To thank him for his honesty, a teen boy from Liberia is being showered with accolades, including a full-ride offer at Livingstone College! Get the full story from Livingstone below.
Livingstone College is offering a full scholarship to a Liberian teenager, who became a national hero in his country after finding and returning $50,000 to its rightful owner.
Emmanuel Tuloe, 18, was driving his motorcycle taxi in northeastern Nimba County on a highway when he saw a bunch of money wrapped in a plastic bag on the road. It contained $50,000 USD and $100,000 in Liberian money.
News reports say the teenager took it home and gave it to his aunt to keep until he found out to whom it belonged.
Later that day, the owner, businesswoman Musu Yancy, went on the radio appealing for the money to be returned, and he took it to her.
Tuloe’s gesture has earned much-deserved public commendations including from the President of the Republic of Liberia, Dr. George Manneh Weah, with whom he met in person on Oct. 18. The President said he would present the teenager with one of the country’s highest Orders of Distinction in a future ceremony.
Upon meeting the President, Tuloe was prepared to discuss one thing: his education. Like many teenagers in the country, Tuloe dropped out of school in the seventh grade to run a motorcycle taxi service to make money for his family.
Tuloe told President Weah on Monday that his desire was to finish his education. He also asked him to encourage other young people to leave the taxi business and focus on going back to school.
President Weah and his family personally offered a scholarship to Tuloe to attend any school of his choice in Liberia, up to the master’s level. Additionally, the president gave him $10,000 USD and two new motorcycles.
To further secure the young man’s future, Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC, is offering the teenager a full scholarship upon his completion of high school. Liberian ambassador to the United States George S.W. Patten, Sr., will visit Livingstone on Wednesday to meet with President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr., to thank the college for its generosity.
The historically black college has a longstanding history with Liberia through its founding denomination, the A.M.E. Zion Church, and through its collaboration with the Liberian Organization of the Piedmont (LOP), based in Winston-Salem, NC.
Livingstone College currently sponsors two Liberian students every four years through its partnership with the LOP. The college also supports A.M.E. Zion University in Monrovia as its international sister college.
“It’s the perfect complement to the work Livingstone is already doing in Liberia,” said Dr. James Hunder, LOP chairman of the board, who met with Jenkins on Thursday to discuss the proposition. “When I heard about this young man’s story, I thought of Livingstone College right away and knew Dr. Jenkins would be receptive to the idea.”
“Education is the surest vehicle for upward mobility in the world,” Jenkins said. “This young man clearly understands that. He could have asked for anything from his country’s president, but what he wanted most was to finish his education. He is a beacon of hope for his generation and for his country. We would be proud to have him among our student population.”
According to a press release from the Liberian Executive Mansion, President Weah called the young man “a prime example of what the Bible teaches us in Proverbs 22:1, that a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.”
Tuloe faced criticism from his peers for returning the money with some mocking him, saying he will never get rich in his lifetime and die poor.
The owner of the money presented him with cash and materials valued at $1,500. Among his gifts was a mattress, which he said he would give to his grandmother.
Wrestling at Morgan State University is making a comeback thanks to the largest-ever donation to Morgan State’s athletics! Get the full story from the Morgan State release below.
Morgan State University today announced the return of competitive collegiate wrestling to its athletic programs, making Morgan the only Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the country to offer the sport of wrestling at the NCAA Division I Varsity level. Following a 24-year hiatus, the sport’s revival comes as the result of the largest donation in history to Morgan’s Athletic Department: a $2.7-million gift from HBCU Wrestling (HBCUW), a new initiative reestablishing wrestling programs on HBCU campuses, in partnership with billionaire philanthropist and former hedge fund manager Mike Novogratz. The University has also been working with Baltimore-based nonprofit Beat the Streets to make the return of wrestling at Maryland’s largest HBCU a reality.
The gift, which is among the largest received from a private donor to the University, will provide funding for men’s wrestling at Morgan and will support up to nine full scholarships annually. In addition to the re-emergence of Wrestling, Morgan State Department of Athletics is continually assessing the University’s sport portfolio to improve the access, equity, and opportunities for current for future Morgan Students.
“The purpose behind this donation is to create access and equity which will serve to further diversify the sport of wrestling by providing opportunities for student-athletes that do not currently exist,” said Edward Scott, Ph.D., vice president and director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Morgan. “We are extremely grateful to Mike Novogratz and HBCU Wrestling for this tremendous contribution to Morgan State University Athletics. This gift is the largest in Morgan athletics history and believed to be one of the largest donations to any HBCU athletics program from a private donor.”
The Morgan Bears have a rich and illustrious history in the sport of wrestling that began in the early 1950s. The Bears dominated competition throughout that decade and continued the trend in the ’60s, capturing Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) titles in 1963, 1964 and 1965, among many other achievements.
In 1975–76, the legendary coach James Phillips took over and led the Bears to unprecedented success over the next 20 years. Under Phillips, the Bears won 13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) titles. He also earned MEAC Coach of the Year accolades 12 times and was instrumental in bringing the NCAA Eastern Wrestling Regional Championship to Morgan State University in 1984. Under his guidance, Morgan produced four national champions and had more than 75 wrestlers named All-American. Morgan’s wrestling program was discontinued at the conclusion of the 1996–97 season, in part because of a lack of resources.
“Morgan as an institution is predicated on expanding opportunities, promoting equity and creating access, and by way of this generous gift, we will be able to resurrect a program that opened the door for so many young men to bask in the promise and experience the magic of education,” said David K. Wilson, Ed.D., president of Morgan. “Historically, Morgan has served as home to a nationally competitive, championship caliber wrestling program, producing numerous national champions in the sport. We embrace this opportunity of being the only HBCU nationwide offering a D1 varsity wrestling program, and we invite those seeking a competitive athletic experience in this sport, and a world-class education, to consider Morgan State University.”
There are nearly 400 men’s wrestling programs in colleges in the D1, D2, D3, NAIA and NJCAA divisions. For a number of scholar-athletes, the allure of competing at a D1 wrestling college is a huge draw, as the students are presented with the opportunity to compete at the highest level. Scholastic wrestling is now practiced in 49 of the 50 states in the United States.
“Wrestling teaches leadership. Fifteen of our 46 presidents wrestled as well as many important business, political, and community leaders.” says Mike Novogratz CEO of Galaxy Investment Partners. “That is what HBCUW is about, it’s about growing the sport of wrestling and our bench of future black leaders who will make our nation more justice and prosperous. I fully support the HBCU Wrestling Initiative and hope that many others will help push this endeavor forward.”
In addition to furthering the University’s relationship with Beat the Streets, which works to develop Baltimore’s youth through wrestling and STEM programs, Morgan will also engage the Coaches Association and the Black Wrestling Association as part of a broader effort to increase African-American participation in the sport. It is widely believed by those involved in the sport that wrestling builds character and teaches young people how to overcome obstacles, handle their emotions, respect authority and become good teammates. It also reinforces the knowledge that success has to be earned through hard work and determination.
“In partnership with Morgan State, we are working to enrich the HBCU experience and look forward to having more underrepresented students get involved with the wrestling community,” said Jahi Jones, Director of HBCUW.
Over the last decade, there has been an influx of African-American students participating in wrestling globally. Approximately 20% of the All-American wrestlers in NCAA Division I, II and III and NAIA are African American or are of mixed race with an African-American parent. In 2021 alone, five of the 10 NCAA Division I wrestling champions were African-American, continuing a tradition of representation and excellence in the sport.
After balancing part-time college courses with the busiest period of her career, rapper Megan Thee Stallion is set to graduate from Texas Southern University in December.
The Houston native shared the news with fans on Instagram yesterday along with a selfie in her graduation outfit. After taking a brief hiatus, Megan returned to Texas Southern in 2019 to complete a degree in health administration. Her re-enrollment came months after the release of Tina Snow, the mixtape that kicked off her meteoric rise.
Her educational pursuit is inspired by her mother, Holly Thomas, and her grandmother, who both passed away in March 2019. According to Pitchfork, when Thomas—a former rapper herself—discovered her daughter’s talent, she made it a requirement that Megan could pursue a music career only when she turned 21 and promised not to abandon her education to pursue a rap career.
A year after resuming her studies, Megan explained to People that the women in her family continued to serve as her motivation, even in death.
“I want to get my degree because I really want my mom to be proud,” she said. “She saw me going to school before she passed. I want my big mama to be proud. She saw me going to school before she passed. My grandmother that’s still alive used to be a teacher, so she’s on my butt about finishing school. I’m doing it for me, but I’m also doing it for the women in my family who made me who I am today.”
The bulk of Megan’s success has happened since she went back to school. Over the last two years, she’s amassed 11 platinum singles, including her viral hit “Savage,” which, boosted by a Beyoncé-assisted remix, has sold over 4 million copies. The song also earned Megan two Grammys in 2020—for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance—the same year she took home the Grammy for Best New Artist.
During this period, she has expanded beyond the music world, becoming an ambassador for Revlon and Mielle Organics and launching successful marketing campaigns with CashApp, Fashion Nova, Nike, and most recently, Popeye’s Chicken.
While she won’t be pursuing a career in health upon graduation, Megan plans to open an assisted living facility in her hometown. She’s previously said that she plans on hiring as many students from her soon-to-be alma mater as possible.
Texas Southern’s Fall 2021 graduation is set for Dec. 11.
Three HBCU graduates hailing from Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College will be honored at this year’s ASCAP Women Behind the Music event! Get the full story from Mia Nazareno at Billboard below.
Jamila Thomas (Credit: Flo Ngala)
Motown’s Jamila Thomas, Columbia’s Phylicia Fant, and entertainment attorney Alicia Ferriabough Taylor, Esq. will be honored at ASCAP’s 2021 Women Behind the Music event, which is set to take place on Wednesday (Oct. 27).
In an event titled “Women Behind the Music: Homecoming Edition,” ASCAP is set to host a virtual conversation “between the three women whose talent, drive and passion have powered some of today’s most popular music,” the performing rights organization shared in a statement.
Hosted by Nicole George-Middleton, ASCAP’S svp of membership, the roundtable discussion is part of the PRO’s week-long event called ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Homecoming SZN, which features career and networking initiatives in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Thomas, Fant and Ferriabough Taylor have all attended HBCUs, and are slated to “speak candidly about how they rose to the top of their class in a male-dominated business and the decisions they made to get them where they are today,” the release notes.
As vp of marketing at Motown Records, Thomas co-founded #TheShowMustBePaused in 2020. A graduate of Clark Atlanta University, Thomas got an early start as an intern at Def Jam records.
After working with such top artists as Prince, Kid Cudi and Daniel Caesar, Fant is executive vp/head of urban music at Columbia Records and is a Spelman College alum. At Columbia, she oversees a roster of talent including Lil Nas X, Raphael Saadiq, Pharrell, Chloe x Halle, Polo G and Lil Tjay.
Ferriabough Taylor is a fellow graduate of Spelman College, and currently practices at the law offices of Robert A. Celestin. With a decade of experience, she has has advised recording artists, producers and songwriters in entertainment-related matters including music distribution, licensing, management and media. Before earning her JD at Northwestern University School of Law, she played snare drums for the Morehouse College Marching Band and trap set in the Spelman College Jazz Ensemble.
The conversation is set to take place on Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. ET. Visit ascapexperience.com/rsvp to register for the event.
Prayers have been answered! Thankfully, a young Morgan State University student who was shot on campus over the weekend will recover. Get the full story from Johnathan M. Pitts and Sanya Kimidi at The Baltimore Sun below.
A Morgan State University officer stands inside the Montebello building after a shooting on campus that injured a student during homecoming weekend. (Credit: Karl Merton Ferron)
The 18-year-old Morgan State University student who was injured in a shooting on the Northeast Baltimore campus Saturday night is expected to make a full recovery, university President David K. Wilson said in a statement Sunday.
Officers responded to reports of gunfire in the 2300 block of Argonne Drive at approximately 6:40 p.m. Saturday and found the student suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to a hospital where he was “conscious, alert and stable” at the time, according to a previous news release.
Wilson said in the statement that the student was expected to be released from the hospital Sunday. Both university and police officials said the investigation was active and ongoing.
The shooting occurred near the Montebello Complex on south campus “as the crowds were winding down and the campus was clearing,” after the homecoming football game ended, according to Wilson. The four-wing building houses “a variety of functions to include student support services,” according to a campus building guide on the university’s website, and is separated from the main academic buildings by Argonne Drive.
Officials said there was no active threat at the time to the campus community.
North Carolina Central University beat the Bears in the homecoming football game, 28-17, earlier Saturday. A day earlier, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan visited the campus for the grand opening of the Calvin and Tina Tyler Hall Student Services Building. U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, who chairs the university’s board of regents, also took part in the event.
“There is no place on this campus for violence. I can assure you that if you are not in alignment with these core values, we will not hesitate to send you home,” Wilson said in his statement. “Morgan is about growing the future and leading the world. The last act that occurred during Homecoming Week is simply not in alignment with who we are.”
On Sunday, the campus was operating as usual, with students practicing football and studying outdoors. University officials said the counseling center would make counselors available to students who need them.
The shooting was one of several in Baltimore during a violent weekend. As of Sunday night, nine people had been shot, four fatally, across the city since Saturday, and seven people were injured in a drive-by shooting in West Baltimore on Friday night.
Northeast District shooting detectives are asking anyone with information about the Morgan State shooting to call detectives at 410-396-2444. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
During the 162nd Mississippi State Fair, Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson recognized the partnership between the Mississippi State Fairgrounds and Alcorn State University. Commissioner Gipson was joined by Dr. Felicia Nave, president of Alcorn State University, and other representatives of Alcorn State University. Pictured on front row (L-R): Dr. Ontario Wooten; Sheba Moses; O.D. Howard; President Nave; Commissioner Gipson; Tommy Milton; Leslie Walker; and Manola Erby. Pictured on back row (L-R) Ralph Arrington and Antione Tenner.
“Alcorn State Extension has been a staple here at the fairgrounds, and a partner with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC), for years,” said Commissioner Gipson. “This partnership dates back to 1994, when Alcorn State started with two mules as part of their working exhibit that created hot, fresh cane syrup. Today, the Alcorn State booth includes a similar, but more modern exhibit with a mobile syrup processing unit. The syrup they make goes hand in hand with the buttermilk biscuits provided by MDAC’s famous Biscuit Booth.”
Alcorn State Extension’s display boasts of the only sugar cane harvester of its kind in the United States. The booth is located next to MDAC’s Biscuit Booth along the Midway at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds. A related sugar cane exhibit and mule are next to the Alcorn exhibit inside the State Fair’s Mississippi Frontier Village.
“We are delighted to continue our working relationship with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce,” said President Nave. “Not only have we recently partnered on an initiative highlighting Mississippi universities, our school has proudly participated in the annual State Fair for over 20 years by offering an educational and delicious exhibit in conjunction with the Biscuit Booth.”
In 2021, a seat on the Mississippi State Fairgrounds Advisory Council was added to represent Alcorn State University. And in recognition of Alcorn’s 150th anniversary and as the nation’s oldest public historically Black land-grant institution, MDAC’s 2021 regulatory inspection stickers used across the state from fuel pumps to scales featured the purple and gold colors of Alcorn State University.
The Mississippi State Fairgrounds, a division of MDAC, is hosting the 162nd Mississippi State Fair through Sunday, October 17. Visit www.msstatefair.com for more information on the Mississippi State Fair.
Tuskegee University recently partnered with Auburn University’s School of Communication to streamline opportunities in the communications field! Get the full story from the Tuskegee release below.
TU President Charlotte Morris and AU President Jay Gogue signing MoU
Tuskegee University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Auburn University to help streamline collaboration and networking opportunities between the two institutions’ communications programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Under the agreement’s purview, signed by Tuskegee President Charlotte Morris and Auburn President Jay Gogue, Auburn University will work closely with Tuskegee and offer joint programs in various communication specializations. The association also sets in place a program through which students can earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Tuskegee and then a Master of Arts degree in Communication from Auburn.
“This partnership will open an array of programming opportunities for our students, thus increasing their career prospects,” said Morris. “Auburn University has excellent infrastructure and faculty expertise in these frontier areas, and we are delighted that the opportunity for expanded studies has been extended to our Tuskegee University students. We look forward to this partnership and other ways of collaboration in opening new doors of access for our students.”
The agreement allows Tuskegee students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and maintaining a 3.0 GPA to complete their senior year at Auburn at no additional cost (including those from out of state)— being able to enroll in a wide variety of courses in Auburn’s four undergraduate majors within the School of Communication and Journalism: communication, journalism, media studies, and public relations. Tuskegee students could arrive on Auburn’s campus as early as spring 2022, but the first cohort is expected to arrive in fall 2022.
Benefits to Tuskegee students include access to more communication courses and faculty, student exchanges, and access to software and additional equipment. Students will also have access to Auburn libraries as well as career and academic services.
“Auburn enjoys a strong collaborative relationship with Tuskegee University,” Gogue said. “This partnership is yet another way in which we can strengthen that bond while living out our land-grant mission of bettering our community and providing greater access to educational and professional opportunities.”
Early in the fall semester of their senior year at Auburn, Tuskegee students would then be eligible to apply for admission to Auburn’s Graduate School and would need to meet standard entrance requirements. After admission to the Graduate school, Tuskegee students would work with a graduate program officer who serves as the advisor for all graduate students in Auburn’s School of Communication and Journalism. Upon completing all graduate degree requirements, the student would receive a master’s degree in Communication from Auburn.
The agreement marks the second such partnership between the neighboring schools. In 2018, Tuskegee and Auburn’s veterinary colleges signed an agreement furthering the relationship between the two schools and increasing the number of under-represented, board-certified specialists and diversity in the veterinary profession.
Willie Kay, a seamstress who fought through racism to follow her dreams of fashion and education at Shaw University will have her work honored. North Carolina A&T State University now has Kay’s dresses on full display in its University Galleries! Get the full story from news station WFMY below.
(Credit: Woody Marshall/News & Record)
The work of Jim Crow era seamstress, Willie Kay, on display at University Galleries at NC A&T
There’s a little bit of North Carolina history sewn into every dress on display at the University Galleries on North Carolina A&T State University.
The artist behind all the beauty is Willie Kay.
The Raleigh native was born during the Jim Crow era, but that couldn’t keep her talent hidden. She followed in her mother and grandmother’s footsteps in becoming a seamstress to support her five children after her husband died.
The Shaw University graduate dressed women of all colors including many first ladies of North Carolina.
Paul Baker, Director of University Galleries, said she didn’t even use patterns. That’s how good she was at her craft.
He said one of her gowns graced the cover of Life Magazine and just a couple of years ago one of her designs was found at a consignment shop in Paris.
(Credit: Woody Marshall/News & Record)
“She was beyond her time in many cases. Today she would be known as an international fashion designer, but because of Jim Crow, she was relegated to being a dressmaker and a seamstress,” Baker said.
Kay also has ties to Aggie Pride. Two of her children and her grandchildren graduated from N.C. A&T, and her great-grandson will be on campus next month for his freshman tour.
Baker said a lot can be learned from her life and legacy.
“She was faced with so many obstacles, but she was able to overcome those and become a successful businesswoman, become an entrepreneur because she had that steady guide. She was inspired by her mother, her grandmother, sisters so all of that really enveloped into becoming a huge success for her,” Baker said.
The “Made Especially for You” exhibit will be on display until the first week of December.
Dune is the mysterious new thriller that will take you to a new galaxy. With themes of love, familial loyalty, and war, this film will feel like it hits home even though it’s set millions of miles away. The film follows the story of a young and gifted Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), who has spent his whole life preparing to lead as the heir to the great House Atreides. He has been trained to keep a level head, and yet for some inexplicable reason, he is plagued by visions of a girl who seems to be sending him signals about the future. Everything Paul has ever known is put to the test when the visions lead him to a new planet and through a dangerous war. Amid the fight for the planet’s irreplaceable resources, the heir will find the path to his destiny — if he can survive.
STUDENTS: Win a personal dorm room screening by tweeting or posting an Instastory of you, in your dorm with “#Dunemovie.” Don’t forget to rock your HBCU gear and tag @dunemovie + @hbcubuzz. Simple as that, win instantly.
Dune is based on the bestselling novel by Frank Herbert of the same name, which was written in 1965. With an earlier film adaptation of the book having been released in 1984, this year’s version will feature a refreshing retake with more effects and excitement. In fact, this 2021 film will be the first installment of a two-part adaptation, brace yourself for a ton of action! True fans of Dune will appreciate the loyalty and mercy of the House of Atreides, the power and brutality of the House Harkonnen, and the survival and resistance of The Fremen.
The star-studded cast of Dune is truly out of this world. Timothée Chalamet stars as Paul Atreides. But although many fans of the young actor may plan to keep their eyes on the young actor, there are plenty more familiar faces. Dune also features Zendaya (as Chain), Jason Momoa (as Duncan Idaho), Rebecca Ferguson (as Lady Jessica Atreides), Stephen McKinley Henderson (as Thufir Hawat), Josh Brolin (as Gurney Halleck), Dave Bautista (as Beast Rabban Harkonnen), Javier Bardem (as Stilgar), and so many more…
Gov. Andy Beshear announced new roadside signs to recognize the state’s two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) — Kentucky State University and Simmons College of Kentucky.
This week contractors will begin work to install five signs on two Kentucky interstates and a local Jefferson County roadway.
“Louisville and Frankfort are home to the state’s only HBCUs, and these signs will elevate awareness to Kentuckians and travelers alike of the historic significance these higher learning institutions have played in Kentucky’s history,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “These institutions, their missions and the people they serve are vital parts of Team Kentucky and crucially important as we build a better Kentucky for every family.”
“We’re proud to display the names of these long-standing institutions on state signs to help visitors easily locate these campuses while giving a nod to one of the many reasons they are notable in Kentucky,” Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray said.
Stephanie J Hunt (KYTC)
Today, three “Historic Simmons College” signs honoring Simmons College of Kentucky will be installed facing both directions of Interstate Highway 65 near Exit 135 in Jefferson County. A third sign will be installed on St. Catherine Street before Seventh Street (Kentucky Highway 1931). This is the first appearance of interstate signage recognizing the college.
“Louisville is blessed to have what only a few cities in America has, and that is a Historically Black College and University,” said Simmons College of Kentucky President Dr. Kevin Cosby. “While being only 3% of the colleges, HBCUs graduate almost 20% of Black baccalaureate degree recipients, 50% of all Black teachers and 75% of all Black doctors, dentists and attorneys in the United States. This sign will point Louisville students to a historic institution that will help them become the absolute best version of themselves.”
“Simmons College of Kentucky, our city’s only HBCU, is a beacon of opportunity and a vital partner in the work of developing, attracting and retaining Black talent – building the next generation of Black professionals and leaders necessary for Louisville to reach its full potential and truly become a city of equity,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “I join in thanking Gov. Andy Beshear for recognizing early on the important role Simmons plays to Louisville and to Kentucky. These signs are literally helping lead the way to Simmons, just as Simmons is helping lead young people toward bright and successful futures.”
Two “Kentucky State University” signs will be installed this Friday facing both directions of Interstate Highway 64 near Exits 53B and Exit 58, respectively. While KSU directional signage has been present on I-64, the new signage will identify the institution as a HBCU. Each sign is 19-feet tall and weighs 907 pounds.
“As Kentucky State University celebrates a proud history of 135 years as the commonwealth’s only public HBCU, the KSU Board of Regents, the faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters are excited to join Gov. Beshear in recognizing the state’s HBCUs with the installation of new highway signage,” said Kentucky State University Board of Regents chairperson Dr. Elaine Farris. “Today marks a momentous occasion for Kentucky State University as we are honored to continue our legacy of serving and educating Kentuckians.”
“Today we celebrate the rich history of both Simmons College and Kentucky State University for their significant contributions to improving the lives of Black Kentuckians and others beyond our state through higher education,” said Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education President Aaron Thompson. “These HBCUs are the colleges of choice for many students because of their unique missions and distinctive roles in creating culturally competent graduates and a more vibrant workforce. This designation is well-deserved, and all of us in the higher education community look forward to their continued success.”
The feeling of being undervalued or unseen can be draining, especially if you’re an entrepreneur! But for determined double Alabama A&M University graduate Maleeka Hollaway, early feelings of failure became the basis for her business empire! Now, she spends her time helping others get the media and press visibility they deserve but may not necessarily know how to receive. By creating a branding and PR agency, she helps everyday small business owners, entrepreneurs and professional service providers.
Hollaway had always been a hard worker. She initially graduated from AAMU with a B.A. in English and Literature/Letters, and then returned for graduate school to earn her M.S. in Communications. Once she graduated with her second degree, she found herself surprised by the tumultuous time she was having. “I looked great on paper but I did not have one piece of experience many of the companies wanted from me at the time — and that experience was in graphic design,” she said. In addition to the burden of her job search, she was also 24 and fresh out of an abusive marriage.
It wasn’t until Hollaway received great advice from her sister that her life took a turn for the better. “…My younger sister told me to charge for my writing and editing skills,” said Hollaway while reflecting. “She told me to start a business… so that’s what I did! Periscope was hot at the time so I built up a huge audience and following there and the rest is HERstory.” And with that, OMG, or the Official Maleeka Group, was born!
Founded in 2015, OMG offers three types of services: Public Relations, Brand Communications, and Marketing. Public Relations services include campaign strategy, press release write-ups, media pitching and training, plus researching, speaking & appearance opportunities. Under Brand Communications, there are options for website creation & copy, landing/lead page creation & copy, and video communications, and more. Lastly, Marketing services include brand messaging and marketing, video marketing, social media and digital content marketing and more!
OMG is so successful now that Hollaway has employed her own mother! “At every level of business, there are new levels of rewards and challenges and I am embracing them all,” said Hollaway. “From hiring a winning team and creating harmony at home and in the office to scaling my company offerings and staying on top of current industry changes, I’ve been hit with it all and have come out on top.”
To highlight how businesses can help support each other, Hollaway has partnered with the first-ever Facebook Elevate HBCU Hackathon. “We all need a community where we can bounce ideas off one another and get support on growing and scaling,” said Hollaway. The venture will help OMG reach the next level, despite both the anticipated and unexpected growing pains of navigating a small business. We are proud of our growth and our tenacity to roll with the punches and continue to grow in spite of small business challenges.” The next Hackathon event will be November 6th! Interested marketing and engineering students with an interest in supporting black-owned businesses through pitching ideas and designing solutions are encouraged to apply.
To learn more about Maleeka Hollaway and her exciting work, find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or check out her website today!
CeeLo Green is taking his talents to Paine College! He’ll be taking on responsibilities that range from recruitment, to bringing new life to the choir, to being an artist in residence! Get the full story from Tom Corwin at The Augusta Chronicle below.
CeeLo
Paine College added a big voice to its efforts to recruit new students and restore its fabled choir.
Grammy Award-winning singer CeeLo Green was the surprise guest at a student assembly and will be taking on a musical and mentorship role with the historically black college and university.
Green described his position as a “visiting professor.” Paine Vice President Helene Carter said Green’s title will be the school’s Distinguished Artist in Residence and will help with recruiting and development. The famed singer will also help redevelop the choir, which had received both local and national acclaim and at one time toured nationally, and give it back some of its national prominence, she said. Green said a more formal announcement about his role will come later.
Green is friends with some Paine alumni in Atlanta and, according to J.R. Henderson, a member of Paine’s Board of Trustees, he saw an opportunity at Paine. “(Green)he said, ‘I am really going to effectuate some positive change at Paine College,’” Henderson said.
Paine has only recently emerged from accreditation problems caused in part by difficulties with funding and maintaining certain financial standards and handling external grants. But now administrators are looking to restore the glory that includes famed alumni like Civil Rights leader Joseph Lowery and novelist Frank Yerby.
Green, whose real name is Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, has had a string of hits both as a solo artist and as a member of the groups Goodie Mob and Gnarls Barkley. He has appeared in videos and movies and served as a celebrity judge on singing competition shows like “The Voice” for several years.
“I’m at a point in my career where philanthropy is my passion,” Green said. “How can I give back? How can I show the appreciation for what I’ve been given?”
Decked out in purple and white Paine gear, the Atlanta native said he has a relative who attended Paine years before, and he visited the school as a child. But it is really the city that drew him back.
“I’ve always had an affinity for Augusta, Ga.,” he said. “The city just speaks to me. Every time I cross that line into Augusta, Ga., something comes alive for me.”
Or perhaps it is someone that is drawing him, Green joked.
“I call it the Ghost of James Brown, that’s what I call it,” he said. “I’m Soul Brother No. 2 if you ask me.”
As someone who dropped out of high school and never got to go to college, “I have an affinity for education,” Green said. “I come to aid and assist in every way possible.”
That includes bringing more students to Paine.
“We want to see this gymnasium full,” he said. “We want to see (enrollment) increase. We want to see success for our youth and for the future of our people. We want to see it transpire. We want to see it manifest and become a reality.”
As for his musical influence on the school, “I want to be able to make your voices be more effective outside of these walls and outside of these limitations,” Green said. “I believe that harmony is a vehicle to convey a message. I believe that all music, its origin and its intent is praise and acknowledgement.”
It has a purpose, he said.
“How we can make songs about solution, songs about solidarity, songs about our strength, our plight and our perseverance,” Green said. “How can we make those songs sound good and be effective and be influential.”
He wants to be an influence with the students directly and get to know them and share his wisdom and experience.
“I want to be an encouragement,” Green told the students. “I want to be a fire in your bones.”
Mel Groves, a student who would light up the room on campus Alcorn State University and with friends and family elsewhere, is being remembered. Groves was killed earlier this year, and his death is part of an alarming trend. Get the full story from Jo Yurcaba at NBC News below.
Mel Groves, a 25-year-old studying plant and soil science at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, was the definition of a tree hugger, his friend Que Bell recalled.
Bell and Groves met through a mutual friend. The three of them linked up because they were all Black transgender men around the same age. Bell said that one time he was landscaping in his yard and Groves stopped him before he began to trim a tree.
“He was like: ‘No, you can’t do it like that. That’s going to hurt the tree.’ And I was like: ‘OK, let’s go back to the drawing board. Let’s figure out something that’s good for us but also that’s good for the tree,’” Bell said, laughing. “He cared about everything, especially plants.”
On Oct. 11, Groves drove himself to Merit Health Central, a hospital in Jackson, where he lived, and collapsed outside his car, Jackson police said. He had been shot multiple times. Hospital staff members transferred him to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he died later in the afternoon.
Groves’ loved ones said news articles have reduced his life to a statistic: He is at least the 39th trans person to have been killed this year, the deadliest on record for trans people, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which has been tracking fatal anti-trans violence since 2013. They said his story does speak to how law enforcement and social safety nets fail trans people, but they stress that he was more than just a statistic in an increasing tally.
At a virtual memorial Sunday, people who knew Groves described his vast knowledge of plants, his “generous heart” and a smile that made people want to talk to him.
A memorial was held for Mel Groves in Jackson, Miss., last week. (Courtesy TC Caldwell/The Knights and Orchids Society.)
In addition to studying plant science, Groves was also a farmer for the Knights and Orchids Society, an organization based in Selma, Alabama, that prioritizes supporting the Black trans and gender-nonconforming community. Bell, who is the group’s executive director, said Groves drove it to start a community garden program after a supporter donated land. Just before he died, he was about to become the full-time garden manager for the society.
Bell said they used to joke that Groves just wanted to “play in the dirt.” Since his death, Bell said, one of Groves’ former professors has reached out to tell him about important research Groves conducted in plant science. Another professor told Bell that he used to text Groves plant trivia questions and that he had been waiting for Groves to become his colleague one day.
“I’m just thinking that wasn’t even his best,” Bell said. “That was him performing, still, while dealing and facing all these other barriers he was fighting through, so imagine how much he could have contributed to technology, to science, to agriculture if he had been stable and if he actually had a chance. He’ll never get an opportunity.”
Since the two met in 2016, Bell said, Groves had experienced homelessness frequently. His immediate family rejected him after he came out as trans, and he experienced violence and discrimination in college. Groves also previously said he repeatedly experienced discrimination from medical providers.
A deadly system
Sam Brown, the public information officer for the Jackson Police Department, said there has been no indication that Groves was killed in a hate crime.
But his loved ones say that doesn’t mean that his identity as a trans man can be separated from his death. Caleb Gumbs, the mutual friend who connected Groves and Bell, said he has seen comments online that say, “Do we actually know that he was killed for being trans?”
“And that made me really think about, wow, is that really what it takes for us to understand the systems that are at play that have ultimately led to his murder, whether or not it was directly related to him being trans?” Gumbs said.
Gumbs met Groves when they were both about 19, and Gumbs turned 26 the day Groves died. He said it was jarring and telling, because he and Groves lived “parallel lives.” They both grew up with families that weren’t affirming, went to historically Black colleges in south Alabama with full-ride scholarships and were close in age.
“At every turn, the difference between us was so small,” said Gumbs, a Ph.D. student in pharmaceutical sciences at Florida A&M University. “Everything that happened to me was just this minor change and difference — a little bit more acceptance, a little bit more luck. And now, the vast difference between the two of us.”
He said that Groves experienced repeated homelessness but that he couldn’t go to shelters, where many trans people report experiencing violence.
“If he didn’t feel like the streets were his only option available to him, I truly do believe things would have been different,” Gumbs said.
He wrote in a post on Medium that Groves “embodied resilience” but that a culture of transphobia, racism and cissexism, which is a subtler form of discrimination based on sex and gender, led to his death.
“That same system that did ultimately kill him really could have killed me and still can,” Gumbs said.
Even after Groves’ death, his loved ones were fighting those systems. Just hours after he died, they had to reach out to local news outlets that misgendered and deadnamed him while also grieving his loss, Gumbs said. Some updated their stories; others said they couldn’t change them without confirmation from law enforcement or Groves’ immediate family.
A week after Groves died, Jackson police provided the same statement to NBC News that it first issued, which misgendered and deadnamed him. The department has not responded to a request for comment about whether it plans to update the statement.
An increase in violence
At least 41 trans people have been killed this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Advocates have said the number is likely to be low because police often misidentify trans people in reports of their deaths. A disproportionate number have lived in the Southeast.
Known trans killings — which, according to the Human Rights Campaign, include both fatal violence motivated by anti-trans prejudice and fatal violence in which a person’s trans identity may have put them at risk — are the most on record. The increase is due in part to better tracking but also to legislation in the last few years that harms trans people and reinforces prejudice, advocates say.
More than 30 states — including Mississippi — have considered over 100 bills this year that would bar transgender minors’ access to certain gender-affirming health care or restrict their participation in school sports, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Nearly one-third of those bills have been considered in Texas, whose Republican governor, Greg Abbott, is expected to imminently sign a measure barring trans students from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identities. Ricardo Martinez, the CEO of Equality Texas, an LGBTQ advocacy group, said bills like the one headed to Abbott contribute to anti-trans prejudice and violence because “they perpetuate fear and misinformation about who trans people are.”
Mel Groves, a farmer from Jackson, Miss. (Courtesy Mel Groves)
“They build this caricature of trans people as folks that people need to fear,” he said. “When you repeat, time and time again, a lie about a marginalized or group of people that folks may not necessarily have a direct contact with, if you repeat it enough, then some people internalize it as the truth, and that is what’s happening here.”
Nov. 20 is Trans Day of Remembrance, an annual effort to honor the memory of trans people killed in acts of anti-trans violence. Bell said he is already dreading it, because someone had already shared a photo of Groves with a hashtag next to his name.
“I was not prepared yesterday just to open up Instagram and see a hashtag beside one of my closest friends’ names,” he said. “And it’s different for me, because I’m in the work — we’ve been organizers, we’ve been activists, we’ve done these vigils, we’ve done these memorials for folks. But it is different when you know the person, you have poured into the person and there’s that connection. It’s hard to see it.”
Bell said he feels so much pain for trans people whose names are on the list but whom the public doesn’t know anything about aside from the fact that they were killed. That’s why he is trying to celebrate and memorialize who Groves was as a person.
Once, when the two were driving from Mississippi to Alabama, they were taking turns choosing songs to play. When it was Groves’ turn, Bell said, he chose “the oldest blues or jazz song that you could think of.”
“He was a Nat King Cole type of guy,” Bell said. “And I was like: ‘How are you this old? And you’re only like 20-something.’ He was an old soul. He was well before his time.”
The new basketball court at Paul Quinn College is not only a stunning court to win on. Unlike perhaps any other court in the country, the court tells the history of its city! Learn the story of the history of Dallas and more in the full story from Dionne Anglin at Fox 4 News below.
Photo by Roberto Hernandez (Credit: Paul Quinn College)
Earlier this summer, Paul Quinn College debuted the first new buildings on its southern Dallas campus in more than four decades: a residence hall and a “wellness center” with athletics facilities.
The wellness center will be used by the historically Black college’s varsity cheer and dance teams as well as its basketball team, who will play on an extremely cool new court unveiled yesterday. It was designed by Ryan Parker of Free Key Three Creative. Photo above, more details after the jump.
🔦🔦Facility Spotlight 🔦🔦
The Health & Wellness Center on the campus of Paul Quinn College.
Paul Quinn is an HBCU in Dallas TX that plays in the NAIA.
This may be one of the baddest courts in the nation at any level. Take a look! pic.twitter.com/TlG3ehZszi
The new court features historical images of the Dallas skyline, including the winged Pegasus. The goal of the design is to highlight both the College’s and southern Dallas’ connection to the city.
The basketball court is housed in the new 1,100-person capacity Health & Wellness Center – the first new building on campus in almost 50 years. The facility will be used by Paul Quinn’s varsity basketball and cheer and dance teams, Health & Wellness majors and select community partners.
Naming rights for the basketball court are available as well as several other sponsorship opportunities. Interested organizations or individuals may reach out to Alexia Valencia, Development Associate for Paul Quinn at AValencia@pqc.edu for more details.
The school’s current gym, located near the campus’ WE Over Me Farm, will remain fully operational and will be used by the varsity volleyball team, intramurals, youth basketball teams, and for the Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III Global Preparatory Academy at Paul Quinn College and KIPP Oak Cliff Academy.
HBCUs will be taking center stage during the first-ever HBCU Classic at the upcoming NBA All-Star Weekend in February. The main event will be the basketball game between rivals Howard University and Morgan State University. Yet in the long-term, there will be opportunities for HBCU students to gain long-term career development within the NBA! Get the full story from Ben Golliver at The Washington Post below.
The Howard basketball team will take on Morgan State in the HBCU Classic as part of NBA All-Star Weekend. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)
The men’s basketball teams from Howard University and Morgan State University will play a showcase game during the upcoming NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, as the league seeks to expand its support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rivals will face off in the NBA’s inaugural “HBCU Classic” on Feb. 19, 2022, at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. While Howard had been scheduled to host Morgan State at Burr Gymnasium on that date, the schools’ participation in the new event be televised nationally. The HBCU Classic is expected to air on multiple networks in between the NBA All-Star Game practice session and the traditional All-Star Saturday slate, which includes the Skills Challenge, the Three-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk Contest.
“That rivalry between Howard and Morgan State, between Washington D.C. and Baltimore, we thought that was a great rivalry to take advantage of [for the inaugural event] and it wouldn’t require too much maneuvering from their regular schedule,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said by telephone Wednesday. “We hope to showcase and feature other schools down the road, but this seemed to be a pretty good one to start with.”
Last year, the coronavirus pandemic forced the NBA to delay and relocate its All-Star Weekend, which was originally scheduled for Indianapolis. The scaled-down event, which was held March 7 in Atlanta, featured several HBCU tie-ins, including jersey patches, marching band performances and donations to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the United Negro College Fund.
The National Basketball Players Association, under the guidance of then-president Chris Paul, helped push for the inclusion of the Black educational institutions, and the 2021 All-Star Weekend ultimately raised $3 million for HBCUs. Organizers expect this year’s All-Star event to generate an additional $1 million.
Kery Davis, Howard’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, said in a statement that his school was “incredibly proud” to be invited to the 2022 contest, noting that the NBA and HBCUs are “natural partners because of our rich legacy elevating underrepresented communities and our shared passion for cultivating opportunities for people of color.”
In addition to the HBCU Classic, the NBA is establishing a new paid fellowship program for HBCU students looking for their first jobs in the sports industry, an effort that Tatum said is aimed at “narrowing the racial inequality gap.” The league’s hope is that other sports organizations and non-sports corporations will follow suit and establish similar programs of their own.
After receiving pushback from players and criticism from media members and fans for hosting the 2021 All-Star Weekend at a time when vaccines were not widely available, the NBA is preparing for a return to a more typical experience in Cleveland. Officials arrived in the host city this week to begin preparations, as the league, which launched its 75th season this week, plans to honor its 75th Anniversary Team, just as it celebrated its 50th Anniversary Team at the 1997 All-Star Game in Cleveland.
“We’re hoping for as much of a normal season that we can get to,” Tatum said. “I was in Milwaukee [on Tuesday night and there was] a full building with enthusiastic fans. This virus is unpredictable, but our hope is that we will have as close to a normal All-Star Game as possible. We’re hoping that we will be able to play in front of a full arena of fans.”
Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were unable to compete in the 2021 All-Star Game after they came into close contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus, but fears of a possible superspreader event did not materialize. With 96 percent of players fully vaccinated and at least 75 percent of U.S. adults at least partially vaccinated, the NBA believes it is capable of safely hosting a multiday event that draws fans and media members from around the globe.
“There’s no doubt that we collectively as a country have advanced in many different areas [since March],” Tatum said. “We’ve learned and are continuing to learn how to operate, how to go about living our lives and conducting business in a pandemic. You’ve seen the evolution from [where we were when] the only way to do this safely was in a bubble. [Then, we could] open up our arenas and socially distance people and limit capacity. Today, [we can host crowds] with the right protocols in place, whether it’s a combination of vaccinations, testing, masking and distancing.”
The NBA and the NBPA have been focused on economic empowerment and career advancement issues in recent years, with the league agreeing to provide $300 million over the next 10 years to fund the NBA Foundation in Aug. 2020. In the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting later that month, the NBA and the NBPA agreed to form a Social Justice Coalition, comprised of players, coaches and team owners to advocate for policy changes on issues like voting access and civic engagement.
Some of the most visible advocacy efforts that took place during the Disney World bubble — national anthem demonstrations, Black Lives Matter court decals and social justice jersey slogans — have disappeared since the NBA returned to its home arenas for the 2020-21 season. Yet Tatum asserted that the commitments to HBCUs are evidence of “maturing” activism by the league and its players.
“Symbolic gestures are important, but we are now going beyond symbolic gestures and actually organizing and creating institutional resources to effect change, in partnership with the players,” he said. “By creating our Social Justice Coalition, we’re able to institutionalize some of the action that we’re taking and trying to rally support and advocate for sensible bipartisan changes that we think need to be made in criminal justice reform, voting access and the like.”
The special mustard greens being grown at Alabama State University don’t need much water, and that discovery is now going to help NASA’s astronauts! Plus, the project will feature a collaboration with Alabama A&M University. Get the full story from Kenneth Mullinax at Alabama NewsCenter below.
ASU’s Komal Vig, Ph.D., professor of microbiology, is part of a $100,000 NASA grant to prepare mustard greens in a university laboratory with a goal for them to be grown in the arid confines of the International Space Station. (contributed)
Mustard greens are widely grown and consumed in the Deep South, but a grant from NASA will soon have ASU’s greens growing and being eaten beyond the bounds of Earth – specifically in the International Space Station – thanks to a grant received by an ASU microbiology professor.
The grant awarded to Komal Vig, Ph.D., is part of a $100,000 NASA grant titled “Improved Drought Tolerance of Mustard Greens with Atmospheric Pressure Plasma” that will allow her and ASU microbiology student-interns to prepare mustard greens in a university laboratory with a goal for them to be grown in the arid confines of the space station with little or no water.
“Our main goal is for ASU to perfect a method in my university laboratory that will allow us to grow drought-resistant mustard greens on the space station,” Vig said.
“With limited or no water being expended to grow the greens, we are perfecting a method to irrigate them with a special plasma that we are now perfecting in my ASU lab – with the help from our student-interns – which is composed of a combination of many things that include the noble gases of argon and helium,” she said. “This project aims to study drought stress using Amara mustard greens, and if and how treatment with atmospheric pressure plasma can improve the plant’s drought tolerance and nutritional load.”
The project will be a collaboration among investigators at ASU, the University of Alabama in Huntsville(UAH) and Alabama A&M University. The team combines expertise and lab capabilities in microbiology and genetics (ASU), plasma science and technology (UAH) and agriculture (A&M).
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba prepared the Veggie facility for three different kinds of lettuce seeds as part of the VEG-03-D investigation aboard the International Space Station in 2017. A new grant could see Alabama-grown mustard greens added to the mix. (NASA)
NASA scientists explained that water is used for multiple purposes in a “crewed” space mission, including drinking, cleaning, food preparation and oxygen production for respiration and rocket fuel. Because of a high demand for water, and NASA’s desire for its crew to enjoy fresh vegetables that are grown on the space station, this experiment was born.
In plants, water deficiency decreases the total nutrient uptake and concentration of nutrients in plant tissues. One of the main purposes of the ASU experiment is to produce mustard greens with a good nutrient value.
NASA data explains that as it advances human space exploration, crop-plants will play an important role in a sustained human presence in space, on the moon and on Mars. Crop-plants such as leafy greens and fresh vegetables provide nutrients, varied texture and flavor, and contribute to astronauts’ mental health.
Mustard greens from Alabama could soon be grown in space. (Getty Images)
“Growing plants in the engineered environment of space habitats can introduce multiple abiotic stresses that can impact the plant’s growth and nutritional value that is the nexus of the grant’s goal, which is to grow them with little or no traditional moisture, yet still with a good level of nutritional value,” NASA officials said.
Vig said the project is among a few instances that ASU has worked with an experiment aboard the space station.
“At ASU, the focus of this grant will be on genetic studies to investigate how plasma can change the gene profile of a plant and help it in resisting drought. These studies will enable us to grow plants on the space station under very limited water conditions,” Vig said.
“This grant is an initial award that will fund the preliminary work in this exciting field of space science experiments with an aim to get more funding for ASU next year from NASA,” she said. “I am not aware of a previous time that the university has been involved in an experiment on the space station that involved the growth of plants.”
