NEIMAN MARCUS ATLANTA AND AISHA “PINKY” COLE WEARS LAFAYETTE 148 BLOUSE AND PANTS, $1,496, NEIMAN MARCUS ATLANTA. JEWELRY, SUBJECTS’ OWN. | PHOTOGRAPHY BY DREA NICOLE
In August 2018, Cole—who goes by Pinky, a nickname given to her at birth by her godmother because she came out so pink—opened Slutty Vegan in a shared kitchen. Several weeks later, as the brand’s popularity grew, she launched her food truck. Four months later, on January 13, 2019—a date that holds special significance for Cole, as it is the anniversary of the founders’ day for her beloved Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.—she opened her first brick-and-mortar store. By 2020, amid a global pandemic, she cut the ribbon on her second and third locations in Atlanta. As the world seemed to be falling apart, the Slutty Vegan brand was experiencing powerful growth, drawing daily celebrity sightings and massive crowds of people from all over the world.
Chaka Zulu, Atlanta music veteran, cofounder of the Disturbing Tha Peace label and longtime manager for rapper Ludacris, was one of Cole’s early customers. He then became her manager. “She showed such grace in success,” Zulu recalls, describing what so impressed him about Cole. “Not in the long-term success, but in the success of the moment, which can make you stop working. That affirmation of 3,000 people standing in line on the first day could have slowed her down. I’ve seen that happen to a lot of people. And I saw her, in the moment, be graceful to receive it. And then I saw it propel her, all within that one day. And that’s why I was like, Yeah, she’s got it.”
The Baltimore native successfully opened three locations created a new bar and restaurant concept, Bar Vegan, in one of Atlanta’s highest-profile developments; became a multimillionaire; and started The Pinky Cole Foundation, which has provided scholarships to juvenile offenders in Atlanta, created scholarship funds for students enrolled at Cole’s alma mater, Clark Atlanta University (CAU), and donated 100,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables to feed those who are food insecure. And that’s just in her first two years in business.
Today, almost four years after serving her first vegan burger out of the shared kitchen, she has established herself as a philanthropist, a humanitarian and an unstoppable, moneymaking, money-giving entrepreneurial genius. That’s because it’s much bigger than burgers and fries for Cole. For her, the magic is in serving her community.
“When I look back at 2020, it was really love at first sight. But at the time we didn’t know that’s what it was.”
PINKY COLE
Oscar–winning actress Viola Davis was introduced to Slutty Vegan on Instagram like everyone else. Intrigued, she booked the food truck while on set filming. From there, the relationship grew, and she has now become one of Cole’s biggest supporters.
“We were in a pandemic where we were watching George Floyd, Ahmad Arbery and Breonna Taylor on a loop,” Davis reflects. “And it was a constant reminder that we were, and have been in this country, the leftovers. It’s amazing how people come to life when they are cared for, when they’re -literally thought about in any way—their health, their joy, their comfort. And perhaps the secret sauce to her company, other than absolutely awesome food, is that she cares about her people.”
Cole’s service to her people would actually lead her to the love of her life. But while she may be open to share much of her life with the world, she’s been mum about a few things, including her beau. So we decided to pay the Slutty Vegan CEO a visit to get the scoop on all the things that we couldn’t Google.
Tucked away 30 minutes outside of Atlanta is a community filled with pristine luxury homes that for sure belong on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing—or even on the early-2000s documentary-style show MTV Cribs. We’re given two addresses—one for the security gate and another for the recently purchased home of Cole, her significant other and their baby girl. Everything inside the gate is top-notch, including the 51,000-square-foot country club and the 27-hole golf course you drive past on the way to Cole’s home. The residents here might as well be royalty.
A visit to her Instagram feed reveals Cole’s new motherhood, but while she shared glimpses of her bundle of joy, she kept the world guessing about the identity of the father. “To be honest, there was a business concern that I am in the vegan community and he’s not,” she admits. “But what I realize is who cares what people say. Even though we’re different, we can still exist together and still love each other—because we are tapped into each other’s hearts. And,” she adds defiantly, “whoever’s got something to say about that can kick rocks.” It’s clear that Cole goes hard for who and what she loves.
Her partner’s name is Derrick Hayes—but if you’re around him long enough, you’ll hear Cole and those closest to him affectionately call him D. An entrepreneur and philanthropist born and raised in West Philadelphia, and now the father of three girls, Hayes smiles with approval as his woman firmly shuts down the potential haters. “Yeah,” he says, looking at her with admiration. “She said it. We don’t judge each other.”
“I think that our relationship is symbolic of what the world should look and feel like,” says Cole, whose two best friends separately encouraged her to date the fellow entrepreneur. “It should look and feel like a place where there is no judgment. Just because you might not believe in the things that I believe in, doesn’t mean that we can’t come together in friendship, love and spirituality.”
In fact, Cole and Hayes have been loving, supporting, building, creating and enjoying each other in plain view for a while. The public saw them together all the time but just didn’t know how deeply connected they were. As the CEO and owner of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks in Atlanta, Hayes, too, is one of the city’s most captivating entrepreneurs, philanthropists and cultural leaders.
Five years ago, fellow Philly native and Grammy Award–winning rapper and actress Eve stopped by his first restaurant, a 700-square-foot space at a gas station, while filming a movie. Blown away by just how delicious and authentic her cheesesteak was, and how well it represented their hometown, Eve promised to post her chicken cheesesteak to her social media accounts, and it’s been all uphill from there. Celebrities like the Migos, Meek Mill and Lena Waithe have also been fervent supporters, but it’s the lines of everyday Atlantans wrapped around the corner at his two locations that tell Hayes how far he’s come.
“We are able to use this one thing over everything, and that’s love—not just ourselves but the community.”
DERRICK HAYES
Actress, producer, director and Emmy Award–winning writer Waithe first found Hayes on Instagram and started rocking with him while he was working out of the gas station. She believes what makes him special is that “he doesn’t run away from his past. He embraces all of himself, and his business feels inclusive.”
The 34-year-old seems to have it all together now, but that wasn’t always the case. Like many young Black men in inner cities throughout the country, who lack resources and feel there’s no other way to provide for themselves and their families, Hayes once fell into the trap of selling drugs. “I got arrested, and I was looking at some time,” he reveals. Hayes recalls going to court every day thinking that his life was over. “I thought, If I get out of this, I’m straightening my life up. I remember before walking into the courtroom when I was supposed to get sentenced, my sister called and prayed for me. That day was the third time the DA didn’t show up. The judge said he would give the DA five minutes and then he would throw the case out,” he says.
Hayes admits those were the longest five minutes of his life, waiting to hear if his sister’s prayers had worked. Those five minutes until the judge hit the gavel and threw his case out also changed his story. The entrepreneur continues to be deeply thankful for his second chance. “While I was walking out, the detective who was supposed to testify against me was coming in,” he remembers, “and I realized how close I came to losing my freedom, and now I had to change my life.”
He’s reflective as he recalls losing his father and best friend, who he called “Big Dave,” to lung cancer. Hayes had promised him that he would do great things in life, and feels he can finally say that promise has been kept.
Cole’s father, too, imparted the kind of drive that continues to propel her to places that might seem out of reach for many. Few people know that on the day Cole was born, her father’s future was snatched away as he was sentenced to life in prison. He had been found guilty of operating a criminal enterprise that included distribution of cocaine and -possession with intent to distribute. He also owned and operated several legal businesses, including popular nightclubs in Baltimore. He remained in prison throughout Cole’s childhood, physically unable to be a present father for her. However, she sees her hustler’s spirit as his gift to her.
For both Cole and Hayes, their business ventures aren’t just about food—they’re about being of and for the people. And one thing about the Baltimore and Philly natives: They really love Atlanta and go hard for the community there. “We are able to use this one thing over everything, and that’s love—not just for ourselves, but for the community,” says Hayes, recalling how, when the pandemic hit, he went straight into service mode, feeding frontline workers at nearly 40 hospitals across metro Atlanta.
Giving of themselves is what brought the two together. “Remember we tried to bail out 100 inmates the second, third day of knowing each other?” Hayes says to Cole. “We couldn’t do it, because it was last minute. And then, sad to say, I think the following week Rayshard Brooks got murdered. That was our first time really giving back together. When we did that, I saw how powerfully people resonated with us doing something together. So we wound up saying, ‘All right, well, let’s build a business together.’”
That was the beginning of their joint entrepreneurial legacy. “We started a life insurance campaign, where we provide Black men in Atlanta who make $30,000 or less with life insurance that they don’t have to pay for,” explains Cole, who adds that Prudential recently signed on to the venture as a partner. “And to give back in the name of Rayshard Brooks, we partnered with Clark Atlanta to provide $600,000 worth of scholarships for kids, and a brand-new car and life insurance for his family. We bought this house in August of 2021, but before this, in December of 2020, we bought another house as an investment property. And we’re about to buy some more.”
ON COLE: AN ALEX PERRY GOWN, $2,400, AND SCHUTZ HEELS, $128, NEIMAN MARCUS ATLANTA. VINTAGE CHANEL EARRINGS, STYLIST’S OWN. HAYES WEARS A HIDEOKI BESPOKE SUIT, $3,490, HIDEOKI BESPOKE ATLANTA, AND SUITSUPPLY SHIRT, $119, SUITSUPPLY.COM. | PHOTOGRAPHY BY DREA NICOLE
The two also opened Dinkies—get it, Derrick + Pinky—a vegan Philly cheesesteak concept inside Pinky’s Bar Vegan, and this past Thanksgiving, they fed the entire city of Atlanta. Meanwhile, the ink is almost dry on a deal with a major retail company for Hayes’s egg rolls and seasoning line and Cole’s chicken dip, spinach dip and vegan bacon. The duo is now creating and establishing partnerships and collaborations with major brands such as Pepsi and Puma to push the culture forward.
In the midst of our conversation, I hear their assistant confirming their plans to fly out to Denver the next morning to meet with Robert F. Smith, the Black billionaire tech investor and philanthropist who paid off the student loan debt of Morehouse College’s graduating class of 2019. Cole and Hayes are building relationships and making deals that young, Black restaurant entrepreneurs couldn’t dream of until now. Next up, Hayes will open a new location not too far from one of Cole’s current spots. And over the next two years, he’s planning 10 additional locations and eight food trucks. And Cole, who worked as a television producer before becoming a restaurateur, is going back to her journalism and entertainment roots. “I’m doing a documentary called Sluttify,” she says. “It’s about the media rise of Slutty Vegan during the pandemic. I also just created Slutty Productions, and I’m doing a show with journalist Jacque Reid about those who are Black and missing in America, because we need to amplify those stories.”
As we’re talking, Cole’s mom is nestled on the couch in the family’s living room cooing to her granddaughter, D Ella Hayes, while bonding with Hayes’s 88-year-old grandmother, who now lives with them. The family Cole and Hayes have created together is simply beautiful. “Now that I look back at 2020, it was really love at first sight,” says Cole, who just signed a shoe and handbag deal with a major shoe company, for a line to debut later this year. “But at the time, we didn’t know that’s what it was.”
Now, everyone is basking in the love Cole and Hayes have for each other and for their community. “I think people look at them and see themselves,” Waithe says. “They inspire others to take their destiny into their own hands. They make it clear that the road was long and difficult, but they continue to wake up every day and get things done. I admire them both a great deal.” While y’all are focused on “Ciara’s Prayer,” it’s Pinky and Derrick’s prayer—confidence, philanthropic heart, soul mate vibes and a Midas touch—for us.
*Essence Ventures founder and chairman Richelieu Dennis is an investor in Slutty Vegan.
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of ESSENCE magazine, available on newsstands now.
North Carolina Central University alumnus Andre’ Leon Talley has sadly passed away at age 73. He is mourned not only by his HBCU, but by friends, fans, and family around the globe. He was widely known for working with the leading designers, publications and models of the world. But just as significantly, he had a penchant for pushing the envelope in all areas of his life. Learn more about him in the NBC News story from Dennis Romero below.
(Credit: Andre’ Leon Talley Captured by NCCU)
“He had a penchant for discovering, nurturing and celebrating young designers,” his social media account said in announcing his death.
Trailblazing fashion journalist André Leon Talley died Tuesday in New York at the age of 73.
His death was confirmed on his Instagram account. The cause of death was not provided.
A former creative director and editor-at-large at Vogue, Talley shaped fashion and trends for decades but was never afraid to break the rules.
Talley was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Durham, North Carolina, by his grandmother, Bennie Frances Davis, who he said had a flair for fashion and influenced his attraction to the industry.
He said he ventured to the Durham library as a child and discovered Vogue, starting his relationship with the publication as a devoted reader.
Working as an assistant for Andy Warhol put Talley in a powerful position for the worlds of art and culture. That decade he became the Paris bureau chief of Women’s Wear Daily and contributed fashion coverage to The New York Times. In 1983, he went to work for Vogue as a fashion news director and later as a creative director.
He left Vogue in the 1990s, returned as editor-at-large, and left for good in 2013 to chase an opportunity to run Numéro Russia, a style publication, but left after a year. As Barack Obama ascended to the White House, Talley was tapped to advise the first family on fashion.
In the following years he appeared on the reality television hit “America’s Next Top Model” as a judge, an ultimate arbiter, which was his way.
Talley’s gaze was intense and intimidating, his 6-foot-6-inch frame a preview of the wit and intellect behind his fashion criticism.
In 2017, Talley addressed the trend of men in rompers — the short version of jumpsuit — telling St. Louis Magazine: “The romper trend is not something that is universal. I don’t see Kanye West going out in a romper, or Drake, Justin Bieber. Certainly not Leonardo DiCaprio. James Corden could pull off a romper.”
Talley and Diana Ross dancing at Studio 54 in New York, 1979 (Credit: Getty Images)
Talley’s influence reached beyond the runway and glossy pages: He appeared in the 2008 big-screen version of “Sex and the City,” the Vogue documentary “The September Issue,” and “Valentino: The Last Emperor,” a documentary about the designer. He was also the subject of the 2018 documentary, “The Gospel According to André.”
“Over the past five decades as an international icon was a close confidant of Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, Paloma Picasso and he had a penchant for discovering, nurturing and celebrating young designers,” the social media post reporting his death said.
He has said that, growing up, Vogue’s description of Capote’s Black and White Ball, a society party supreme, as a refined world where “bad things never happened” sparked desire and imagination, The New York Times wrote in its review of his 2020 memoir, “The Chiffon Trenches.”
Talley’s memoir was noted for dishing on his tumultuous relationship with another Vogue fashion deity, Anna Wintour. But it also brought a new understanding of his own childhood and attraction to fashion runways — and how race in America was a key to his fabric.
His voice was more than sniping. He used it to encourage inclusion in an industry that has its racial archetypes. He was a constant voice of encouragement for the under-recognized overachievement of Black culture, particularly in the realm of style.
Rihanna. Janelle Monáe. Kerry Washington. Lupita Nyong’o. When they walked at the Met Gala, what he called the Super Bowl of fashion, he cheered for them like a proud parent. “How beautiful is your dress,” he told Washington.
His sense of properness and pageantry in fashion dates back to his days of going to church with his grandmother. He often made the distinction that this was not just church, but Black church.
“In the Black South, the church culture was almost like a finishing school,” Talley told Garden & Gun in 2018.
He told the magazine one of his proudest moments was when Edward Enninful became the first Black man to lead British Vogue and he said to Talley, “You paved the way.”
Information about Talley’s survivors and services was not immediately available Tuesday night.
When he began his studies at Morehouse College in 1944, Martin Luther King Jr. was the third member of his family to do so. His father, Martin Luther King Sr., and his grandfather had both chosen the prestigious school for how it shaped youthful boys into Morehouse Men. Now, in collaboration with MTV Entertainment Group, Dr. King’s alma mater is honoring MLK’s impactful work with a short film that delves deep into his life and legacy.
(Credit: Julian Wasser/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images )
Starting in a timely fashion on this year’s national MLK holiday, the MTV Entertainment Group has been intentional about ensuring that viewers across its mammoth platform can take in the moving short film “Here We Are.” Written and produced by faculty of the Morehouse College Cinema, Television, & Emerging Media Studies (CTEMS) program and Morehouse’s Class of 2022 seniors, the film highlights how the Class of 1948 alumnus made his mark on the civil rights movement, and how he continues to support Black liberation. Now, viewers will be able to watch the film honoring his legacy by tuning into nine separate channels: MTV, VH1, Country Music Television (CMT), Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Logo, TV Land, Pop TV, and Smithsonian Channel.
In addition to its platform, MTV Entertainment Group provided the funds and resources to elevate Morehouse’s seniors through this groundbreaking collaboration. “MTV Entertainment Group is committed to using our platforms to lift up voices that need to be heard, so we felt there was no better way to honor Dr. King than to give this opportunity to the living embodiment of his legacy, the students at Morehouse College,” shared MTV Entertainment Group chief marketing officer Jason White. “This is also an extremely talented group of up-and-coming filmmakers, and they’ve created a powerful piece that we’re proud to air across all our channels.”
(Credit: Morehouse College)
CTEMS faculty, staff, and students all united to bring “Here We Are” to fruition. According to academic program chair Dr. Stephane Dunn, the significant collaboration fits perfectly among the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities the college is known for. “Providing unique learning experiences outside of the physical classroom is imperative for a robust educational program,” said Dunn. “The team effort for this national brand allowed us to showcase the research and intellectual productivity as well as the professional experience and skill development possible at Morehouse. We hope this opens the door for additional partnerships and funding that helps us scale our departments’ capabilities and impact.”
As for the college’s seniors who worked on “Here We Are,” the project has solidified the importance of their Morehouse education in a global context. Seniors like Chase Stokes for example, will now value the collaboration with their peers and faculty as a way to shine a light on the value of teamwork. “Working with my peers from the CTEMS program was such a great experience because it gave us the opportunity to discover each other’s strengths,” said Stokes. “The faculty were instrumental in helping us hone and guide our skills. Now that this project will be aired on such a major platform, the world will see the magnitude of what Morehouse College has to offer.” “Here We Are” has become the perfect way to elevate the next generation of storytellers, who are led by the shining legacy of the alumnus who came before them.
Florida A&M University alumnus Vincent Evans has just earned a top role in Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)! Get the full story from the official release below!
(Credit: Robert Braggs)
Vincent Evans joins the Congressional Black Caucus from the White House, where he serves as Deputy Director of Public Engagement & Intergovernmental Affairs in the Office of the Vice President. Before his tenure within the Biden-Harris Administration, Evans served as the Southern Political Director for Biden for President before later being appointed as Political Director to then-Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), the Vice Presidential nominee. Additionally, Evans served on the senior staff for Congressman Al Lawson (D-FL) from 2017 to 2019, with a portfolio that included state and local issues. In addition to helping elect federal and state political candidates in Florida, he has worked in the Florida Senate and later in city government as the chief aide to the city commissioner in Tallahassee, where he was responsible for developing and implementing policy priorities and strategies. Evans is a Florida A&M University graduate and a North Florida native.
“I am deeply honored to be named the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus,” Vincent Evans said. “I started my career in Washington working for a member of the CBC, so I know first hand the tremendous leadership and impact this Caucus has in Congress and across the country. As we write the next chapter of the CBC story, I am excited for the opportunity to lend my experience and passion for supporting the collective vision of this storied Caucus.
(Credit: Lawrence Jackson/The White House)
For the 117th Congress, the CBC has members in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, representing more than 82 million Americans, 25.3 percent of the total U.S. population, and more than 17 million African-Americans, 41 percent of the total U.S. African-American population. In addition, the CBC represents almost a fourth of the House Democratic Caucus. The CBC is engaged at the highest levels of Congress with members who serve in House leadership. Representative James E. Clyburn (D-SC) serves as the Majority Whip in the House of Representatives, Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) serves as Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, and Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) serves as co-chair of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. In addition, five CBC members serve as chairs on full House committees, and 28 CBC members serve as chairs on House subcommittees.
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will celebrate the grand opening of the Harold L. Martin Sr. Engineering Research and Innovation Complex with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the complex Thursday, Feb. 17, at 11 a.m.
The program will feature remarks from N.C. Sen. Gladys A. Robinson, representatives of the UNC Board of Governors and Board of Trustees and other university leaders. N.C. A&T Chancellor Martin, the facility’s namesake, will deliver the occasion.
The Martin Complex, a 130,000-square-foot building equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, open concept laboratories, high bay areas and makerspaces, stands four stories high as a prominent fixture of innovation in the East Greensboro community.
In 2016, North Carolinians passed the $2 billion Connect NC Bond, which funded numerous projects across the state, including updates to state park facilities, construction projects for community colleges, and support for the expansion of STEM offerings at several universities across the state.
A&T received $90 million aimed to bolster its development and training of the next generation of exceptional engineers and computer scientists matriculating through seven College of Engineering (COE) departments and to enhance the research productivity of prominent faculty researchers. A&T is widely recognized for graduating more African American engineers than any university in America.
A&T broke ground on the construction site in 2018 and held a “topping out” ceremony in the fall of 2019, with 40% of the facility complete. Two years later, contractors finalized building efforts on time and within the allotted budget.
The Martin Complex received a silver certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the global standard in rating green buildings for efficiency and sustainability. The facility is at the intersection of Market and Dudley streets and is one of several new or proposed facilities in the surrounding area already budding with innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurship.
In the final stages of construction now, Bailey Village at Downtown East, also on East Market Street, will offer 172 luxury apartments, restaurants and a national grocery store among other retail opportunities. Additionally, The Resurgent – a proposed mixed-use development at Market Street and Benbow Road – will provide similar opportunities for economic revitalization with a promise of prioritizing sustainability.
Those in the Jacksonville community surrounding Edward Waters University will be able to enjoy its new fitness center thanks to a donation from the city of Jacksonville! Get the full story from the David Bauerlein of The Florida Times-Unionbelow.
(Credit: Bob Mack/Florida Times-Union)
Edward Waters University will add a new fitness center to its campus by using $500,000 from the city of Jacksonville for workout space that also will be open to neighborhood residents during some weekday hours.
Residents would not pay any charge to use the fitness center for at least five years. Edward Waters then could charge an unspecified “nominal fee” for the next five years of the agreement.
City Council President Sam Newby said the fitness center expands on other city-school partnerships with Edward Waters such as the New Town Success Zone and the Schell-Sweet Community Resource Center.
“I think this will be the third and final leg in making this community more safe and more healthy,” Newby said.
Newby, who is a graduate of the college, introduced the legislation. City Council unanimously approved it Tuesday.
The fitness center would be used by students, faculty and staff of Edward Waters. It would be open to the public for at least 20 hours a week, giving residents of the surrounding New Town neighborhood and a broader area of northwest Jacksonville a place to work out.
The hours for the public would be 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. The center would be closed on weekends.
The closest fitness center to the university is the Winston Family YMCA about two miles away in the Brooklyn neighborhood of downtown. The Johnson Family YMCA is about 3.5 miles away from the university.
Edward Waters would use the $500,000 to renovate the cafeteria of its James Weldon Johnson Building on West Ninth Street and purchase exercise equipment. The college would be responsible for staffing the fitness center and maintaining the equipment.
The city provided $8.4 million in 2017 to Edward Waters for constructing an athletic field used for the school’s football games and renovating student dormitories.
Edward Waters has said the football field will be open to the community by giving resident access to a walking track around the field and having youth football games on the field.
Agnes Scott College students who want to attend medical school will have a pathway to do so at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM).
The colleges announced two programs that enable qualified undergraduates and post-baccalaureate pre-medical students to get a jump on the admissions process at MSM. The aim is to increase diversity among medical school students and ultimately doctors, which could lead to better health outcomes.
“When students that have traditionally not been steered into medicine and science, such as women, have opportunities to learn more about the possibilities of such careers, we see a stronger and more diverse clinical workforce,” said Valerie Montgomery Rice, president and CEO of MSM, in a statement.
Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of Morehouse School of Medicine. SPECIAL
Unlike Morehouse College, which is an all-male, historically Black college (HBCU), MSM admits a broad range of students.
Agnes Scott is an all-women’s college.
The Early Commitment Program is designed to connect juniors at Agnes Scott with MSM.
A separate initiative called the Pre-Medical Linkage Program targets post-baccalaureate and graduate students who aspire to attend MSM.
Leocadia “Lee” Zak, president of Agnes Scott College ELIZABETH TAYLOR FRANDSEN VIA AGNES SCOTT
Both programs aim to “drive professional success for Scotties,” said Leocadia Zak, president of Agnes Scott, in a press release announcing the partnership.
The school is currently finalizing its list of qualified candidates, said Jennifer Spann, senior director of communications and marketing at Agnes Scott.
“We have approximately 20 competitive students we are going to recommend for the inaugural year,” Spann told Atlanta Business Chronicle in an email, adding that the school anticipates the application pool will increase in the future.
Officials at MSM will conduct student interviews this spring and make the final decisions on acceptance.
This alliance is just the latest to link Agnes Scott students to graduate-level education at Atlanta-based institutions.
Last year, billionaire philanthropist John Brown and his wife Rosemary established a scholarship fund at Emory University. The $5 million gift helps pay for alumnae of Agnes Scott and Spelman College who want to attend Emory’s Goizueta Business School.
The partnership with MSM will enable participants to skip what is known as the “glide year”—a period when students typically apply for medical school and participate in internships and other training to prepare for their future careers in healthcare.
Great news has emerged regarding an ambitious South Carolina HBCU president! Benedict College President and CEO Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis was recently elected to the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College. The SACSCOC is the official accrediting body granting degree to higher education institutions in the southern states. According to Benedict, the Southern Association of Colleges and School Commission on Colleges serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among several diverse institutions in the southeast. Get the full story from the Benedictrelease below.
Credit: Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis
Congratulations to Benedict College President Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis on her election to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College Board of Trustees. Dr. Artis’ three-year term will begin in June 2022. The SACSCOC is the body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the southern states
“I am extremely honored to serve as a Trustee for an organization that is committed to the quality of higher education,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO of Benedict College. “I am proud of the noble mission of the Southern Association of Colleges and School Commission on Colleges which assures the educational effectiveness of its member institutions.”
Dr. Artis will help to guide the Commission’s work and implementation of the accreditation process. She will be responsible for determining Commission policy, reviewing and making decisions regarding the accreditation of institutions. Additionally, she will serve on one of the assigned standing committees
SACSCOC President Belle Wheelan said, “ Dr. Artis was nominated by her colleagues in SC and the SACSCOC Nominating Committee forwarded her nomination to the membership for their approval. Her exceptional work in higher education speaks for itself. She will bring her vast experience to all of the members of SACSCOC to help them maintain high-quality standards.”
