University of the District of Columbia Student Wins NIH-Sponsored Minority Student STEM Competition

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University of the District of Columbia (UDC) student Leslie DeJesus is receiving accolades after placing second in a symposium competition with her work about substance disorders. Learn more about her and her winning work in the UDC release below.

Source: Leslie DeJesus

The University of the District of Columbia is proud to announce that Political Science student Leslie DeJesus is the 2nd place undergraduate winner of the Minority Student Research Symposium for her research poster No Papers – No Service, Treatment Access Barriers. Ms. DeJesus’s winning project focused on how immigrant Latino families with substance abuse disorders are often confronted with systemic and cultural challenges that correlate to the efficacy of treatment and rates of recidivism. From her research, Ms. DeJesus found that despite a growth in parity, there remains a lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity that creates barriers to treatment, especially for those who experience socioeconomic disparities.

The Minority Student Research Symposium was created to answer a call to action to address a lack of representation of underrepresented minority populations in biomedical research.

Currently, underrepresented minorities (URM) represent over 30% of the U.S. population but less than 9% of STEM Ph.D. members and 7% of all physicians. Diversification of the biomedical workforce will help address the critical needs the U.S. faces to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health care. As part of an effort to address the shortfall, the Black Greek Leadership Consortium (BGLC) is partnering with universities across the U.S. to engage minority students studying health sciences and hosted the Minority Student Research Symposium (MSRS) on May 22, 2021.

Scholars participated in completing a research project utilizing data from the All of Us Research Program – an effort by the NIH that is inviting one million people across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. By building this nationwide repository, the program hopes to ensure that medical researchers have data that properly reflects the current diversity of the U.S that can facilitate breakthroughs in precision medicine and lead to improved efficacy of current treatments.

Source: University of the District of Columbia

The scholars presented their work in a virtual poster session and developed a variety of research and professional skills while preparing for and presenting at the symposium. Among the main research topics presented included alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, chronic disease, physical disabilities, mental health and disorders, nutrition and weight status, and social determinants of health.

Leslie DeJesus is a Political Science major at the University of the District of Columbia. She will be pursuing graduate studies in a dual-degree program focused on advocating for and researching prevalent issues in underrepresented communities. Ms. DeJesus is a service-oriented individual who enjoys ethnographic studies as well as any scholarly or historical information pertaining to the Caribbean. She was born and raised in The Bronx and speaks English and Spanish fluently. Eventually, she plans to become a professor who teaches cultural and Caribbean studies.

Once again, we would like to extend our deepest congratulations to Leslie for her research in and dedication to improving the health sciences field.

Johnson C. Smith Alumna Tovea Jenkins Headed To Tokyo Olympics

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Tovea Jenkins, a 2017 Johnson C. Smith University graduate, is heading to the Tokyo Olympics! According to her alma mater, the Kingston, Jamaica native stood out in the 400-meter race and won her ticket to the 2021 games by going to the 2021 Olympic Games.

Credit: Johnson C. Smith University

The 2017 NCAA Division II outdoor champion on the 4 x 400 meters relay team, ran a personal best of 50.68 as she placed fifth at the Jamaica National Championship meet on Sunday, June 27, 2021, securing her spot on the Jamaican Olympic Team.

The five-time All-American will be a part of the 4 x 400-meter relay team pool. 

Jenkins is the fifth track and field Olympian from JCSU.

According to the Jamaica Gleaner, she was among the top performers in the relay for 2021. Read below to see the performance of fellow athletes.

As expected sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce heads a strong 62-member team that was named by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) to represent the country at the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

Elaine Thompson-Herah will also be looking to successfully defend her 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo, but there will be no such opportunity for 2016 Rio Olympics 110m hurdles champion, Omar McLeod, who unsurprisingly, not named to the team, after his shocking last place finish at the National Senior Championships – Jamaica’s Olympic Trials. 

McLeod subsequently complained of cramps and there were calls from some fans for the second fastest man in the event this season to be included, in spite of his performance at the Trials. 

New short sprint sensation, Shericka Jackson, who won a 400m bronze in Rio de Janeiro, will compete in the 100m and 200m in Tokyo, with World Championships long jump gold medallist Tajay Gayle, silver medal winners Fedrick Dacres (Discus), Shanieka Ricketts (Triple Jump) and Danniel Thomas-Dodd among the other standouts in the team. 

Yohan Blake will be returning to the Olympics stage for the third time, while youngsters such as Oblique Seville, Britany Anderson, Candice McLeod and Briana Williams, will be making their first appearance at the showpiece event. 

Interestingly, the JAAA’s list does not include Rasheed Broadbell, who missed the championships due to injury, but had according to his coach Stephen Francis, submitted a medical exemption, given his top three ranking at the time in the 110m hurdles.

Howard University Responds To Dean Phylicia Rashad’s Tweets Regarding Bill Cosby

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Howard University has responded after Phylicia Rashad, new dean of the College of Fine Arts at the university, sounded off about Bill Cosby’s recent release from prison. While she has long stood by her former colleague, many have felt her tweet was triggering, and insensitive for someone holding a leadership position at Howard. Read the CNBC article by Sarah Whitten and Dan Mangan for more information below.

Peter Cramer | NBCUniversal | Getty Images

Howard University late Wednesday night disavowed a sympathetic tweet on comedian Bill Cosby and his abrupt release from prison earlier in the day by his TV wife Phylicia Rashad, the incoming dean of Howard’s fine arts college.

Howard said in a statement that Rashad’s initial tweet about the 83-year-old Cosby “lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault.”

The Washington, D.C., historically black university added that “personal positions” of her and other school leaders “do not reflect Howard University’s policies.”

Rashad had tweeted “Finally,” in capital letters and a string of exclamation marks, shortly after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Cosby’s conviction for indecent assault of a then-Temple University employee.

“A terrible wrong is being righted — a miscarriage of justice is corrected,” added Rashad, who played Cosby’s wife on both the NBC sitcom “The Cosby Show,” and on CBS’s “Cosby.”

https://twitter.com/PhyliciaRashad/status/1410289746539130882

Rashad’s tweet was widely criticized as unsympathetic to the scores of women who have accused Cosby of sexual assault or harassment.

And it raised concerns online from many about how she might handle sexual assault allegations in her role as the new dean of the reestablished and renamed Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.

Rashad later followed up with a second tweet that addressed that backlash.

“I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward,” wrote Rashad.

“My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth. Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing.”

But that tweet drew more criticism of Rashad, who in her prior defenses of Cosby had called some of the claims of abuse against him “orchestrated.”

“You can’t support survivors of physical assault and then cheer when a sexual predator gets off on a technicality. Very disappointing,” wrote one person in response to Rashad’s second tweet.

Howard University, in its statement on Rashad which was also tweeted, said, “Survivors of sexual assault will always be our priority.”

“While Dean Rashad has acknowledged in her follow-up tweet that victims must be heard and believed, her initial tweet lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault,” the statement said.

“We will continue to advocate for survivors fully and support their right to be heard,” the university said. “Howard will stand with survivors and challenge systems that would deny them justice. We have full confidence that our faculty and school leadership will live up to this sacred commitment.”

Linda Correia, a Washington lawyer who in 2017 sued Howard University on behalf of six then-current students at the university for failing to respond reasonably to their complaints of sexual violence, said of Rashad’s first tweet, “Well, I think the miscarriage of justice is for the victims” who testified at Cosby’s trial.

“It’s not surprising that she supported him. She’s always supported him,” said Correia, whose clients settled their lawsuit with Howard last year for undisclosed terms.

She added, “I would say that I think that any statement that is contrary to recognizing the miscarriage of justice for those women who had the courage to come forward is not what student survivors probably want to see right now.”

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Cosby’s conviction cited a verbal agreement he had with a prior prosecutor that would have prevented him from being criminally charged in the case.

Wednesday’s ruling bars any retrial in the case.

Cosby was two years into a three-to-10-year prison term for indecent assault against Andrea Constand in 2004.

Nationwide, 60 women came forward to accuse the “Cosby Show” star of rape or sexual harassment. Many of the accusers have said they were drugged during these encounters.

Cosby has said his contact with Constand was consensual. He also has denied all other allegations of wrongdoing.

Student-athletes Cleared By NCAA To Pursue Name, Image And Likeness Deals

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Student-athletes at HBCUs and around the country can rejoice after a contentious debate on student endorsement deals has been resolved. Starting tomorrow, the NCAA is giving students an unprecedented freedom to earn money for their likeness and more. Learn about the lift of the restrictions through an ESPN article written by Dan Murphy below.

Howard University’s Makur Maker (Credit: Howard University Athletics)

Every NCAA athlete in the country will be able to make money from endorsements and through a variety of other ventures starting Thursday.

The NCAA’s board of directors decided Wednesday to officially suspend the organization’s rules prohibiting athletes from selling the rights to their names, images and likenesses. The new rules represent a major shift in the association’s definition of amateurism — a shift that NCAA leaders previously believed was antithetical to the nature of college sports.

“This is an important day for college athletes since they all are now able to take advantage of name, image and likeness opportunities,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement. “With the variety of state laws adopted across the country, we will continue to work with Congress to develop a solution that will provide clarity on a national level. The current environment — both legal and legislative — prevents us from providing a more permanent solution and the level of detail student-athletes deserve.”

The board’s decision comes after several years of debate and just one day before laws will go into effect in more than a dozen states that will make it illegal for schools to follow the long-standing NCAA rules that have, until this week, prohibited athletes from making money.

NCAA rules that prevent schools from paying players directly remain intact. The board directed schools to make sure that payments to athletes are not expressly for their athletic achievements and to ensure that no payments are used as recruiting inducements.

The new rules will allow athletes to profit by monetizing social media accounts, signing autographs, teaching camps or lessons, starting their own businesses, and participating in advertising campaigns, among many other potential ventures. Athletes will be allowed to sign with agents or other representatives to help them acquire endorsement deals.

Some opportunities will be restricted, but the types of restrictions will vary based on state laws and policies created by individual schools. For example, some but not all state laws prohibit athletes from endorsing alcohol, tobacco or gambling products. Some but not all laws prohibit athletes from using their school’s logos or other copyright material in endorsements.

FAMU Rattler (Credit: FAMU athletics)

According to Wednesday’s rule change, schools in states that have an NIL law on the books are instructed to follow state law while determining what their athletes can do. The NCAA instructed schools located in states without an active NIL law to create and publish their own policies to provide clarity to the gray area and come up with a plan to resolve any disputes that arise.

College sports stakeholders tried for more than two years to develop more specific guidelines to help schools navigate the inevitable and considerable gray areas that will arise while trying to navigate the broad rules that shape the new, unprecedented marketplace created by these changes. Legal concerns, which were amplified by last week’s Supreme Court opinion on the NCAA’s business model, forced the rulemakers to be less detailed and prescriptive than they would have preferred.

The board of directors said Wednesday that its rule changes are intended to be temporary to make sure all athletes have some opportunity to profit from NIL as state laws start to go into effect. The board is hoping that Congress will help create a uniform national law that allows for clearer regulations for future college athlete NIL deals.

Members of Congress have proposed more than a half-dozen bills aimed at reforming college sports. Some are focused specifically on addressing a national standard for NIL deals. Others seek to add some significant changes that include giving athletes additional medical benefits, more educational opportunities and the rights to collectively bargain in the future. Disagreements among Republicans and Democrats about the scope of changes Congress should impose on the NCAA have stalled legislative efforts in Washington, D.C., in the past month.

Meanwhile, athletes around the country are preparing for new opportunities on the eve of what some in college sports say will be the industry’s most transformative summer since Title IX was enacted nearly 50 years ago. Several high-profile athletes are expected to announce new partnerships and deals starting Thursday morning.

Bill Cosby Released From Prison After Pennsylvania Supreme Court Overturns Assault Conviction

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Bill Cosby is a free man after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction for sexual assault today. Cosby, who at once held about 60 honorary degrees, was bestowed honors from many HBCUs. He also once provided the highest single donation to an HBCU with his $20 million donation to Spelman College. He has been imprisoned since 2018. Learn more about his case and why he will be walking today in the NBC News article by David K. Li below.

Matt Slocum/AP

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the sexual assault conviction of Bill Cosby on Wednesday and ordered his release from prison after finding that he was denied protection against self-incrimination.

The court said that a prosecutor’s decision not to charge Cosby, 83, opened the door for him to speak freely in a lawsuit against him and that testimony was key in his conviction years later by another prosecutor.

Cosby was convicted on three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault in 2018 of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004, and was serving a three- to 10-year sentence. He has served nearly three years of the sentence.

The state Supreme Court said Cosby cannot be retried on the same charges.

“When an unconditional charging decision is made publicly and with the intent to induce action and reliance by the defendant, and when the defendant does so to his detriment (and in some instances upon the advice of counsel), denying the defendant the benefit of that decision is an affront to fundamental fairness,” according to the high court opinion authored by Justice David Wecht.

“For these reasons, Cosby’s convictions and judgment of sentence are vacated, and he is discharged.”

The prosecution of Cosby was one of the first major milestones of the #MeToo movement, as women came forward with their tales of unwanted sexual advances and harassment in the workplace.

Cosby’s spokesman Andrew Wyatt thanked the comedian’s legal team and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, calling Wednesday’s ruling a moment of justice for Black Americans.

“This is the justice Mr. Cosby has been fighting for,” Wyatt said in a statement. “They saw the light. He waived his Fifth Amendment right and settled out of court. He was given a deal and he had immunity. He should have never been charged.”

Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images

About two hours after the ruling was published on Wednesday, Cosby was released from the SCI Phoenix detention center about 35 miles northeast of Philadelphia, where he had been housed as inmate No. NN7687, a corrections official said.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele lamented Cosby’s release and characterized the state high court’s findings as a “procedural issue.”

“He was found guilty by a jury and now goes free on a procedural issue that is irrelevant to the facts of the crime,” Steele said in a statement.

“I want to commend Cosby’s victim Andrea Constand for her bravery in coming forward and remaining steadfast throughout this long ordeal, as well as all of the other women who have shared similar experiences. My hope is that this decision will not dampen the reporting of sexual assaults by victims.”

The entertainer once dubbed “America’s Dad” was sent to state prison following his 2018 conviction for drugging and sexually assaulting Constand.

She testified that Cosby assaulted her at his Pennsylvania home in 2004 after she came to him for career advice.

But Bruce Castor, the Montgomery district attorney at the time, declined to press charges against the comedian and actor, “thereby allowing Cosby to be forced to testify in a subsequent civil action,” according to the high court.

“Unable to invoke any right not to testify in the civil proceedings, Cosby relied upon the district attorney’s declination and proceeded to provide four sworn depositions. During those depositions, Cosby made several incriminating statements,” Justice Wecht wrote in a 79-page opinion, joined by Justices Debra Todd, Christine Donohue and Sallie Updyke Mundy.

“The fruits of Cosby’s reliance upon D.A. Castor’s decision — Cosby’s sworn inculpatory testimony — were then used by D.A. Castor’s successors against Cosby at Cosby’s criminal trial.”

Justice Kevin Dougherty sided with the majority and said large swaths of Cosby’s prosecution amounted to a “coercive bait-and-switch,” after Castor did not push a criminal case.

But Dougherty said vacating the conviction was not a proper remedy and argued that Cosby could be tried again, just without evidence obtained from the comedian’s civil suit deposition.

“We can order it suppressed,” wrote Dougherty, as he was joined by Chief Justice Max Baer. “And in fact this is precisely what this Court and many others have done in comparable situations.”

Justice Thomas Saylor wrote in dissent and said Castor’s decision not to prosecute Cosby was never set in stone for all following district attorneys.

Castor’s action was just “a present exercise of prosecutorial discretion by the temporary occupant of the elected office of district attorney that would in no way be binding upon his own future decision-making processes, let alone those of his successor,” Saylor wrote.

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) decried the state high court ruling.

“We are deeply disappointed in today’s ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and by the message this decision sends to the brave survivors who came forward to seek justice for what Bill Cosby did to them,” RAINN President Scott Berkowitz said in a statement. “This is not justice.”

And Christian Nunes, president of the National Organization for Women, bemoaned Cosby’s release as the result of a “technicality.”

“Today, the judicial system in America failed survivors again,” Nunes said in a statement.

“The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Bill Cosby’s conviction for sexual assault not because anyone doubted his guilt of numerous crimes, but because of a prior legal agreement’s impact on the trial. Bill Cosby is free on a technicality, but the women he assaulted, who bravely came forward to bring him to justice, are suffering anew. They thought they had finally achieved some limited measure of closure — and now this.”

In a rare jailhouse interview in 2019, Cosby said he wouldn’t offer any remorse for his actions — even if that would’ve affected a parole board’s decision.

“When I come up for parole, they’re not going to hear me say that I have remorse. I was there. I don’t care what group of people come along and talk about this when they weren’t there. They don’t know,” Cosby told the news outlet BlackPressUSA.com.

Edward Waters College Announces University Status

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Edward Waters College is no more after this morning’s rebranding announcement by president A. Zachary Faison Jr., J.D.! The new Edward Waters University will now offer advanced degrees and more, in a rebranding that you can read more about in the First Coast News article below.

Credit: Edward Waters College

Edwards Waters College is officially changing its name to Edward Waters University, exciting an auditorium full of people Wednesday.

President Dr. A. Zachary Faison made the announcement in front of students and distinguished guests at the university’s gym: 

“As of June 17, 2021, and after 155 years from our humble beginnings at Brown Theological Institute in Live Oaks Florida, and later as Florida East Scientific and Divinity School, to our becoming Edward Waters Junior College and then Edward Waters College, as the 30th President and CEO of this remarkable institution, I’m proud to announce the next era of our education excellence at the State of Florida’s first […] independent institution of higher learning and first […] Historically Black College or University at the world’s destination institution of emerging eminence. We are Edward Waters University!”

As Dr. Faison made the announcement, those in attendance stood and loudly cheered as confetti and balloons fell onto the gym floor.

The university will now off an online master’s program in business administration with more master’s programs on the way.

The university was originally founded in 1866 by Reverend Charles H. Pearce, an elder in the African Methodist-Episcopal Church (AME), to help educate the newly emancipated Blacks following the Civil War. To meet the widespread illiteracy amongst Blacks in Florida, the school offered classes ranging from elementary to post-high school education in its early days.

The school officially changed its name to Edward Waters College in 1892 in honor of the third bishop of the AME Church.

The college was accredited as a junior college in 1955 and eventually become a four-year institution in 1979.

At the on-campus store, the university is already selling merchandise featuring the new logo.

New Book Shares History On Legendary HBCU Football Players That Dominated The NFL

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While former HBCU players like Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State University), Chad “OchoCinco” Johnson (Florida A&M University), and Shannon Sharpe (Savannah State University) have dominated the NFL, there isn’t really a comprehensive history on the history of their place in the industry. To solve this, Alois Ricky Clemons, an author with multiple HBCU ties, recently just came out with a book that will open up the world of black professional football. Learn more about “Inbounds: The Evolution of Historical Black College Players in Professional Football” by Donald Hunt at The Philadelphia Tribune in the article below.

Chad Ochocinco #85 of the Cincinnati Bengals reaches for a pass during the Bengals 23-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 14, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

If you are a big fan of Black college football, there is a book that profiles and chronicles the careers of the great players from the nation’s Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The book is titled “Inbounds – The Evolution of Historical Black College Players in Professional Football by Alois Ricky Clemons. 

The book recognizes the trailblazers who played at many the HBCUs prior to playing in the National Football League. Clemons’ research takes you back to the early 1900s, which was long before the modern NFL. 

He has a list of all the HBCU players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The list includes names such as Jerry Rice, Michael Strahan, Walter Payton, Shannon Sharpe and others. It’s a really impressive list of Hall of Famers, which clearly illustrates the number of outstanding players who have come through the HBCU ranks over the years. 

The book has some great artwork on display. John Dupree, a freelance artist from Greenville, N.C., has illustrations of several HBCU football legends. Instead of using regular photos, the artwork adds a nice touch to the book.

The most impressive part of the book is the breakdown of HBCU players in the NFL by school. Clemons has a list of players from Black colleges who made it to the NFL from each conference. The conferences include: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). 

For example, Philadelphia Eagles fans can look up defensive tackle Javon Hargrave in this book. Hargrave played his college football at South Carolina State. 

Former Hall of Fame Eagles wide receiver Harold Carmichael played for Southern University. He will be enshrined on Aug. 7.

Clemons is a lecturer in Health, Human Performance and Leisure Studies department at Howard University. In addition, he served as a assistant professor of Public Relations and Journalism and Mass Communications department at North Carolina A&T. 

He is the president of ARC Connections, Inc., a marketing communications agency and former host of “The Sports Insider Show” on Sirius XM Channel 141 hurvoices.com.

He started his career at Howard University as the assistant sports information director prior to being named director and later associate athletic director for marketing and promotions. 

He has a vast knowledge of HBCU sports and football in particular. This is a book that every writer, broadcaster or college football fan should have in their library. You can always use it for whatever work you’re doing with HBCU football. 

Megan Thee Stallion Among Record-Setters at 2021 BET Awards

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JOHNNY NUNEZ/GETTY IMAGES FOR BET

Texas Southern University student Megan Thee Stallion swept up the awards at the BET Awards this past weekend in major categories! Learn about how this female emcee was among the top performers in the industry in the Billboard article bu Paul Grein below.

Megan Thee Stallion was the top winner at the 2021 BET Awards, which aired June 27 on BET. She took four awards — best female hip hop artist; video of the year and best collaboration, both for “WAP,” her steamy collab with Cardi B; and the viewer’s choice award for “Savage,” her collab with Beyoncé.

This is the second year in a row that Megan has won best female hip hop artist. It’s also the second year in a row she has won the viewer’s choice award. She received that award last year for “Hot Girl Summer,” featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign.

Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for BET

Here are other artists who set records on the night.

Jazmine Sullivan took album of the year for Heaux Tales, her first studio album in six years. It’s the first R&B (as opposed to rap) album to win in this category since Beyoncé’s Lemonade (the inaugural winner in the category) four years ago. The last three winners were Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN., Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy and Roddy Ricch’s Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial. This award could give a boost to Sullivan’s album in the upcoming Grammy race. Sullivan has yet to win a Grammy, despite 12 nominations.

Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET

Lil Baby took best male hip hop artist for the first time. He beat, among others, last year’s winner in the category, DaBaby, and four-time category champ Drake.

H.E.R. took best female R&B/pop artist for the first time, beating, among others, Beyoncé, a 10-time winner in the category. H.E.R. has had a historic year at top-tier awards shows. She and her collaborators D’Mile and Tiara Thomas became the first songwriters in 35 years to win the Oscar for best original song and the Grammy for song of the year in the same year, but with different songs. Lionel Richie achieved the feat in 1986.

Chris Brown took best male R&B/pop artist for a record-extending sixth time.

Silk Sonic, consisting of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, took best group on the strength of their retro soul smash “Leave the Door Open,” a No. 1 hit on both the Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Silk Sonic beat, among others, Migos, which won in this category the last four years. Mars is a long-time BET favorite: He won best male R&B/pop artist three years in a row from 2017-19.

Mars won a second award this year for video director of the year for co-directing the “Leave the Door Open” video with Florent Dechard.

Giveon won best new artist. The R&B artist competed with five hip-hop performers so he had the advantage of being the outlier in the competition. Giveon was Grammy-nominated this past year for best R&B album for Take Time, so he won’t be eligible to compete for best new artist at the upcoming 64th annual Grammy Awards.

SZA took the HER Award for “Good Days.” The soulful ballad rose to No. 9 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Kirk Franklin‘s “Strong God,” a track from his 2019 album Long Live Love, won the Dr. Bobby Jones best gospel/inspirational award. It’s Franklin’s record-extending fifth win in the category.

Burna Boy, the Nigerian singer, songwriter, rapper and dancer, took best international act for the third year in a row. Bree Runway (the first name is short for Brenda), an English singer, rapper and songwriter, won best new international act.

Judas and the Black Messiah, which was Oscar-nominated for best picture, won best movie. Shaka King  directed and co-wrote the film.

Andra Day won for best actress for the first time on the strength of her Oscar-nominated performance in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Day beat, among others, Viola Davis, who was also Oscar-nominated this year for best actress for her role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

The late Chadwick Boseman won best actor for the second time in four years for his Oscar-nominated performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. He won in this same category at the BET Awards three years ago for the box-office smash Black Panther.

Marsai Martin, the 16-year old co-star of ABC’s Black-ish, won the YoungStars award for the third year in a row. She’s the first three-time winner in the category. Keke Palmer and Yara Shahidi (also featured on Black-ish) both won the award twice.

Samuel L. Jackson To Finally Receive His First Oscar In 2022 Honorary Ceremony

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After a lifetime of excelling at his craft, Morehouse College graduate Samuel L. Jackson is finally going to receive his Oscar! Jackson will be one of 4 entertainers being honored at the upcoming Governors Awards ceremony. Jackson has been known for bringing his no-nonsense attitude to roles in Pulp Fiction, Snakes On A Plane, the Star Wards franchise. Learn more about Jackson and the winners below in the article by J. Kim Murphy at IGN.

Victoria Will/Invision/AP

Samuel L. Jackson is finally getting his due from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The organization announced that Jackson, Elaine May, and Liv Ullmann will receive honorary Oscars at next year’s Governors Awards ceremony. The Academy also announced that Danny Glover will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

After working in film and theater during the 1970s and ’80s, Jackson broke out in the ’90s with major roles in films like Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever and Jurassic Park. After receiving a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Jackson has appeared in over 100 films, joining projects across a wide range of scale and genre. He is considered to have the highest-grossing filmography of any actor, with a body of work that has earned over $5.6 billion at the box office in the United States and Canada.

Source: CinemaBlend

Elaine May is a celebrated writer, director, and actress. She has been nominated for two competitive Oscars, for Best Adapted Screenplay for 1978’s Heaven Can Wait and 1998’s Primary Colors. Almost a decade after rising to fame as a comedic duo with the late Mike Nichols, May became only the fourth woman to join the Directors Guild of America when she signed with Paramount to direct her 1971 debut A New Leaf.

Ullman is most well-known for her collaborations with the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, starring in films like Persona, Cries and Whispers, and The Passion of Anna. She received Oscar nominations for Best Actress for her performances in 1971’s The Emigrants and 1976’s Face to Face. 

While Glover has never been nominated for a competitive Oscar, the actor has accrued a diverse body of work that spans from big blockbusters like the Lethal Weapon seriesand Predator 2 to small independent films like To Sleep with Anger and Sorry to Bother You. The Academy is recognizing Glover for his lifelong commitment to advocating for economic justice, heath care, and education access in the United States and Africa.

Glover will be the 41st recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. It was most recently presented to Tyler Perry at this year’s Oscar ceremony. David Lynch, Wes Studi, and Lina Wertmüller received honorary Oscars at the most recent Governors Awards, which was held in 2019.

Bowie State Alum Myles Frost Becomes New Lead In Broadway’s “MJ: The Musical”

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A Bowie State University alumnus is set to grace the Broadway stage after a shakeup for Michael Jackson’s music “MJ: The Musical.” Learn the details about how Myles Frost will now sing and dance his way into the hearts of all who know and love Michael Jackson in the Entertainment Weekly article below by Nick Romano!

Source: Regina Mogilevskaya

A major shakeup has come for the Michael Jackson Broadway musical as its lead star just beat it. 

Newcomer Myles Frost has been tapped to replace Ephraim Sykes as the King of Pop in MJ: The Musical, the producers at Lia Vollack Productions and The Michael Jackson Estate announced on Tuesday. 

They cited a year-and-a-half-long shutdown due to the pandemic for the reason, as Sykes is now scheduled to go shoot a feature film. 

“It’s with a heavy heart that I depart MJ,” Sykes said in a statement. “This year has brought a lot of change and opportunity, and although it’s bittersweet to say goodbye to an iconic role and production, I look forward to what is to come. Thank you to the MJ team and congratulations to Myles. I can’t wait to see you shine as the King of Pop and for us all to celebrate the return of Broadway.”

Myles Frost to play Michael Jackson in ‘MJ’ Broadway musical.
 | CREDIT: REGINA MOGILEVSKAYA; FRANK EDWARDS/FOTOS INTERNATIONAL/GETTY IMAGES

Keeping things positive, director Christopher Wheeldon said, “We are extremely excited about Myles. All of his talents point towards a new rising star. I’m very much looking forward to working with him to shape the role of Michael Jackson for MJ.”

Performances will begin this Dec. 6 at New York City’s Neil Simon Theatre, with an opening night set for Feb. 1, 2022. 

Though he doesn’t have other big credits to his name yet, Frost showcased his vocals through videos shared to his Instagram page, including covers of Tyrese Gibson’s “Sweet Lady” and Usher’s “I Cry.” He also released his own single, “No Sleep,” on streaming platforms.

Stephen Curry Opens Up About ‘Surreal’ Experience Supporting Howard’s First Golf Classic

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Since funding Howard University‘s first NCAA Division I golf program in 2019, Stephen Curry has been in awe of the experience. That was especially so when he attended the first golf classic recently, which he shared more about in the article by Topher Gauk-Roger at People below!

MICHAEL SCHOLIS, COURTESY OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY

Stephen Curry couldn’t be more thrilled to see the achievements of Howard University’s golf team two years into his funding of the HBCU’s first NCAA Division I golf program.

Over the weekend, the NBA star made his way to Pebble Beach, California for the Bison at the Beach Inaugural Golf Classic, a first-of-its-kind event in one of the world’s most popular golfing destinations.

This event was held to assist the program in raising endowed funds and Curry, 33, exclusively spoke with PEOPLE about what it was like seeing how far they have come since first announcing his support in 2019.

“It’s a special kind of milestone in this journey,” he says. “An opportunity to start something really, really impactful and an amazing experience for these student athletes where you can be at a very iconic place in the game of golf and bring some amazing individuals and groups that want to support the program to elevate the kids’ experiences.”

Howard’s team completed their debut season in Division I during the 2020-2021 academic year, and this new event was attended by Howard University alumni, members of the Board of Trustees, corporate sponsors and friends of the University. As Curry explains, it was “a really exciting opportunity to take that next step in supporting the program and moving into the future.”

Added Howard University president Wayne A. I. Frederick in a statement, “Stephen Curry’s generosity helped bring the Division I men’s and women’s Howard golf teams to life. But to ensure the long-term sustainability of our golf program, we need the support of many more individuals and organizations.” 

MICHAEL SCHOLIS, COURTESY OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY

The inaugural season was a success, ending with Howard University rising senior Gregory Odom Jr. winning the individual title at the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Works Collegiate Championship. And for Curry, it has been “surreal” watching them reach such accomplishments in a short amount of time.

“I had no idea what it was going to take to actually make this a reality,” he admits. “I love golf and I love having the ability to use my platform to create opportunity. With COVID, they were only together for a very short time for this first inaugural season, but even looking at the schedule they put together for next next season, it’s great.”

Howard is one of 25 HBCU golf programs and for the Akron, Ohio, native, it’s been an important mission to create new opportunities for young Black athletes around the country.

“I’ve been blessed to play basketball at the highest level, but also have a passion for golf, which has opened up so much in terms of building a network of like-minded people that aspire to create change,” he explains. “Howard is a north star in terms of where these young, talented student athletes can end up, and you can create golf as a conduit for success in life.”

For golf program Head Coach Samuel G.Puryear Jr., having one of professional basketball’s most iconic names involved from the very start has been instrumental in getting them this far.

“In order to be successful, you have to have some gas in the engine, and I think what this has done is basically fill up the tank and allow us to drive and do some of the things that we really need to do in order to make that difference,” he tells PEOPLE. “What Stephen has done with his time, his energy, his resources helped fuel the engine to make the car run.”

Curry and his wife of almost 10 years Ayesha, 32, share son Canon W. Jack, 2, plus daughters Ryan Carson, 5, and Riley, 8. The athlete makes it a priority to pay his success forward to give “them a vision of what they can be themselves.”

JORDAN JIMENEZ, COURTESY OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY

“They ask questions about where I’m at and what I’m doing and it’s cool to tell them I’m trying to raise money for a very special program that is going to change lives,” he says. “Hopefully that means something to them now and can plant the seed of how, [and] when it’s their time, they can carry the torch and make an impact.”

Whether or not his children follow in his footsteps on the court, Curry says he “ain’t putting the pressure on them” and that the couple are letting them find their passions on their own.

St. Augustine’s University Clears Out Student Debt

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St. Augustine University has joined the ranks of other HBCUs who are clearing the debts of their students. Learn about how the university plans to alleviate financial burdens on its students in the article by Kate Murphy at News Observer below.

Members of the Classes of 2020 and 2021 listen to Dr. Christine McPhail, president of St. Augustine’s University, speak during commencement exercises for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 at St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 1, 2021. ETHAN HYMAN

Hundreds of students at Saint Augustine’s University won’t have to worry about their outstanding tuition and fee balances when they return to campus this fall. 

The historically Black private university announced it is clearing students’ unpaid account balances from the 2021 spring, summer and fall semesters after all federal, state and private awards are factored in. 

The estimated impact will top more than $9 million and help about 800 students who are eligible for federal Pell grants, according to the university. The money is coming from what Saint Aug’s received from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act this year.

This move allows SAU students who were not able to meet their financial obligations due to COVID-19 to continue their education.

“I come from a low-income, single-parent household and I am a first-generation high school graduate and first-generation college student,” rising senior McKenzie Estep said in a statement. “This type of support brings me one step closer to reaching my dream of starting a career with less debt and becoming financially stable.”

Students will still have to pay back their federal, state or private loans, but once they complete their FAFSA application and fall registration, their charges with the university will be gone.

St. Aug’s President Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail said in a statement that the university is “committed to delivering on our promise to be one of the nation’s best universities for personalized education, student life and affordability.”

Historically Black colleges and universities across the nation have been offering relief to recent HBCU graduates and returning students by clearing balances owed in tuition, fees and fines. Black college graduates owe an average of $52,000 in student loan debt, which is about $25,000 more on average than white graduates, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Shaw University used the COVID-19 stimulus package to relieve a total of $116,000 in debt for its graduates, Inside Higher Ed reported. 

The money owed by Shaw graduates this year was unprecedented, particularly as students lost jobs during the pandemic, David H. Byrd, vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer at Shaw, told Inside Higher Ed.

Shaw also used federal stimulus money to pay for summer school costs of about $1M for approximately 400 students ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per student, Dr. Paulette Dillard, president and CEO of Shaw, said in a statement Tuesday.

The decision came after students weren’t registering for summer classes because of financial barriers, particularly as COVID-19 disproportionately affected the Black community, she said. The university wanted to provide returning students and incoming freshmen the best preparation for the fall semester on campus.

Xavier University of Louisiana Student Who Raised $9M For College Now Helps Other Students Save

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An Xavier University of Louisiana student is raising millions to ensure other students don’t experience crippling student debt that she avoided. Learn about how much Normandie Cormier has helped other students raise for their education after raising $9 million for herself in the Louisiana Weekly article by Kai Davis below.

It is her mission to ensure students, like her, can attend and graduate from college debt free. Now Normandie Cormier, a 20-year-old Lafayette, La., native, has set out to tackle what she sees as the biggest crisis facing her generation: student debt.

“Student debt is crazy in America,” said Cormier, who started the company XollegePass to help students find ways to pay for college. “I think making sure every student had the pivotal academic and financial resources available to succeed and graduate debt-free was really important to me,” Cormier said, adding that she believes education should be a right, and not a privilege.

Cormier is taking her own lessons to help future college students. She earned $9.4 million in scholarships from 144 colleges she received acceptances from in 2019. She has since worked to help college-bound students earn almost $400 million in scholarships and grants while a neuroscience major at Xavier University of Louisiana. 

With the student loan debt crisis that has surpassed $2 trillion for U.S. citizens, many graduates and those who hold professional degrees live at poverty levels as they struggle to pay back student loans while earning an entry-level wage. 

Cormier said through XollegePass, she provides tutoring, ACT/SAT prep and scholarship application support for any student regardless of their background. 

“I grew up in a low-income neighborhood and was raised by a single mother who worked numerous jobs to make the best for my brother and me, most of my strength comes from my mom,” Cormier said of her mother, Chantelle Gary. “A lot of times I did not see a lot of different academic opportunities to excel. I feel like it is so important for those opportunities to be accessible to students right now,” Cormier said in a statement. 

To further the foundation of the program, Cormier has partnered with universities and grant programs to help send students to college. The program offers monthly scholarships, full-ride scholarships, academic scholarships, celebrity scholarships, company scholarships and student-athlete scholarships. 

“I would not have it any other way,” shared Christina B. in an online testimonial of Cormier’s program. “I decided to homeschool my older kids after having a baby and was swamped with my busy daily schedule. XP definitely had my back with great homeschool curriculums for success and tutoring,” Christina B. posted. 

For African Americans, financial support is important during college, particularly for first-generation students who see college as an opportunity for economic mobility. It also allows first-generation students to begin to consider advanced degrees that can help them build generational wealth. 

Experts note that student debt has increased more than 100 percent within the last 10 years, especially during the pandemic in which it has become worse. It has been one of the main policy areas still being debated as part of the Biden administration’s policies. 

The average white student loan borrower owes around $30,000 in student debt; the average Black borrower owes closer to $34,000, according to national estimates. This means students who are Black or Hispanic, are more likely to graduate college with an excess amount of debt compared to white students.

“The student debt crisis impacted our community the most, Black students make up more than 60 percent of students in the debt crisis,” Cormier said. 

Not only does Cormier help college-bound students, but she has also given kids as early as middle school students opportunities to apply for scholarships by offering test-prep and tutoring, even programs to K-12 students to better their future with the goal to go to college debt-free. 

“[XollegePass] is not just an organization or company XollegePass is helping students to achieve their dreams,” said Chantelle Gary, Cormier’s mother. “Helping to take the headache out of wondering how are students going to pay for college and how students are going to be able to succeed and live out their dreams,” Gary added.

Today, XollegePass has numerous award-winning services such as result driven test prep and college preparation, scholarship advising and college admissions consulting, NCAA regulated student-athlete programs, global business and financial literacy courses, home-schooling curriculums and global educational enrichment programs.

“Yes, when you are called to do something, you realize blessing people is a blessing in itself,” Cormier said. “I realized it is not about me, it is about them and being able to help them achieve their academic goals.”

Through raising millions in scholarships for other students so they can avoid college debt, Cormier said she is finding her purpose. 

“I feel myself as being someone who was called to do something and I think that what I am doing now through XollegePass is part of my calling,” Cormier said. “This is only the beginning and there is so much more in store,” she added.

$1.2 Million Donated To 3 HBCUs To Increase Employment Of Black Healthcare Professionals

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There is a lack of diversity in health care, but there is so much talent at our HBCUs! So by medical company Baxter donating $1.2 million, the healthcare industry can now begin to bridge that gap. Learn more about the donation and how Tennessee State University, Meharry Medical College, and Morehouse School of Medicine will all do their part to solve the problem through 2 separate programs in the BusinessWire release below.

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), a leading global medical products company, announced today the introduction of three scholarship and grant programs to support Black students pursuing health and science degrees and ultimately help expand the pipeline of Black healthcare professionals. Over a three-year period, $1.2 million will be distributed to three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): Meharry Medical College, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), and Tennessee State University (TSU).

“The lack of diversity in healthcare is a longstanding and multifaceted problem, one that we are focused on helping to address,” said Verónica Arroyave, senior director of Global Community Relations. “Creating opportunities that support and empower Black students to pursue medical and scientific careers is one way we can help drive positive change, and we are proud to partner with respected organizations like Meharry, Morehouse, and Tennessee State to expand this effort.”

Launching the Baxter Scholars Award at TSU and Meharry Medical College 

Beginning in 2021, the Baxter Scholars Award will support the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Medical, Dental and Accelerated Pathway Program, a shared program between TSU and Meharry Medical College. The accelerated pipeline program prepares qualified TSU students for early acceptance to Meharry, where students will spend three years in pre-medical courses of study at TSU before being admitted to and enrolling at Meharry to study medicine or dentistry. The Pathway Program participants will complete their undergraduate and medical school studies in seven years, instead of the customary eight years.

“The Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Institute is grateful to Baxter for its support and participation in this journey to increase the number of African American physicians and dentists, to assist young outstanding students in pursuing their dreams, and to invest in the communities we serve,” said Ms. Barbara Murrell, chair of the Institute. “This is an exciting time!”

Morehouse School of Medicine (Source: Morehouse School of Medicine)

Morehouse School of Medicine Grants

Baxter’s donation will support several initiatives within the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) Undergraduate Health Sciences Academy (UHSA), a pre-medical targeting program designed to assist undergraduate scholars as they pursue medical school admissions. Baxter funding will provide support in the areas of student research stipends, Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) preparation for students and related instructor grants. The gift will also be used to support several MSM Graduate Pipeline Programs, including Bridges to Biotechnology & Bioentrepreneurships, curriculum that raises awareness for the biotechnology field and its offerings, and Bridges to Health Informatics, a program exposing students to health information technologies and analytics.

“We must continue to identify and remove barriers for Black students who enter medical school and other fields in health sciences,” said John K. White, associate vice president and chief of staff for institutional advancement at Morehouse School of Medicine. “Baxter’s support allows us to offer more assistance to students as they pursue education in these important areas, and we’re immensely grateful for this support.”

Allen University Announces Plan To Provide SC School District With Mentorship, Educational Resources

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Allen University just signed a partnership with a local school district that will enrich students with college-level preparedness, mentorship, and more! Find out more in the release below!

Dr. Ernest McNealey, President and CEO, Allen University and Dr. Laura Hickson, Superintendent Florence School District 3 signing MOUs.

Allen University and Florence School District Three announce an academic support and community impact partnership. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) aims to increase accessibility to college-level arts and science programming, provide professional mentorship, and engaging enrichment and acceleration programming for students district-wide.

“Florence School District Three has a rich history. Home to the likes of Ronald E. McNair, Florence School District Three exemplifies the talent that lies in our state. The district is dedicated to ensuring all students are college and career-ready and are productive members of society. At Allen University, where we “Teach the Mind to Think, the Hands to Work, and the Heart to Love,” students from Florence School District Three can thrive,” explained Allen University President and CEO Dr. Ernest McNealey. “Providing an increase in accessibility continues our commitment to meeting students where they are and remaining dedicated to the communities we serve.”

The new partnership seeks to increase accessibility to exposure of college-level and professional opportunities to Florence area students. The document outlines areas of cooperation between Allen University and Florence School District Three in developing and delivering programming, access, and exposure to college and professional opportunities that can positively impact the Florence area students.

Dr. Ernest McNealey, President and CEO, Allen University and Dr. Laura Hickson, Superintendent Florence School District 3 pose with signed MOUs.

“We are excited to partner with Allen University to provide our students with another layer of support as well as the opportunity for additional education experiences,” Dr. Laura Hickson, Florence School District Three, Superintendent, explained. “With the rigor of college-level programming as well as the mentorship and enrichment available through this partnership, we can provide our students a more seamless transition from high school to college or the workforce. We thank Allen University for their commitment to this partnership and Florence School District Three students.”

Highlights of the MOU signed June 17, 2021, include:

Allen University will provide

  • subject matter speakers and presenters for designated occasions and programs at schools in Florence 3,
  • remote mentoring and scheduled onsite mentoring,
  • student access to Saturday Art and Science programs,
  • readers and leaders for enrichment, mentorship, and acceleration programs for schools across the district,
  • support for programs and initiatives in Florence 3 reflective of the universal obligation of citizenship and pursuit of the Greater Good.

Bethune-Cookman University Graduates Will Have Streamlined Admission Into University of Tampa Master’s Program

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Deserving graduates from Bethune-Cookman University with interests in education now how have a streamlined path for acceptance into a top master’s of education program. To learn more, read B-CU’s new release about their new partnership with the University of Tampa below!

Source: Bethune-Cookman University

Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) announces it has partnered with the University of Tampa (UT) to guarantee qualified B-CU students and graduates admission into UT’s Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction.

To qualify, B-CU students must have received a bachelor of science or bachelor of arts degree with specified teaching certification. These qualified students and alumni will receive special admissions consideration from UT, including waivers of application fees, references and resumes. A completed graduate admissions application, transcripts and statement of good standing will still be required.

Both UT and B-CU are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), whose standards ensure that students who graduate from CAEP accredited institutions will have the intellectual ability, aptitude in research, professional skills, personal character, and potential for future productive scholarship to successfully complete UT’s M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction degree program.

UT’s curriculum and instruction program enhances students’ teaching and leadership skills; students who enroll in the M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction do so because they seek to become better educators and  leaders. The program emphasizes curriculum theory, pedagogy and innovation in education, educational advocacy, social dimensions of learning, instructional design, leadership and research. Students attending UT also benefit from small classes and close interactions with expert faculty who possess extensive K-12 experience and hold doctorate degrees in education.

“UT’s reputation for curricular quality and real-world results sets it apart among graduate education programs,” said Theoni Soublis, professor of education and program director of the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. “This partnership provides Bethune-Cookman students a respected degree that will serves them throughout their careers.”

“Academically strategic partnerships such as our relationship with UT, create unique advantages that further enhance the B-CU university academic experience,” said Dr. William Berry, B-CU Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost. “Our goal continues to be finding pathways to expand academic and professional opportunities for our students.”