A NASA pitch competition will become part of a White House HBCU initiative, all to uplift our scholars and give top talent the resources to succeed. Check the release from NASA below for the full story!
Students participating in NASA’s MITTIC Challenge showcase their spinoff technology concepts in a poster session at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. (Credit: NASA)
NASA and the Department of Education are collaborating to enhance the federal Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholar Recognition Program using NASA entrepreneurial expertise.
“NASA is excited to formalize our participation and see the innovated ideas HBCU scholars will bring to the competition.” said MUREP manager Torry Johnson. “Since 2018, MITTIC has provided students at Minority Serving Institutions a glimpse into NASA’s Technology Transfer Program and a unique opportunity to explore their entrepreneurial interests using NASA’s technology portfolio.”
Through this “mini MITTIC” pitch competition, teams of HBCU scholars will investigate selected NASA intellectual properties for potential uses in the commercial sector. The teams will work closely with NASA’s MITTIC team and subject matter experts while creating “Space Tank” pitches to explain the commercial viability of their proposed ideas.
NASA has a long history of facilitating the transformation of its technologies into commercial products and services. NASA’s Technology Transfer Program, managed by the Space Technology Mission Directorate, the agency’s headquarters in Washington, ensures that the innovations developed for exploration and discovery are broadly available to the public, maximizing the benefit to the nation.
Through the HBCU Scholar Recognition Program, the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity annually recognizes students from HBCUs for their accomplishments in academics, leadership, and civic engagement. Over the course of an academic school year, HBCU scholars participate in professional development through monthly classes and have access to a network of public and private partners.
Partnerships, such as the White House initiative’s work with NASA, have helped increase participation in and awareness of the HBCU Scholar Recognition Program.
Since the inception of the initiative’s student programming in 2014, NASA has helped it engage with cohorts of HBCU scholars and provided access to NASA networks, training, resources, and partners.
“Our relationship with NASA validates the Biden-Harris Administration’s and the initiative’s commitment to enhancing STEM in the HBCU space,” said Arthur McMahan, senior associate director for the Initiative. “This opportunity provides our outstanding HBCU Scholars with the tools and experiences needed to succeed in the 21st Century economy and beyond.”
Through their relationships with NASA, community-based organizations, and other public and private partners, HBCU scholars will also share promising and proven practices that support opportunities for all young people to achieve their educational and career potential.
The 2022 HBCU scholar application is expected to be released Jan. 11, 2022. The initiative will provide more information about the activities of the HBCU scholars on its website. HBCU scholars will begin working with NASA as soon as they are accepted into the recognition program and present their team pitches during the Annual National HBCU Week Conference in September.
For more on the Space Technology Mission Directorate and NASA’s Technology Transfer Program, visit the link here.
Band culture is an iconic piece of the HBCU experience, and it heightens football games that are already the most exciting spectacles in town! Get the full story from Rod Carter at news station KSNT below.
(Credit: WNCN)
At Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the marching bands often steal the show. While people come for football games, it’s the halftime show that really cements the experience.
Whether it’s the fast pace of the “Sound Machine” at North Carolina Central University or the slow methodical “Snake Walk” of the famed Marching 100 at Florida A&M University, the pageantry of marching bands at HBCUs is something that cannot be duplicated.
Even PepsiCo sees it. They recently released a commercial called “The Halftime Game, ” featuring bands from schools like FAMU and Jackson State University.
“It’s like none other. You want to strike up the band if you’re a football player,” said Tiffany Greene, ESPNHBCU color analyst and Florida A&M grad. She knows the experience firsthand. She sees it every Saturday in the fall.
“It’s the soundtrack for the football game. So, there is no football game without a band,” she said. “I would argue they are equally as important as the football team.”
At North Carolina Central, when it comes to The Sound Machine, drum majors Donnell Troy Jr. and Hasan Gaddy aren’t playing around.
“Being in the marching band, you create more of a family ora, so when you’re here, you say, I actually feel like home,” Troy said.
“The culture is very different. It’s very fun to be in and just have fun,” Gaddy added.
The marching band at NCCU was founded in 1938. Band Director Thurman Hollins said the 130-plus piece band and its rich history really teach as much as about life as it does music.
“We represent the entire school all in one ensemble,” he pointed out.
That includes when it comes to class. It’s about striking the right chord for success.
“That’s part of our daily announcements ya know… go to class. We break them into clusters of students by major within the band, so they can mentor each other and tutor each other,” added Hollins.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities depend on the draw of the band in more ways than one. Not just to fill the stands to entertain the crowds, but to be an educational pied piper of sorts — luring students to attend the schools to continue a culture of academic legacy.
That is on full display in a recent McDonald’s commercial featuring a Shaw University grad and her son who is marching in his mother’s footsteps.
“This is something that I never would’ve dreamed of in my wildest dreams to be a part of that project,” said Shaw’s Band Director Andrae King.
And like the commercial shows, band is a great way to attract students, both legacy and first timers alike.
COVID-19 infections have ramped up all over the nation, and HBCUs are being proactive to protect their student body. As a result, The University System of Maryland has created a mandate for students to get boosters. Students at HBCUs Bowie State University and Coppin State University will be among those affected by the mandate. Get the full story from CBS Baltimore staff below.
Credit: Coppin State University
The University System of Maryland is requiring students returning for the spring semester and living on campus to get a booster shot against COVID-19, the organization announced Friday.
The policy impacts the University of Maryland and all its satellite campuses, Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Frostburg State University, Towson University and University of Baltimore, among other institutions.
Citing CDC findings that boosters offer the best protection against COVID-19, the organization encouraged all students, faculty and staff to get the additional shot.
Each university will announce its own deadline for getting the shot and any other COVID-19 protocols before students return to campus, the school system said.
Students who have been exempted from getting vaccinated against COVID-19 are not subject to the new policy.
“Recent data show that boosters offer added protection against COVID, reducing symptom severity, including in cases of Omicron infection,” the university system said in a press release. “Our available vaccines shorten the duration of illness and infectiousness, reducing transmissibility and spread in settings such as congregate housing.”
Last April, USM decided to require all students, faculty and staff get vaccinated before the fall semester.
“I’d like to frame my remarks not only as System chancellor, but as a physician—a pediatrician. My entire career has been focused on children, through early adulthood,” Chancellor Jay A. Perman said. “As a physician, everything I do in my practice requires a risk/benefit analysis. There is no free ride.”
Gene Wade has been selected as the CEO of the Propel Center, a center dedicated to preparing the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs! Learn more about the Morehouse College graduate from the PR Newswire release below!
Gene Wade, CEO, the Propel Center
The Propel Center, the global HBCU technology and learning hub intended to level the playing field and open greater doors of opportunity for their students, has announced the naming of respected social entrepreneur and education advocate Gene Wade as chief executive officer.
Wade most recently served as Founder and CEO of Honors Pathway in Oakland, California, a social venture that enabled low-income students to attend their first year of college at no cost while receiving over 500 hours of in-person coaching and mentoring. He also serves on several non-profit boards, including the Pahara Institute, Portal Schools, and Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, ideal foundations for his new role with Propel Center.
Over his 25-year career, Wade also co-founded and led several entrepreneurial social ventures, including UniversityNow, which developed a self-paced online learning management system designed to lower the cost of higher education that was acquired and is currently serving hundreds of thousands of online students; Platform Learning, which developed a network of free after school tutoring programs that served over 50,000 students; and LearnNow, the first national network of public charter schools founded and led by African Americans.
Before cementing his name as one of the nation’s foremost education entrepreneurs, Wade worked as a corporate attorney. He is the holder of an M.B.A. degree from The Wharton School, a J.D. from Harvard Law School and earned his B.A. degree from Morehouse College.
Apple and Southern Company have each stepped forward to support the project as founding partners, providing experts and critical programming, and investing a total of $50 million towards the $100 million goal for the development and launch of Propel. “The Propel Center requires a strong and savvy leader that is not afraid to be an innovative disruptor,” said Chris Womack, president and CEO of Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company. “Gene Wade has the experience and vision Propel needs to create ground-breaking opportunities that will make a difference for HBCUs and their students.”
Anthony Oni, chairman, agrees that Wade’s appointment is the right choice at the right time. “Ultimately, in order to solve the systemic issues that we’re trying to address in higher education and workforce development, it’s going to take a reimagining of how we prepare students,” Oni states. “Propel Center is a shared layer of resources to augment the incredible work that’s already taking place at HBCUs, but with an opportunity to co-build curriculum with both HBCUs and industry leaders; to give students access to what industry leaders are thinking, creating and developing today and in the future.”
“I’ve dedicated my career to building innovative education solutions, business models and technology platforms that directly address the preparation challenges facing African American and low-income students,” says Wade. “Propel represents a unique opportunity to continue this work, and help radically transform how we prepare students to lead and participate in the innovation economy.”
Described as a “global HBCU headquarters,” Propel Center is designed to provide innovative curricula, advanced technology support, unprecedented career and leadership opportunities, strategic resources, preparation and access across the Black collegiate community to support their work in producing the next generation of leaders who will champion equity, justice and entrepreneurship. Among the available curriculum options will be mobile app development, agricultural technologies, augmented reality, social justice and entertainment arts, along with career preparation and entrepreneurship tracks.
Featuring state-of-the-art learning technology, the 50,000 square-foot, custom-designed Propel Center facility and campus will support the entire HBCU community through a robust virtual platform accessible to all HBCU students and faculty, located in Atlanta.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are in Atlanta today visiting the campuses of Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College! The first speech, which will start at 3:50 p.m. ET, will be a conversation surrounding voting rights. Get the full story from Melissa Quinn at CBS News below.
(Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
President Biden is poised to visit Atlanta on Tuesday where he will push Congress to send to his desk legislation that will overhaul the nation’s voting rights laws to counter a raft of new changes pushed by Republicans at the state level.
Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will speak at the Atlanta University Center Consortium on the grounds of Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University, located in the congressional district represented by the late John Lewis.
In their remarks, Mr. Biden and Harris are set to urge lawmakers to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which would establish national election standards, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would reinstate a core provision of the Voting Rights Act gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013 that required states with a history of racial discrimination to seek Justice Department approval before changing their election rules.
“The next few days, when these bills come to a vote, will mark a turning point in this nation,” the president will say, according to an excerpt from the White House. “Will we choose democracy over autocracy, light over shadow, justice over injustice? I know where I stand. I will not yield. I will not flinch. I will defend your right to vote and our democracy against all enemies foreign and domestic. And so, the question is where will the institution of United States Senate stand?”
Traveling with Mr. Biden to Georgia is Senator Raphael Warnock and members of the state’s congressional delegation, as well as former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Absent from the president’s speech, though, will be Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate for governor, which Mr. Biden said before departing the White House is because of a scheduling mix-up.
The president told reporters the two are on the “same page,” and Abrams took to Twitter on Monday to applaud Mr. Biden for his visit and speech, thanking him for “for refusing to relent until the work is finished.”
Asked about the risk of not advocating for voting rights legislation given the difficult landscape in the Senate, Mr. Biden called it a “defining moment.”
“People are going to be judged: Where were they before and where were they after the vote. History is going to judge us,” he said. “The risk is making sure people understand just how important it is.”
The speech from the president is viewed by the White House as an extension of his condemnations of the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol during remarks marking its one-year anniversary. The president used his fiery speech last week to pledge he would “allow no one to place a dagger at the throat of our democracy.”
Mr. Biden’s visit and address in Atlanta is also aimed at the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said he will soon bring the voting rights legislation to the floor despite expected unanimous opposition by Senate Republicans.
If Republicans filibuster the bills as expected, denying Democrats the 60 votes they need to advance legislation in the 50-50 Senate, Schumer has pledged to bring forward changes to the Senate rules that would lower the threshold for the measures to advance in the upper chamber with a simple majority.
“If Republicans refuse to join us in a bipartisan spirit — if they continue to hijack the rules of the Senate to turn this chamber into a deep freezer — we are going to consider the appropriate steps necessary to restore the Senate, so we can pass these proposals and send them to the president’s desk,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Monday.
But Schumer still faces an uphill battle to changing Senate rules that would make it easier for voting rights legislation to clear. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, both moderate Democrats, generally oppose changing the chamber’s rules.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, accused Schumer of mounting “an attempt to attack the core identity of the Senate.”
McConnell also accused Democratic leaders of “trying to use a big lie to bully and berate their own members into breaking their word, breaking the rules, and breaking the Senate.”
Jackson State University football coach Deion Sanders has done it again, landing the commitment of top recruit Kevin Coleman Jr. Get the full story from John Garcia Jr. at Sports Illustrated below.
Credit: Matt Solorio
On the 10th and final public commitment of the All-American Bowl, the only surprise of the day went public.
Kevin Coleman Jr., the top-ranked slot receiver recruit in college football’s class of 2022, took his time before making the announcement to pick Jackson State over the likes of Miami, Florida State, Arizona State and others.
As the NBC broadcast urged him to make the pick between several hats on the table, Coleman donned a JSU hat and put on a navy blue blazer before confirming his plans to attend the 2021 SWAC Champion program.
Shortly after the decision went public, Coleman confirmed to Sports Illustrated he made the selection without making a visit to campus.
“I see everything he [head coach Deion Sanders] is doing and I want to be a part of it,” Coleman told SI All-American’s Matt Solorio. “Coach Prime, to be coached by a person who has done it before. Why not? He can teach me. He did it on both sides, he did it on special teams and he is a great person with great character.
“And of course his son’s the quarterback, so it will be a lot of passes. Air raid, there will be a lot of balls in the air and I want to be a part of it.”
As analysts within the recruiting industry focused on Florida State and Miami, there was only rumor of JSU being Coleman’s final selection beyond being a hat on the table. Coleman says the final decision wasn’t made privately until Friday, the day before the pick.
“I knew yesterday, and I kind of told both of my parents, ‘that’s it,’” he said. “It was a hard decision to make, not easy, but you’ve got to make the decision for yourself. You’ve got to believe you can make it from anywhere. I’m proud of myself.”
Coleman did not let anyone outside of the room know, not even his future head coach. That will have changed by Saturday evening, but the buzz surrounding Sanders’s program will remain.
Credit: NBC News
The senior becomes the second highly-touted high school recruit to pick the Tigers, an HBCU located in Jackson, Miss., over Power 5 scholarship offers. The nation’s top-ranked recruit, Travis Hunter, did so on the early National Signing Day after a longtime commitment to Florida State.
Coleman took official visits to Miami, USC, Oregon and Florida State this fall. JSU’s recruiting win becomes even more impressive in earning a verbal commitment despite not hosting him for a conventional visit. Communication with Sanders and the program was all it took to lock in a decision before Coleman’s pick was made on national television Saturday.
Jackson State now has more SI99 recruits on board than the likes of Oklahoma, Iowa, Ole Miss, Florida State, Cincinnati and others.
“I want to be a freshman All-American, with 1,000-plus yards,” Coleman said of his 2022 season goals. “I’m going to be that difference-maker in that offense and I feel like a lot of schools won’t want to play us anymore.
“Things are about to change and I’m going to recruit more guys here.”
Fayetteville State University Chancellor Darrell T. Allison was just honored by a group supporting veteran students and those also in the military! Get the full story from the FSU release below.
Source: Fayetteville State University
Darrell T. Allison, Chancellor was named the William Pearson Tolley Champion for Veterans in Higher education award winner by Student Veterans of America (SVA). The annual award is given to university leaders across the country who excels in providing innovative and creative management strategies, and demonstrates excellence in leadership in supporting military and veteran students. In this case, Chancellor Allison is recognized for making a difference at Fayetteville State University (FSU).
Chancellor Allison is also working to broaden FSU’s reach with targeted student populations, providing more effective outreach, services, and resources to adult learners and military-connected students. His efforts have helped position FSU as a national leader with military-connected students. In 2021, FSU was the top-ranked “Best for Vets” college among all four-year HBCUs in Military Times’ annual ranking. The Military Order of the Purple Heart has also designated FSU as a Purple Heart University, in recognition of FSU’s support of veterans and their families. FSU is the first of 16 UNC System schools to receive this honor.
“It gives me great pleasure to celebrate this huge honor bestowed upon me FSU not only is the second oldest institution in the University of North Carolina system it also is just miles away from the largest military installation in the world, Ft. Bragg. This puts us in prime position to be the nation’s leading HBCU for military and veteran students and I am thankful for the acknowledgement.”, stated Chancellor Darrell T. Allison. SVA honored Allison at an awards luncheon during its National Convention (NatCon) the largest annual convening of student veterans in the country. The 14th Annual NatCon was held January 6-8, 2022 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort near Orlando, Florida.
North Carolina Central University is seeking to clamp down on the COVID-19 pandemic by enforcing students to use masks stronger than cloth. Get the full story from Judith Retana at CBS 17 below.
Statue of NCCU founder James E. Shepard. James E. Shepard was also a pharmacist, civil servant and educator. He served as the first president of NCCU for nearly 40 years. (Credit: RDUpedia via Wikimedia Commons)
North Carolina Central University will no longer allow cloth face masks to be worn on campus. A KN95 will now be required in the classroom.
Students may face administrative action, including restriction of access to or use of university facilities, removal from university housing, or disenrollment if they don’t comply with community standards outlined by the University and other requirements included in the Student Code of Conduct, the university said.
Students are asked to abide by the following community standards:
North Carolina Central University will no longer allow cloth face masks to be worn on campus. A KN95 will now be required in the classroom.
Students may face administrative action, including restriction of access to or use of university facilities, removal from university housing, or disenrollment if they don’t comply with community standards outlined by the University and other requirements included in the Student Code of Conduct, the university said.
Students are asked to abide by the following community standards:
Practice good hand hygiene.
Keep distance between yourself and others as feasible.
Wear a face covering where mandated.
Report cases, symptoms and testing.
Upload proof of vaccination or participate in weekly surveillance testing.
Participate in contact tracing fully and honestly.
Comply with quarantine/isolation requirements.
Respect the privacy and confidentiality of faculty, staff and students who test positive for COVID-19 or are otherwise affected by the virus.
The new rules apply to everyone, regardless of vaccination status.
Failure to comply with the community standards, as well as those outlined in the NCCU Student Code of Conduct, could result in disciplinary action.
The university told CBS 17 that all students will be provided KN95 masks and disposable medical masks. The school said certain high-risk employees are enrolled in a program to wear tight-fitting N95 respirators.
Masks will come at no cost to faculty or students.
For the weeks of January 5-7 and January 10-14, commuter students can pick up a mask at the A.E. Student Union lobby and the New Student Center lobby.
NCCU told CBS 17 they have purchased enough supply for everyone and do not anticipate running out at this point. It said it would remain mindful of any supply chain issues.
CBS 17 asked the university if it believed a KN95 would reduce cases of COVID-19 at the school.
The university did not directly answer the question but said the health and well-being of their community was a top priority. Additionally, it said its protocols are instrumental in keeping positivity rates at the school low and want the positivity rate at 1-percent by the end of last semester.
“NCCU’s COVID-19 Management Team is reviewing data regarding COVID-19 on a daily basis and working in partnership with local and state health officials and the University of North Carolina System,” the university said in an email. “The university may adjust operations if needed and as required and will ensure updates are provided in a timely manner.”
Spelman College alumna Adrienne Adams is making history in N.Y.C as the second-most powerful person in the city’s government! Get the full story from and contributor Dana Rubinstein at The New York Post below.
Adrienne Adams will lead the City Council as New York grapples with Covid and an uncertain financial future.. (Credit: Dave Sanders for The New York Times)
Ms. Adams, who became speaker on Wednesday, will lead the most diverse City Council ever as New York tries to recover from the pandemic. She already faces battles with the mayor.
Adrienne Adams had to overcome several obstacles on her way to being voted in on Wednesday as the first Black woman to serve as speaker of the New York City Council, the second-most-powerful position in city government.
She had a competitive race to retain her City Council seat representing southeast Queens, including a primary challenge from her predecessor, and entered the contest for speaker relatively late. Mayor Eric Adams did what he had said he would not do and tried, unsuccessfully, to tip the scales in favor of one of Ms. Adams’s rivals.
Ms. Adams, 61, a moderate Democrat, prevailed and will now lead the City Council, as New York grapples once again with being a center of the coronavirus pandemic while facing a difficult financial future.
The new City Council, which is more diverse than ever and has its first-ever female majority, also looks to be more ideologically divided than in recent memory. And in spite of public efforts to show they are on the same page, Ms. Adams already faces potential battles with the mayor on everything from the use of solitary confinement in the city’s jails to new legislation that would grant more than 800,000 legal residents who are not citizens the right to vote in municipal elections.
Ms. Adams, who lost her father to Covid, said her priority would be seeing the city through the pandemic and working to strengthen families that have been damaged in its wake.
“We meet here today as the most diverse Council in history, led by the first African-American speaker,” Ms. Adams said in a speech Wednesday after her colleagues voted nearly unanimously to make her speaker. “While this is a moment to celebrate this milestone, we must realize that we are here because New York is at the crossroads of multiple crises — each one competing for our full attention.”
Ms. Adams, the first Black person to serve as speaker, will lead a historically diverse City Council. (Credit: Dave Sanders for The New York Times)
In an interview, Ms. Adams noted that the pandemic had further exposed existing inequalities on issues ranging from medical care to child care, housing and access to high speed internet. “All roads lead through this pandemic,” she said. “When I think of my priorities, I think of rebuilding a city.”
Ms. Adams’s predecessor as speaker, Corey Johnson, said it would not be easy.
“We’re in this painful and uncertain time with Omicron and not knowing what this will do to our economy,” Mr. Johnson said in an interview. “This new Council has more members who are very far left and more who are far right. To get things done will be a challenge.”
He added: “But it’s not an impossible challenge because Adrienne has the skill set, track record and temperament.”
Yvette Buckner, a political strategist who is vice chair of 21 in ’21, a group that helped elect a record number of women to the City Council, said Ms. Adams would “be able to understand the needs of the city from a different lens,” partly because of her experience as a mother of four and a grandmother of 10.
Even as the country goes through “a long overdue reckoning of racial justice,” New Yorkers need to feel safe from discriminatory policing, “safe from the virus and safe from violence,” Ms. Adams said in her speech.
Mr. Adams will be her counterpart in that effort. Though he suffered a significant political loss when Ms. Adams amassed enough support to become speaker, they both say they have a good relationship.
Ms. Adams and Mr. Adams were classmates at Bayside High School in Queens in the late 1970s. Mr. Adams, discouraged by an undetected learning disability, has spoken often about not being a model student. Ms. Adams, on the other hand, was a cheerleader who founded a gospel chorus at the high school, which was mostly white at the time.
“I actually went to class. We knew of each other but we did not hang out in the same crowd,” Ms. Adams said of her time at high school with the mayor. “But we are so proud of each other.”
After graduating from Spelman College, Ms. Adams worked as a corporate trainer for communications companies. She served as chairwoman of Community Board 12 in Queens before running for office in 2017 after her predecessor was convicted of fraud and removed from office. (His conviction was later reversed.)
As a councilwoman, she passed legislation to limit the sale of tax liens and established a task force to make sure the liens were implemented fairly, and she helped allocate $10 million in the budget to create a Black studies curriculum for public schools.
Many in the city’s political class were surprised when Mr. Adams and his team tried to install Francisco Moya, a councilman from Queens, as speaker, particularly because Mr. Adams and Ms. Adams were largely seen as being politically in sync.
“How am I going to dislike someone that shares my same last name?” Mr. Adams said at a news conference on Tuesday. “I love Adrienne.”
The mayor credited Ms. Adams, who endorsed him in the Democratic primary, with playing a “pivotal role” in helping him win.
Ms. Adams also strongly agrees with Mr. Adams that the city, and its schools, should not shut down because of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
Ms. Adams faces potential battles with Mayor Eric Adams on the use of solitary confinement in the city’s jails and legislation that would grant noncitizen legal residents the right to vote in municipal elections. (Credit: Anna Watts for The New York Times)
But there are already two potential points of conflict. Mr. Adams has raised concerns about a bill passed during the previous City Council session that would give legal residents the right to vote in municipal elections, saying he believes that the 30-day residency requirement is too short. He has not ruled out vetoing the legislation.
Ms. Adams said she “respected the mayor’s thoughts” about the legislation, which becomes law this month if he does not sign or veto it, and that she “would not be opposed” to revisiting the length of the residency requirement.
Theodore Moore, the senior policy director for the New York Immigration Coalition, said the residency requirement matched state election law, which requires people who move to New York from out of state to wait 30 days before voting. A legal challenge to the city law is expected from conservative groups and Republican lawmakers.
“We just need to remind the speaker that you supported this legislation as is, you were a co-sponsor of it and you voted for it,” said Mr. Moore.
The mayor and speaker seem further apart on Mr. Adams’s declaration that he will allow solitary confinement to be used in the city’s jails for incarcerated people who commit acts of violence against others in custody or correction officers.
Mr. Adams said that he was upset council members had written an open letter objecting to his stance rather than speaking to him directly, and that he planned to ignore them. “I’m the mayor,” he said.
Ms. Adams, whose mother was a correction officer, said she agreed with the letter, which was signed by 29 of her fellow council members and decried solitary confinement as “a “form of torture.”
If an incarcerated person has to be isolated for a violent incident, Ms. Adams argued, that time should be used to administer counseling or other therapy to help address the root cause of the violence.
“Let’s go back to the time when correction meant correction, and rehabilitation meant rehabilitation,” Ms. Adams said.
The mayor’s remarks angered those who signed the letter. Crystal Hudson, who just became one of the first two openly gay Black women to serve on the Council, said she felt Ms. Adams had made a strong statement in her response.
“I have full faith in her abilities as the speaker of the City Council to push back when needed and to have her members’ backs,” Ms. Hudson, who represents a district in Brooklyn, said in an interview. “I know that she will stand firm in her convictions.”
The vote to make Ms. Adams speaker on Wednesday was 49 to 2, with two Black Democrats voting against her. One of them, Charles Barron, who represents East New York in Brooklyn, said Ms. Adams did not represent “independent, bold Black leadership that stands for the people over the party.” The other, Kristin Richardson Jordan, who represents Central Harlem, said, “we need more than symbolic representation.”
Diana Ayala, who represents East Harlem, will serve as the deputy speaker; Keith Powers, who represents several other neighborhoods in Manhattan, will be the majority leader and Selvena Brooks-Powers, who represents parts of Queens, will be the majority whip. Joseph Borelli, a Republican councilman from Staten Island, was chosen as the minority leader.
Ms. Adams said the diversity of the new City Council should serve as a “model” for other cities, but she also described it as “bittersweet.”
“It’s amazing and beautiful,” Ms. Adams said. “But it’s still a little disheartening that in the City of New York, we are looking at the first African-American speaker of the City Council.”
Jamal Simmons, a Morehouse College graduate, has been chosen by Howard University alumna Kamala Harris to be her new communications director! Get the full story from Steven Nelson at New York Post below!
Vice President Kamala Harris has hired Jamal Simmons as her new communications director. (Credit: Instagram / @realjamalsimmons)
Vice President Kamala Harris has tabbed a new communications director, veteran Democratic aide Jamal Simmons, to try to course-correct her office’s messaging in 2022 after a series of stumbles and staff departures last year.
Simmons, 50, has nearly three decades of experience working in politics and with media outlets. His hiring was first reported by The Hill.
Former Harris communications director Ashley Etienne departed last year to pursue “other opportunities.” Etienne previously worked for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
It’s unclear when Simmons will start his job. But he comes aboard amid reported tension between Harris allies and West Wing aides — as well as reports that Harris is a difficult boss, driving high staff turnover throughout her career.
Ashley Etienne left Harris’ team in December 2021. (Credit: Twitter)
Simmons will bring experience fending off poor press after working for unsuccessful 2004 presidential candidates Wesley Clark and Bob Graham. He also worked on the Clinton White House’s advance team and as deputy communications director for Al Gore’s 2000 campaign.
He also boasts deep relationships on Capitol Hill and in the media, which may prove useful in generating more favorable coverage. In recent years, he’s worked as a contributor to The Hill and CBS News.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Simmons was co-chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance group, which advocates for broadband internet, between 2010 and 2018.
Harris faced a glut of bad press in her first year as VP, undermining her potential bid to be the first female president.
The veep’s staff reportedly are frustrated that President Biden handed her tough assignments, such as reducing illegal immigration from Central America. Other tasks include leading a stalled drive to pass a federal election reform bill, which is unlikely to succeed due in part to opposition from Senate centrists to lifting the 60-vote requirement for most bills.
Harris also took heat for waiting three months to visit the US-Mexico border after Biden tapped her to address the “root causes” of the ongoing migrant crisis. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) recently told the New York Times that he’s given up on trying to work with Harris after arrests for illegally crossing the border spiked to a 35-year high.
Jamal Simmons is a veteran Democratic aide with nearly 30 years of experience working in politics and with media outlets. (Credit: Instagram/@realjamalsimmons)
“I say this very respectfully to her: I moved on,” Cuellar said. “She was tasked with that job, it doesn’t look like she’s very interested in this, so we are going to move on to other folks that work on this issue.”
But Harris defenders accuse Biden’s main White House staff of being insufficiently supportive and possibly racist for allegedly being more eager to defend Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who took paternity leave amid a ports crisis.
“It’s hard to miss the specific energy that the White House brings to defend a white man, knowing that Kamala Harris has spent almost a year taking a lot of the hits that the West Wing didn’t want to take themselves,” a former Harris aide told CNN in November.
Harris would be the front-runner for the 2024 Democratic nomination if Biden doesn’t run, according to a poll released last month by Politico and Morning Consult. Harris would have the backing of 31 percent of primary voters, trailed by Buttigieg with 11 percent and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) with 8 percent, the poll found.
A poll released in late November by The Hill and HarrisX found Harris with 13 percent support among hypothetical Democratic candidates, followed by former first lady Michelle Obama at 10 percent. All other candidates were below 5 percent in that poll.
Harris told the Wall Street Journal in a recent interview that she and Biden have never talked about their 2024 election plans as uncertainty about Biden’s intentions fuels tension among Democratic factions.
Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin, the chairwoman of the board of the N.C. Black Repertory Company and the executive producer of the National Black Theatre Festival, died Monday. She was 76.
Sprinkle-Hamlin stepped into her leadership roles within the N.C. Black Repertory Company immediately following the 2007 death of her husband, Larry Leon Hamlin. He founded the company and produced its first festival in 1989.
Nigel Alston, the executive director of the N.C. Black Repertory Company, said that Sprinkle-Hamlin will be remembered for continuing her husband’s vision for the National Black Theatre Festival.
“After Larry died in 2007, people wondered if it would continue or not,” Alston said. “It has thrived since 2007.”
The festival, with its theme of “An International Celebration and Reunion of Spirit,” showcases top Black theater companies from across the United States and abroad.
The six-day event attracts nearly 65,000 people every two years to Winston-Salem. The 2019 festival was the largest event in the company’s history, generating more than $10 million for the Piedmont Triad economy, the NBTF said at that time.
Sprinkle-Hamlin and other company officials were disappointed when the 2021 NBTF was postponed until August 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alston said.
Sprinkle-Hamlin and other organizers had been planning for this year’s festival, which is scheduled for Aug. 1-6, since last year, Alston said.
The festival’s organizers will stage a special event to honor Sprinkle-Hamlin at this year’s NBTF, Alston said.
“Definitely, there will be something,” Alston said. “What that will be is too early to tell.”
Sprinkle-Hamlin’s family declined to reveal her cause of death.
“We can’t describe the pain and loss we are feeling right now with Sylvia’s passing,” Sprinkle-Hamlin’s family said. “We are grateful for the outpouring of love from the local community and the Arts community from around the country and the world.”
Chase Law, the president and chief executive of the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, also issued a statement Tuesday about Sprinkle-Hamlin.
“We were saddened to learn of the passing of Mrs. Sylvia Hamlin, an icon within the Winston-Salem arts and cultural sector,” Law said. “It’s a huge loss for our entire community.
“As a visionary, she and her husband, Larry, created something that has had and continues to have an impact on theatre both locally and nationally,” Law said. “(The) Arts Council will continue to help keep her legacy alive. She will be missed.”
Sprinkle-Hamlin retired in December 2019 after a 40-year career with the Forsyth County Public Library system. When she was named director in 2000, Sprinkle-Hamlin became the first African American and the first woman to head the county library system.
Sprinkle-Hamlin oversaw the library’s transformation to the digital age, where people are as likely to download materials as to check out books.
She was among the county leaders who supervised the two-year, $28 million rebuilding of the Central Library on West Fifth Street in Winston-Salem.
Forsyth County Manager Dudley Watts said the Central Library project, which was completed in 2017, was a source of personal pride for Sprinkle-Hamlin.
“The colorful building with lots of light and creative spaces is a reflection of her personality.” Watts said. “She was the epicenter of creative partnerships and reached in to all communities through their branches to meet patron’s needs.
Walt Unks/The Journal
“She was funny and demanding at the same time. My best memories of her where when we disagreed on something and somehow found a way to laugh hysterically about it,” Watts said.
Damon Sanders-Pratt, deputy Forsyth County manager, said he worked directly with Sprinkle-Hamlin in her role as library director for more than 15 years.
When Sylvia assumed the director’s role, she replaced a well-regarded leader in the North Carolina library profession, a daunting task,” Sanders-Pratt said. “Sylvia not only maintained the momentum of the library system, but as (the) library director, she and her team guided the system to new levels in service, technology and facilities.
“Sylvia led one of county government’s most popular services, (and) was a champion of diversity, and a favorite daughter in the Forsyth County community,” Sanders-Pratt said. “Her accomplishments and recognitions as a librarian and arts icon were substantial.”
Sprinkle-Hamlin received a bachelor’s degree in education from Winston-Salem State University and a master’s degree in library science from Clark Atlanta University.
She began her career as a children’s librarian at the Free Library of Philadelphia. From there, she accepted a position as an information specialist at the Benjamin Banneker Urban Center and then as an instructional media center director for the Philadelphia Public Schools.
In 1977, she returned home to Winston-Salem, where she worked as the assistant director and public service librarian at Winston-Salem State University. She also owned and operated a small business, Fashion Two-Twenty Cosmetics.
“Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin leaves behind an incredible legacy as a respected national leader in championing both of her dual passions, as a librarian and an advocate of the arts,” said Mark Owens, the president and chief executive of the Greater Winston-Salem Inc. “Our community is a better place because of her dedication to the National Black Theatre Festival and the N.C. Black Repertory Company as well as the many local organizations where she volunteered her time over many years.
“Her impact in Winston-Salem will be lasting, and her memory will be treasured,” Owens said.
Kentucky State Representative Darryl Owens blasted the rollout of the new Benefind state health care system, during a Seante Health and Welfare committee in Frankfort (Credit: Pat McDonogh/The CJ)
He grew up in a one-bedroom apartment in Louisville’s Sheppard Square public housing. His mother, a $5-a-day housekeeper, had to buy used clothing for him and his sister.
He got his first taste of racial discrimination when they ventured downtown to lunch counters that wouldn’t serve them and department stores where they couldn’t try on clothes.
But stressing a holy trinity of religion, family and education, Dorothy Minter Owens raised a son who quietly became a giant as a civil rights leader, public servant and a man of firsts:
First Black assistant attorney general.
First Black countywide officeholder.
First Black candidate for mayor.
Darryl T. Owens, former state representative, county commissioner, juvenile court judge and NAACP president, died Tuesday night. He was 84.
He had suffered from Parkinson’s disease and cancer, illnesses that his lifelong friend Raoul Cunningham said he bore bravely.
In a tweet, Mayor Greg Fischer said Owens was “a kind, gentle person and also a fierce leader and advocate for our city and commonwealth. He was one of our great social and racial justice warriors.”
But enshrining him in its hall of fame, the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights described him as a “model of leadership.”
He served the 43rd District in the House of Representatives from 2005 to 2018.
And representing Jefferson County’s C District — which was 65 percent white — he won plaudits on the old Fiscal Court from community leaders even in neighborhoods that gave him few votes by paying prompt attention to constituent concerns.
He also shepherded such measures as a landlord-tenant act through Fiscal Court.
Owens also walked a fine line between fighting for issues that such as desegregation and open housing and loyalty to the Democratic Party.
(Credit: Pat McDonogh/The CJ)
Owens won some public posts in the 1970s, including appointment to the juvenile court bench by then-County Judge-Executive Todd Hollenbach and to the state Workers’ Compensation Board by then-Gov. Julian Carroll.
He also shepherded such measures as a landlord-tenant act through Fiscal Court.
Owens also walked a fine line between fighting for issues that such as desegregation and open housing and loyalty to the Democratic Party.
Owens won some public posts in the 1970s, including appointment to the juvenile court bench by then-County Judge-Executive Todd Hollenbach and to the state Workers’ Compensation Board by then-Gov. Julian Carroll.
Owens practiced law and quickly became active in social and political causes, joining open-housing demonstrations and stuffing envelopes for state Sen. Georgia Davis Powers.
He was credited with calming the unrest after the deaths of 10 people during civil rights demonstrations in 1968 and after firebombings at Zion Baptist Church and the Newburg Community Center.
In 1973, he volunteered as one of the lawyers for the NAACP in its historic and tension-charged lawsuit to desegregate local schools. He later said the threats at home got so bad he had to instruct his daughters not to answer the phone.
Owens adopted a low profile in the busing case, lead counsel Robert Sedler later recalled.
“There was a tendency of a lot of Black leaders to do a lot of posturing,” he said. “Darryl didn’t operate that way.”
In the Kentucky House, from which he retired in 2018, he was the architect of the Economic Opportunities Act, which promoted minority-owned businesses in Louisville, and of landmark felony expungement legislation in 2016.
The state Chamber of Commerce gave him its “MVP award” for that bill.
Owens lived with his second wife, Brenda, in the Chickasaw neighborhood.
Cunningham said Owens also quietly stood up for women’s rights.
When the Green Street Baptist Church, in which they both grew up, wouldn’t allow women to preach, Owens left the church in 1999, Cunningham said.
Louisville attorney Aubrey Williams, also a former NAACP chapter president, said Owens was a “dedicated, resolute and fearless warrior in the movement and struggle for justice and equality of Black people. He was also a dedicated and effective public servant. Furthermore, he was an accomplished lawyer and a wonderful mentor to the lawyers in my age group. He earned his stripes.”
Mike Kemp, a successful Alabama businessman hailing from Alabama State University, is making history! Get the full story from William Thornton at AL.com below.
Mike Kemp is the founder, president and CEO of Birmingham’s KMS (Kemp Management Solutions), a program management and consulting company. (Source: AL.com)
The CEO of a Birmingham construction company has been elected as the first Black chairman of the Business Council of Alabama.
Mike Kemp, a longtime fixture of the organization, was chosen for the post at the BCA’s annual meeting.
Kemp is the founder, president and CEO of Birmingham’s KMS (Kemp Management Solutions), an Inc. 5000 company. He has planned and managed more than 1,500 construction projects valued at over $6.8 billion.
He will serve as the BCA’s 36th chairman, succeeding Gary Smith. Kemp has previously served as the organization’s first vice chairman, an executive member and chairman of ProgressPAC, BCA’s political arm.
Kemp said he is “extremely optimistic about what we can accomplish if we communicate, innovate and work together.”
“BCA has been the foundation of business advocacy for 35 years, and I am honored to step into this position that so many talented individuals have held before me,” he said. “BCA is a member driven organization, and I am going to draw on the talents and experience of our leadership team and membership to meet our goals. BCA always acts in the best interest of our state, our employers and their families and that will not change.”
A graduate of UAB and Alabama State University, Kemp holds degrees in civil engineering and mathematics. According to a BCA biographical sketch, Kemp started his first business at 23 as a pipe and valve distributor for American Cast Iron Pipe Co. Eight years later, he returned to large scale construction before forming his own business in 2011 for smaller scale projects with a high degree of service in project management.
He serves on several corporate and community boards, including First Horizon Bank, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama, Downtown Rotary Club of Birmingham and Operation HOPE.
Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) Athletic Director Donald Reed has announced the appointment of Leonard “Bubba” McDowell as PV’s new head football coach. The appointment follows McDowell’s brief stint in the interim head coach role after former head coach Eric Dooley’s departure in December.
McDowell will inherit a promising and experienced team that finished the 2020 season with a 7-5 record overall and a 6-2 conference record, leading to a western division title within the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Long regarded as a vital component of the team’s success, he has been credited with helping to build the current program alongside Dooley. He served as the assistant head coach for the past eight seasons while also leading the development of the defensive unit over the past three seasons. He also spearheaded recruitment efforts and advanced the team’s range of skills after joining the staff in 2011.
Credit: Prairie View A&M University
McDowell began his coaching career through a series of appointments at Houston-area collegiate programs after engaging in extensive development through the National Football League’s (N.F.L) minority coaching program. McDowell had a successful career as a starting safety in the NFL with the Houston Oilers and the Carolina Panthers. He retired in 1996.
“I’m proud to have Coach McDowell as our new head of the football program,” said PVAMU Athletic Director, Donald Reed. “I chose Coach McDowell because of his vast and successful experiences in collegiate and professional football. His leadership style and student-athlete centered approach align with our goals to see our athletes excel in the classroom, on the field, and in the community. I’m impressed by Coach McDowell’s commitment to PV and I know he’ll lead us to accomplish great things.”
A former worker in Delaware State University‘s catering department has branched off to not only start her own restaurant, but pay it forward to the students in her community! Get the full story from Logan B. Anderson at Bay To Bay News below.
Kushana Perry, right, cuts the ribbon at a ceremony celebrating her business, Kay’s Kitchen N’ Krafts, joining the Greater Milford Chamber of Commerce in December. At left, is her husband, Wayne Perry Jr. The couple’s business is looking to expand to a restaurant in Milford in 2022. (Credit: Bay To Bay News)
If your new year’s resolution is to give back to your community, be an active parent and to start or expand a business — then be like Kushana Perry.
Ms. Perry is a mother of three, the owner of Kay’s Kitchen N’ Krafts and runs her own nonprofit organization helping disadvantaged youth. In 2022 she is working to expand her business to a brick-and-mortar spot, hopefully, in downtown Milford.
Currently based out of her home in Frederica, Ms. Perry operates Kay’s Kitchen N’ Krafts with the help of her husband, Wayne Perry Jr. and her children. Her family-owned business provides catering services, regular lunch delivery specials and coordinates craft parties, among other things.
“I feel what I do is my purpose. I’m purpose-driven to follow and fulfill what’s in my heart. So, any idea I get is for a reason and most likely to help or be beneficial to someone. Therefore, I have to put it into action,” Ms. Perry said.
In 2018, Ms. Perry worked in the food service department of Delaware State University. There she was part of the university’s many catered events. While at DSU, she received a lot of compliments on her cooking.
“When I was at DSU, I catered the dinners or lunches and things and people would say to me, ‘You need to turn this into business.’ And I was like, ‘You know what, thank you.’ So, I left DSU and pursued my own business,” Ms. Perry said.
Now almost four years later, she is looking for a space to set up a restaurant. “We have blown up so much the last couple of months, to where we can’t even take all the orders,” Ms. Perry said.
She recently joined the Greater Milford Chamber of Commerce to aid in her search for a place to expand. While looking for a new location, she is also working on building a new website. Currently, she connects with her customers through social media, Facebook and Instagram. She also keeps a text list on her phone.
Weekly she sends out a menu of lunch specials, via her social media and text list. Every day is different. Past lunch menus have featured teriyaki chicken and salmon. Kay’s Kitchen N’ Crafts delivers their specials. The lunches usually cost between $5 and $14 and always include a drink. The $14 meals usually include an appetizer and or dessert.
“We deliver all over … we get people from Seaford and they might meet us in Greenwood, or something. People like the delivery service because we’re bringing it to you,” Ms. Perry said.
Last November, Kay’s Kitchen N’ Krafts was featured in the Greater Milford Chamber of Commerce’s Tastes of Milford event at the Milford Elks Lodge.
“I pride myself on doing things you can’t get out of the store. Like our desserts, sweet potato bread or flavored pretzel salads, peach cobbler, cakes that you can’t get at the store,” Ms. Perry said.
Ms. Perry’s nonprofit organization is called the HAPPY Project — Heartfelt Actions Preparing Positive Youth.
“We go around to different neighborhoods and do things for the youth there,” Ms Perry said.
During winter and summer breaks from school, the HAPPY Project made and distributed special care packages for kids.
“We call them joy packs. They’ll have bubbles, chips, cookies, something fun for the kids. I just wanted to bring joy to kids, especially during COVID,” Ms. Perry said.
To be able to do all that she does, Ms. Perry said she relies on her family, “I have a great support system.”
“I’m the type that supports anything she wants to do. She’s my better half. We just gel so great. So, anything she needs from me, I am there with her whatever she wants to do 110%,” Mr. Perry said.
For more information about Kay’s Kitchen N’ Krafts find them on Facebook or call 302-393-3347.
Hampton University just announced a substantial donation received for the establishment of 6 funds! Get the full story from the Hampton release below.
Credit: Visit Hampton Virginia
Hampton University announced today that the New York Life Foundation, the charitable arm of New York Life, has contributed $1 million to the institution for the establishment of six separate funds, with the focus of helping diverse STEM-focused scholars succeed and grow in their academic careers. Award disbursals will begin in spring 2022 for the fall academic school year.
“We are grateful for the New York Life Foundation’s commitment to Hampton University and its students,” said Dr. William R. Harvey, Hampton University President. “By investing so broadly in Hampton, the New York Life Foundation is setting itself apart as a supporter of diverse students and creating opportunities for the growth and development of a diverse new generation of scholars.”
“This investment in Hampton University illuminates a clear commitment that we both share in helping students to overcome obstacles that may prevent them from pursuing academic achievement in general and especially with a STEM-focused career track. Our intention with this funding is to create brighter futures for these students and for generations to come,” said Heather Nesle, President of the New York Life Foundation. “This is a partnership that aligns with our philanthropic and social justice goals and we look forward to working with the Hampton faculty, students, and alumni over the next two years.”
The funds created through this gift include:
Student Bereavement Fund: This fund provides financial support for students who have lost loved ones and provides funding for the varied needs that may present themselves in such situations.
Alumni Engagement Fund: This fund supports partner programming executed throughout the country at National Hampton Alumni Association, Inc. hubs.
Career Services Engagement Fund: This fund supports the arrangement of specialized and targeted student engagement programs and activities, including info-sessions, career fair engagement, and resume-building workshops.
Senior Gap Funding Scholarships: This fund is specifically for graduating seniors studying in STEM areas who have gaps in their accounts that prevent them from graduating. The New York Life Foundation does not want “money” to be the reason a student does not graduate.
Sixteen-$20,000 Scholarships: This fund supports academic scholarships for sixteen (16) students who, once selected, each will receive a “renewable” $20,000 award for two years at Hampton.
“Full-Ride” Academic Scholarships with Internships: This fund supports two (2) students studying in STEM-related areas. Each will receive a $40,000 scholarship to Hampton. Selected students also will be recommended as interns in New York Life’s coveted summer internship program.
“We are thrilled with the New York Life Foundation’s generosity and support of Hampton,” said Dr. Joyce Shirazi, Dean of the Hampton University School of Engineering and Technology. “We know that they are specifically interested in computer engineering, computer science, and actuarial science majors, but they have broadened their lens to recognize that Hampton has a unique talent pool of excellent student scholars from across the campus. We believe this will indeed be a lasting partnership.”
There are criteria for the academic scholarships available for students competing for the awards. Student applicants must:
Attend Hampton full time
Have a minimum 2.75 GPA to be considered
Major in a science, technology, math, or other STEM-related academic areas
Demonstrate a financial need, as determined by the Hampton University Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships will oversee the selection of scholars based on the criteria identified, in coordination with the School of Engineering and Technology, the Office of Admissions, and other campus partners.
For additional information on submitting an application for this fund or if you have questions, contact Dr. Demetris Geddis at demetris.geddis@hamptonu.edu in the School of Engineering and Technology, or contact the Office of Admissions at (757)728-5358.
