Kendrick Perkins Is Bringing NBA Star Power to Jackson State Basketball

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Kendrick Perkins Jackson State news just dropped, and it’s a partnership that could change how the Tigers compete off the court.

Jackson State announced this week that Perkins, a 14-year NBA veteran and 2008 champion, will join the men’s basketball program as general manager. The move pairs an ESPN analyst with national name recognition to a SWAC program looking to expand its reach in fundraising, NIL, and overall visibility. It’s a volunteer position, but Jackson State leadership made clear they expect real impact from it.

Why Jackson State Made This Move

Perkins isn’t just a former player picking up a title. He’s one of ESPN’s most recognized NBA voices, appearing across the network’s programming since his 2018 retirement. That platform matters for a program competing for attention in a crowded college basketball landscape.

Jackson State athletics director Ashley Robinson made clear the role carries real weight despite its volunteer status. “It’s a volunteer role, but he’s going to come in to fundraise,” Robinson said. Perkins is also expected to take part in the program’s name, image and likeness efforts, an area that has reshaped recruiting and roster building across every level of college sports.

What Perkins Brings to the Table

Perkins went straight from high school in Nederland, Texas, to the NBA, joining the Boston Celtics in 2003. He started at center for Boston’s 2008 championship team, averaging 7 points, 6 rebounds, and a block per game while shooting 59% from the field during that playoff run. He also suited up for the Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, and Cleveland Cavaliers before retiring in 2018.

That résumé gives Jackson State something most HBCU programs don’t have easy access to: a direct line to NBA-level credibility and media reach. Robinson said the impact should be immediate. “That’s going to be huge for us,” she said.

A Broader Vision for the Program

Jackson State head coach Trey Johnson framed Perkins’ addition as part of a larger plan to build sustained success. “This partnership represents a significant step forward in our commitment to building a championship-caliber program while creating meaningful opportunities for our student-athletes beyond the court,” Johnson said.

Perkins will also connect with Jackson State’s broadcast and journalism program, extending his involvement beyond basketball operations alone. Johnson added that Perkins’ experience in both basketball and sports media could benefit the team, the university, and the wider Jackson State community.

For his part, Perkins framed the opportunity in personal terms. “I’m thankful for this opportunity to impact young lives and pour back into my community,” he told ESPN’s Shams Charania.

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What This Means for HBCU Basketball

High-profile figures lending their name and resources to HBCU sports programs isn’t new, but the trend has accelerated as NIL reshapes the competitive landscape. Programs without massive television contracts or booster networks need creative ways to compete for talent and attention. A figure like Perkins, with built-in media reach and championship credibility, gives Jackson State exactly that kind of edge.

The hire also signals something about where Jackson State basketball wants to go. Pairing a respected coaching staff with national-level fundraising and NIL support suggests a program serious about building toward championship contention rather than simply staying competitive in the SWAC. Meanwhile, Jackson State continues to position itself as one of the more ambitious athletic departments among HBCUs nationally.

Whether Perkins’ involvement translates into measurable wins on the court remains to be seen. Still, for a program looking to raise its national profile, his name alone buys instant attention, and that’s often the first step toward bigger opportunities down the line.

Juneteenth 2026: How HBCU Pride — and Opal Lee’s Legacy — Are Showing Up Nationwide

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This Juneteenth HBCU celebration carries extra weight in 2026. The holiday just marked its fifth year as a federal observance, and at the center of that history stands a 99-year-old HBCU alumna who refused to let the world forget.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865 — the day enslaved Black people in Texas finally learned of their freedom, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It became a federal holiday in 2021. That didn’t happen by accident. It happened because of Opal Lee.

Meet the Grandmother of Juneteenth

Opal Lee was born October 7, 1926, in Marshall, Texas. She graduated from Wiley College — now Wiley University — in 1952 with a degree in elementary education. Decades later, that same HBCU background would help shape one of the most consequential grassroots movements in modern American history.

Lee’s connection to Juneteenth isn’t abstract. On June 19, 1939, when she was just 12 years old, white rioters vandalized and burned down her family’s home in Fort Worth, Texas. She carried that memory for the rest of her life — and she turned it into decades of advocacy rather than letting it define her in silence.

In 2016, at 89 years old, Lee set out to walk from her home in Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to push for Juneteenth’s national recognition. “My idea was to walk from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., and that surely somebody would notice a little old lady in tennis shoes,” she said. She started that September and arrived in the capital the following January. Her Change.org petition gathered 1.6 million signatures along the way.

Five years later, in June 2021, President Joe Biden signed Senate Bill S. 475, making Juneteenth the eleventh federal holiday — with Lee standing right beside him. Biden called her the “grandmother of the movement.” In 2024, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

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An HBCU Story Through and Through

Lee’s legacy is deeply rooted in HBCU tradition. Beyond her Wiley College degree, she’s a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated — joining in 2016, the same year she began her historic walk. Zeta Phi Beta has celebrated her ever since, holding her up as a living embodiment of the sorority’s commitment to service and social justice.

“Our Economic Justice Town Hall was both a tribute to Dr. Opal Lee’s historic contributions and a call to action,” said Dr. Stacie NC Grant, International President and CEO of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., during a past Juneteenth commemoration. “Juneteenth is more than a holiday. It’s a reminder of the work still needed to dismantle systemic barriers to equity.”

That’s the thread connecting HBCUs to this holiday at the deepest level. Lee didn’t just attend an HBCU — she carried the values that institution instilled in her all the way to the White House.

HBCU Energy at Celebrations Nationwide

You don’t have to look far this Juneteenth to find HBCU pride on full display elsewhere, too. In Goodyear, Arizona, the city’s Family Day: Homecoming celebration leans directly into HBCU culture, featuring a marching band made up of HBCU alumni from across the country. In Raleigh, North Carolina, the Capital City Juneteenth Celebration at Dorothea Dix Park is bringing HBCU line dancing to the main stage. In New York City, the Juneteenth Parade through Brooklyn draws HBCU alumni, fraternities, and sororities by the thousands every year.

Celebrate, Reflect, and Remember Her Name

Wherever you’re celebrating this weekend — a parade, a cookout, a step show, or a quiet moment of reflection — take a second to say her name: Opal Lee. A Wiley College graduate. A Zeta. A 99-year-old who walked her way into history and made sure this day belongs to all of us.

To every HBCU student, alum, faculty member, and supporter: Happy Juneteenth. The legacy continues with you.

Alabama State and Morris Brown College Just Signed a Deal That Opens Doors for HBCU Graduates

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The Alabama State Morris Brown College partnership is official — and it could reshape what comes after graduation for hundreds of students.

On June 16, 2026, Alabama State University President Dr. Quinton T. Ross Jr. and Morris Brown College President Dr. Kevin E. James signed a Memorandum of Understanding on ASU’s campus in Montgomery, Alabama. The agreement creates a formal pipeline for Morris Brown graduates to apply directly to Alabama State’s graduate degree programs — both in person and online. It’s a straightforward idea with real impact: two HBCUs working together to make sure their students don’t fall through the cracks between undergraduate and graduate education.

The timing is significant. Just a month before the signing, Morris Brown graduated its largest class in over 25 years — 93 students. President James made the connection explicit. “We want to send them to Alabama State for grad school,” he said at the ceremony. “We thank you for this opportunity for our students.”

What the Agreement Actually Covers

This isn’t a vague partnership announcement with no substance behind it. The MOU creates specific, structured pathways into ASU’s graduate programs across multiple disciplines.

Through the agreement, eligible Morris Brown graduates gain a streamlined path into Alabama State University’s master’s programs in business, cybersecurity, data analytics, healthcare administration, management, information technology, and biotechnology. ASU also offers 13 key online master’s programs — including rehabilitation counseling, accountancy, social work, forensic science, and health counseling — many of which are now accessible to MBC graduates through this pipeline.

Furthermore, the agreement includes pathways for students interested in careers in education. ASU’s College of Education offers “Alternative A” certification routes for students who didn’t complete an undergraduate teacher preparation program. That opens the door even wider, giving Morris Brown graduates options regardless of their undergraduate major.

“Once we looked online at the program offerings, many of those offerings are direct pathways for our graduates in business, psychology and music alike,” President James said.

Why Morris Brown Needed This

Morris Brown College’s story is one of the most remarkable in HBCU history. The Atlanta-based institution lost its accreditation in 2002 and spent nearly two decades fighting to survive. By 2023, the college had regained accreditation through the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools and was rebuilding steadily. Graduating 93 students — its largest class in 25 years — is proof that the comeback is real.

But rebuilding an institution from near-collapse means doing it with limited resources. Morris Brown primarily offers undergraduate programs. It doesn’t yet have the infrastructure to offer a full range of graduate degrees on its own. That’s exactly where a partnership like this fills a genuine gap. Rather than leaving graduates to navigate the graduate school landscape alone, MBC now has a formal HBCU-to-HBCU pathway that keeps students connected to the mission and culture that brought them this far.

“What’s attractive about the partnership is that ASU has in-person and online options,” President James said. “This gives our students access and opportunities to complete their graduate degrees.”

What Alabama State Brings to the Table

Alabama State isn’t just doing Morris Brown a favor here. ASU brings a robust graduate program infrastructure that makes this partnership genuinely valuable. With 13 online master’s programs and a strong College of Education, ASU has the depth to absorb and support a new pipeline of graduate students without stretching thin.

Dr. Anthony Broughton, dean of ASU’s College of Education, framed the agreement as mission-driven on both sides. “This partnership between ASU and MBC share a mission to remove barriers so that students can have the best access to quality education,” Broughton said. “We are excited to welcome and support Morris Brown students as they pursue careers in education and help strengthen the teaching workforce for generations to come.”

That last point matters. Teacher shortages are a national crisis, and HBCUs have historically produced a disproportionate share of Black educators. Agreements like this one directly feed that pipeline at a time when it’s badly needed.

HBCUs Working Together — the Way It Should Be

Perhaps the most important thing about this agreement is what it represents beyond the specific programs. Two HBCUs sat down, looked at what each institution does well, and built something that benefits students on both ends. That’s the kind of collaboration the HBCU community talks about wanting — and it’s rare to see it executed this cleanly.

President Ross put it plainly at the signing: “When we unite, we multiply opportunities, expand possibilities and build legacies that will impact generations to come.”

He also spoke directly to Morris Brown students: “I want you to know that we are prepared to receive you, we are prepared to make room for your greatness, we are prepared to support your aspirations, and we are prepared to help you continue your path to educational and professional excellence.”

For HBCU students watching from other campuses, this is worth paying attention to. The HBCU ecosystem is strongest when its institutions pool their strengths instead of competing in isolation. Alabama State has graduate infrastructure. Morris Brown has a growing undergraduate body and a resilience story that draws students who believe in the mission. Together, they’ve built something neither could offer alone.

That’s not just good for ASU and MBC. It’s good for the entire community.

Howard University and Five HBCUs Made History at the 2026 NCAA Track Championships

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Howard University NCAA track 2026 just wrote a new chapter — and the whole HBCU community was on the track in Eugene.

When the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships opened at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from June 10–13, five historically Black colleges and universities sent athletes to compete. Howard University led the charge with four entries — more than any other HBCU program — and the Bison didn’t just show up. They competed deep into the championship rounds, earned All-America honors, and reminded the country exactly what HBCU athletics can produce when the resources and coaching match the talent.

This wasn’t luck. It was the result of years of deliberate program-building, elite coaching, and a culture at Howard that now genuinely believes it belongs among the nation’s best.

How Howard Got to Eugene

The path to Hayward Field ran through Lexington, Kentucky, where Howard dominated the NCAA East Regional. The Bison qualified in four events — the women’s 200-meter dash, the women’s 400-meter hurdles (two athletes), and the women’s 4×100-meter relay.

Sophomore Yahnari Lyons punched her ticket in the 200 meters with an automatic qualifying time of 22.72 seconds, finishing second in her regional heat. She entered the championships ranked among the nation’s best in the event and backed it up by winning her semifinal heat in 22.36 seconds to advance to the national final.

In the 400-meter hurdles, Howard sent two athletes. Sophomore Cenaiya Billups won her quarterfinal heat in a personal-best 55.09 seconds — breaking Howard’s school record in the process. Senior All-American Aniya Woodruff followed by winning her heat in a personal-best 55.43. Both athletes delivered their best performances at the highest-pressure moment of the season. At nationals, Billups advanced all the way to the championship final, posting a 55.44 in the semifinals — the fourth-fastest time among all finalists. Woodruff narrowly missed the final with a 56.30, but finished her collegiate career with back-to-back Second Team All-America honors.

The Howard University 4×100 relay team — graduate Marcia Sey, juniors Yahnari Lyons and Mackenzie Robinson, and freshman Nilijah Darden — rounded out the Bison’s Eugene presence with a season-best 43.23 seconds at regionals.

The Coach Behind the Rise

None of this happens without Head Coach David Oliver. An Howard University alumnus and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 110-meter hurdles, Oliver has spent years building the women’s program into something the country has to take seriously.

This spring, Howard ranked 13th nationally in the USTFCCCA National Rating Index — the highest ranking in program history. The Bison also won their fifth consecutive MEAC Outdoor Championship in May, completing a rare triple crown by taking cross country, indoor, and outdoor conference titles in the same academic year. That kind of sustained excellence across all three seasons is hard to build. Oliver has built it.

“Howard is on track to become a national powerhouse, and the women’s team is leading that charge,” said Howard Vice President of Athletics Kery Davis.

The Rest of the HBCU Field in Eugene

Howard led the way, but the full HBCU track and field story in Eugene was bigger than one school. Four other HBCUs sent athletes to nationals, making this one of the strongest collective HBCU showings at the NCAA level in recent memory.

North Carolina A&T arrived in Eugene with arguably the deepest HBCU men’s contingent of anyone. Jason Holmes set both a Colonial Athletic Association and school record in the men’s 110-meter hurdles with a 13.17-second run to advance to the finals. Isaiah Taylor and Xzaviah Taylor — the Aggie twins — both advanced in the men’s 400-meter hurdles. The men’s 4×100 relay posted a CAA-record 38.53 to reach the finals, and the 4×400 relay also advanced. Senior Spirit Morgan qualified in the women’s high jump after clearing 1.82 meters, while junior Olivia Dowd advanced in the women’s triple jump with a personal-best 13.23 meters.

Southern University’s Tashina Alase delivered one of the most compelling individual performances of the entire championship. The junior won her 100-meter hurdles semifinal heat in 12.90 seconds to advance to the national final — a result made even more remarkable by the fact that she missed last outdoor season entirely after a serious collision that injured her toe. She came back, ran 12.74 seconds at regionals to earn an automatic qualifying mark, and then advanced to the national final against the country’s best. That’s resilience.

Alabama State freshman Daedrian Beville qualified in the women’s triple jump with a 13.21-meter leap — the only HBCU freshman to punch a ticket to Eugene this year. Florida A&M’s Leonard Mustari also made the trip in the men’s 110-meter hurdles after a personal-best 13.53 seconds at regionals.

What This Moment Means for HBCU Athletics

Five schools. Nine individual and relay entries. Multiple finalists. Several All-America performances. That’s not a fluke — that’s a movement.

For years, talented Black track and field athletes faced a difficult choice: attend an HBCU and risk lower visibility, or go to a Power Five program and get the national exposure that leads to professional opportunities. The 2026 championships push back hard against that narrative. Howard’s athletes competed in the same finals as Georgia, Arkansas, and Kentucky. NC A&T’s relay teams posted conference records at nationals. Southern’s Alase stood in the starting blocks of a national final after a career-threatening injury.

The recruitment message writes itself. You can attend an HBCU, compete for an HBCU coach, and still stand on the biggest stage in college track and field. That reality is now impossible to argue with.

Furthermore, the financial and institutional investment is starting to show up where it counts — in the results. As Howard builds its research profile and brand, athletic success at the national level amplifies every other part of the university’s story. Corporate sponsors take notice. Recruits take notice. The country takes notice.

The HBCU athletics conversation is no longer just about homecoming and tradition. It’s about national championships, All-America honors, and what happens when historically Black institutions get the support they’ve always deserved.

Forbes Released 2026 Financial Grades for Private HBCUs — Here’s the Full Picture

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The HBCU financial grades are in, and the results tell two very different stories depending on where you look.

Forbes recently released its 2026 College Financial Grades, grading more than 900 private nonprofit colleges with enrollments above 500 students. Dozens of HBCUs made the list. The report uses a revamped formula developed with data from Perspective Data Science, designed specifically to measure what Forbes calls “true liquidity” — how much financial cushion a school actually has when things get tight. For private HBCUs, that cushion is often thinner than it should be. The results confirm what many in the community have long suspected: the financial divide across private Black colleges is real, it’s wide, and it’s getting harder to ignore.

Why This Report Matters for HBCUs Specifically

Forbes didn’t build this report with HBCUs in mind. But the findings land differently for Black colleges than they do for other institutions. Private HBCUs already operate with smaller endowments, tighter cash reserves, and less margin for financial error than most of their predominantly white counterparts. When Forbes describes the broader private college landscape as facing a “near perfect storm,” that storm hits HBCU campuses first and hardest.

What does that storm look like? It’s a combination of forces hitting simultaneously. The pool of traditional college-age students is shrinking nationally. Fewer international students are enrolling due to shifting immigration policies. Inflation has driven up operating costs across the board. More families are choosing lower-cost community college and online options over residential four-year institutions. Each of those pressures strains any private college. For schools already operating close to the financial edge, the combination can be dangerous.

Additionally, this report arrives at a moment when federal support for HBCUs faces real uncertainty. Philanthropic donations from high-profile donors have helped in recent years, but one-time gifts don’t replace sustainable operating models. The Forbes grades force a direct look at which schools have built that sustainability and which ones haven’t.

The Schools That Stood Out at the Top

Not every private HBCU is in trouble. In fact, several schools posted grades that signal genuine financial strength.

Morehouse College, Fisk University, and Rust College each earned B+ grades — the strongest marks among private HBCUs in the report. That’s meaningful. Morehouse in particular has spent years building its endowment and alumni giving infrastructure, and those investments are showing up in the data. Fisk’s grade is also notable given its smaller size. Strong financial management at a smaller institution often requires more discipline, not less.

These schools prove that private HBCUs can build real financial resilience. The question is how other institutions learn from those models and apply them in their own contexts.

The Middle Tier — and Why It Needs the Most Attention

A large group of private HBCUs landed in the C range, and that’s where the most important story lives. Johnson C. Smith University, Clark Atlanta University, Tougaloo College, and Xavier University of Louisiana each earned C+ grades. Talladega College, Bethune-Cookman University, and Lane College landed at straight C. Shaw University, Benedict College, Livingstone College, Voorhees University, Dillard University, and Huston-Tillotson University all received C- grades.

None of these schools are failing. But none of them are comfortable either. Many carry strong historical legacies, loyal alumni networks, and deep roots in their regional communities. The problem is that legacy alone doesn’t pay operating costs. Brand recognition alone doesn’t fill enrollment gaps. The schools in this middle tier have real assets — they just need to convert those assets into consistent revenue, enrollment growth, and fundraising results.

Furthermore, the C- cluster deserves particular scrutiny. These institutions sit just above the threshold where financial stress becomes genuinely destabilizing. A single bad enrollment year, an unexpected infrastructure cost, or a shift in federal financial aid policy could push any of them into more serious territory quickly. Proactive planning matters more at this tier than anywhere else.

What the Grades Actually Measure

It’s worth understanding what Forbes is and isn’t measuring here. The grading formula focuses on liquidity — specifically, whether a school has enough accessible cash and financial resources to weather disruption. It factors in endowment size, operating reserves, debt levels, and revenue trends.

What it doesn’t measure is academic quality, student outcomes, or community impact. An institution can have a strong mission, exceptional faculty, and transformative student experiences while still carrying financial vulnerabilities. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive. The Forbes grades are a financial snapshot, not a comprehensive verdict on a school’s worth or viability.

That said, financial health and mission delivery are connected. A school that runs out of operating funds can’t serve its students, no matter how strong its academic reputation. That’s the practical reality these grades are pointing to.

The Structural Problem Behind the Numbers

The deeper issue the Forbes report surfaces isn’t about individual school management. It’s about structure. Private HBCUs were built to serve communities that had been systematically excluded from higher education. They took on that mission without receiving the endowment gifts, state support, or philanthropic infrastructure that comparable white institutions accumulated over generations.

That historical gap shows up in today’s balance sheets. Schools that were never given the same starting resources are now being evaluated on the same financial metrics as schools that were. That context doesn’t excuse weak financial management where it exists, but it does explain why the structural challenge is so much steeper for Black colleges than the Forbes grades alone can show.

The report also reinforces a point that HBCU advocates have been making for years: these schools carry a public mission — educating students who might not have strong alternatives — without receiving public-level financial support in return. That mismatch is at the root of many of the grades in the C tier.

What Needs to Happen Next

The Forbes report is a warning, not a verdict. Schools with strong grades have a window to build further. Those in the middle need clear-eyed strategies — on enrollment, alumni giving, operational efficiency, and new revenue models — before their margins shrink further. Schools at the lower end need urgent action, honest leadership, and serious outside investment.

Philanthropic partners, federal agencies, and state governments all have roles to play here. So do alumni. For many private HBCUs, consistent alumni giving at even modest levels could meaningfully shift the financial picture over time. The schools that figure out how to activate that base consistently will be the ones that look different in the next Forbes report.

The HBCU community has survived worse than a tough financial cycle. But survival isn’t the goal. Stability, growth, and the ability to serve the next generation of students at the highest level — that’s what these grades are really measuring, even if Forbes didn’t frame it that way.

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The FAMU Underfunding Lawsuit Is Back — and Florida Has to Answer for It

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The FAMU underfunding lawsuit just got a second life, and this time Florida can’t make it disappear with a procedural move.

On June 9, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit revived a lawsuit alleging that the State of Florida underfunded Florida A&M University by nearly $2 billion over three decades. In a split decision, the court ruled that a lower court dismissed the case too quickly — before the students behind it ever got a real chance to present their evidence. Now they will.

This is not a final verdict. But it is a significant win. And for the FAMU community and HBCU advocates nationwide, it sends a message that these claims are serious enough to survive in federal court.

What the Lawsuit Actually Claims

A group of current and former FAMU students originally filed the lawsuit in 2022. Their argument is direct: Florida has chronically underfunded its only public HBCU compared to predominantly white institutions like the University of Florida and Florida State University. That disparity, they argue, isn’t accidental. It traces directly to the state’s former system of legally enforced racial segregation in higher education.

The specific allegations are wide-ranging. Plaintiffs point to lower per-student funding allocations, reduced faculty salaries, less support for campus infrastructure, fewer academic research resources, and weaker student services — all compared to what UF and FSU receive. They also challenge Florida’s handling of land-grant funding. Both FAMU and UF hold land-grant status, but students argue Florida has never supported the two institutions equally.

A federal analysis backed up part of that argument. It found a funding gap of roughly $1.9 billion between FAMU and the University of Florida over a 30-year period. That number is not abstract — it represents decades of compounding disadvantage.

Why the Appeals Court Stepped In

A federal district court previously dismissed the case. The lower court found that students hadn’t provided enough evidence to show that today’s funding disparities connect to Florida’s history of de jure segregation. In plain terms, the judge said the proof wasn’t there yet.

The Eleventh Circuit pushed back hard on that reasoning. In its opinion, the majority wrote that the lower court had crossed a line — it weighed the evidence rather than simply determining whether real factual disputes existed that deserved to go to trial.

“Simply put, the district court weighed the evidence instead of determining whether genuine disputes of material fact existed,” the majority wrote.

That’s a meaningful distinction in federal law. Courts aren’t supposed to resolve factual disputes at the motion-to-dismiss stage. They’re supposed to ask whether the claims are plausible enough to move forward. The Eleventh Circuit said yes — they are.

What Happens Next

The case now returns to federal district court. Both sides will continue presenting evidence and expert analysis. Plaintiffs will work to prove that Florida’s funding decisions carry the fingerprints of its segregated past. The state will keep arguing its practices are lawful and fair.

Crucially, the appeals court did not rule that Florida discriminated against FAMU. That question remains unanswered. What the court did decide is that the students deserve a fuller examination before anyone shuts the door on their claims. That distinction matters — but so does the momentum.

The Broader Stakes for HBCUs

This case doesn’t just matter to FAMU. It carries implications for public HBCUs across the South and beyond. At its center is a question that many states have quietly avoided answering: Have they actually dismantled the effects of segregated higher education, or have they simply stopped enforcing formal segregation while allowing the inequities to persist?

Maryland faced a version of this question and settled it. In 2021, the state agreed to pay $577 million to its four HBCUs after acknowledging decades of underfunding. That settlement became a benchmark. If Florida’s students ultimately prevail, the ripple effects could pressure other states to take a hard look at their own funding histories.

What This Means for the FAMUly Right Now

For current FAMU students, this ruling is personal. Every dollar the state withheld from FAMU over 30 years is a dollar that didn’t go toward their classrooms, labs, faculty, or support services. The HBCU funding gap isn’t a historical abstraction — it shows up in real time, on real campuses, affecting real students every single day.

The road ahead is still long. Federal litigation moves slowly, and the state will fight back. But after years of procedural setbacks, FAMU students now have what they’ve been asking for: a chance to make their case in full. That chance is worth something.

Howard University Just Scored a $780K Defense Department Grant — Here’s Why It Matters

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Howard University keeps stacking research wins, and the latest one comes straight from the Pentagon.

Dr. Karam Jaradat, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Howard, recently received a $780K Howard University DoD grant from the United States Department of Defense. The one-year award funds his project titled Unraveling the Grain-Scale Mechanism of Soil Thermal Behavior — research that sits at the intersection of national security, climate resilience, and infrastructure engineering.

It’s exactly the kind of high-stakes, federally backed research that HBCUs have long been capable of producing. Now, Howard has the resources to prove it at scale.

What the Research Actually Does

At its core, Jaradat’s work is about understanding how soil responds to extreme temperature changes — specifically freezing and heating — at the microscopic, grain level. That might sound narrow, but the real-world implications are significant.

In arctic and permafrost regions, foundation soils are under constant thermal stress. As those conditions grow more unpredictable due to climate change, engineers need to understand exactly how the ground beneath buildings, roads, and military installations will behave. Currently, this area of research is largely understudied. Existing methods simply don’t capture what happens at the grain level with enough precision.

“Soils are particulate materials, and their response to extreme conditions — such as freezing — starts at the grain level,” Jaradat explained. “Acquiring these advanced research instruments will allow us to study this grain-scale response under such extremes and project it onto the large or macro-scale behavior.”

The Equipment Makes This Possible

The grant doesn’t just fund research time. Crucially, it funds the tools to do the work right.

Jaradat’s lab will acquire three major instruments: a thermomechanical triaxial system, a temperature-controlled atomic force microscope, and a micro-computed tomography scanner. Together, these tools enable real-time, high-resolution analysis of soil behavior under realistic heating and freezing conditions. That kind of data has simply not been possible to capture at this level before.

Moreover, the acquisition of this equipment positions Howard University as a national hub for advanced geomechanics and materials science research. That status matters. It attracts top graduate students, opens doors to future federal partnerships, and strengthens the university’s overall research profile — which is directly tied to its R1 Carnegie Classification standing.

Who Is Dr. Karam Jaradat?

Jaradat joined Howard in spring 2024 and immediately got to work. He founded the Geomaterials Research Laboratory at Howard, which focuses on developing resilient infrastructure solutions for extreme geoenvironmental conditions.

His background is impressive. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Stony Brook University and previously worked with Jacobs Engineering Group and Virginia Tech. He also holds professional engineering licenses in Virginia, West Virginia, and Michigan.

In less than two years at Howard, he has already secured a six-figure federal defense grant. That trajectory says a lot — both about Jaradat and about the kind of faculty Howard is attracting as it grows its research enterprise.

The Bigger Picture for HBCU Research

This grant doesn’t exist in isolation. It arrives at a moment when HBCU research is getting more attention — and more resources — than it has in years. Howard recently became the first and only HBCU to earn R1 Carnegie Classification. It also previously landed a $90 million Air Force contract to establish the first-ever University Affiliated Research Center led by an HBCU.

Jaradat’s $780K award adds to that momentum. Furthermore, it demonstrates that Howard’s research success isn’t limited to one department or one headline. It’s happening across the institution — from defense engineering to civil infrastructure — and it’s building on itself.

For prospective graduate students in engineering, this is exactly the kind of environment worth paying attention to. Real funding, real equipment, and real research problems with national stakes. That combination is hard to find anywhere. At an HBCU, it’s historic.

15 HBCUs Launch a National Research Coalition — and It Could Change Everything

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The HBCU research coalition known as AHRI is here, and Black higher education hasn’t seen a coordinated move like this in a long time.

Fifteen historically Black colleges and universities officially launched the Association of HBCU Research Institutions on April 29, 2026, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The coalition — backed by a $1.05 million grant from the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative — is designed to do something that individual HBCUs have struggled to do alone: compete for, and win, a larger share of the nation’s research dollars.

This isn’t just another partnership announcement. It’s a structural shift in how HBCUs approach research, funding, and national visibility — and the timing couldn’t be more deliberate.

Why the HBCU Research Coalition Matters Right Now

Here’s the number that puts everything in context: HBCUs receive less than 1% of available federal funding for higher education. That’s across roughly 100 institutions, many of which have been producing groundbreaking research for decades — from prostate cancer studies at Texas Southern University to radiation technology innovation at Hampton University — with a fraction of the resources that predominantly white institutions take for granted.

AHRI exists to change that math. By bringing 15 of the most research-active HBCUs under one organizational roof, the coalition can pursue federal grants collectively, build shared infrastructure, and speak with a unified voice in Washington in a way that no single institution could manage on its own.

“Instead of each individual institution advocating for additional funding,” said one AHRI leader, “we now have an organization that can assist us in doing that — as opposed to each of us approaching the same problem alone.”

Who’s In — and What They Bring

The founding members of AHRI are not a random collection of schools. These are institutions that collectively account for 50% of all competitively awarded federal research funding among HBCUs. Howard University — the only HBCU to hold the R1 Carnegie Classification, the highest research designation in the country — anchors the group as its only R1 member. The remaining 14 institutions carry R2 designations and are actively working toward R1 status.

The full roster: Clark Atlanta University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Jackson State University, Morgan State University, NC A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University, South Carolina State University, Southern University, Tennessee State University, Texas Southern University, Virginia State University, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Morgan State President David K. Wilson serves as AHRI board chair. Prairie View A&M President Tomikia LeGrande is vice chair, and Howard’s interim president Wayne A. I. Frederick serves as AHRI’s interim president.

“Together, we cover probably every industry, every sector… There’s power in us, collectively.” — Tomikia LeGrande, AHRI Vice Chair

The R1 Push Is Real — and Some Schools Are Already There

One of AHRI’s most concrete goals is getting more HBCUs to R1 status. To earn that designation, a university must spend at least $50 million annually on research and award at least 70 research doctorates per year. It sounds like a high bar — but several AHRI members are already knocking on the door.

NC A&T already exceeds R1 criteria in both doctoral production and research expenditures. Prairie View A&M crossed the $50 million research expenditure threshold in 2025 and is now focused on expanding its PhD programs in mechanical and electrical engineering. FAMU has framed R1 as a central part of its strategic vision.

Howard University’s R1 achievement — announced roughly a year ago — proved it’s possible. AHRI is built on the belief that it won’t be the last.

Harvard’s Role and What It Signals

The $1.05 million grant from the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative is significant not just for the dollars, but for what it represents. Harvard formally acknowledged its historical ties to the slave trade in 2022 and committed to repairing that legacy through tangible investment. Funding AHRI is one of the most direct expressions of that commitment yet.

Harvard’s Office of Sponsored Programs will also provide hands-on technical assistance — helping AHRI member institutions strengthen their research administration, compliance infrastructure, and grant lifecycle management. That kind of institutional knowledge transfer is arguably as valuable as the grant itself.

Ruth Simmons, senior adviser to the Harvard president on HBCU engagement, put it plainly: “AHRI marks a powerful new chapter in the HBCU research landscape, bringing institutions that have too often worked in isolation into sustained collaboration with one another and with the country’s leading research universities.”

What AHRI Is Building Toward

Beyond the immediate funding goals, AHRI’s leadership is thinking about long-term economic impact — patents, startup spinouts, and jobs that flow from research commercialization. The coalition also plans to serve as a policy voice, bringing HBCU research priorities into national conversations in a more organized and persistent way.

AHRI is co-located with the Association of American Universities in Washington, D.C., which gives it proximity to the federal agencies and policymakers that control the research funding pipeline. That’s not an accident.

For HBCU students and faculty, the practical benefits could include expanded research opportunities, more competitive fellowship pipelines, and stronger pathways into doctoral programs. For the institutions themselves, R1 status brings increased prestige, higher faculty recruitment competitiveness, and access to funding streams that have historically been out of reach.

AHRI is a direct response to a long-standing inequity — and it’s built by the people who understand that inequity most intimately. James Crawford of Texas Southern said it best: “What we bring in research, what has not been widely recognized — this isn’t new. What this does is give us the opportunity to expand that impact.”

The HBCU community has always produced world-class scholars and ideas. AHRI is the infrastructure to make sure the world finally has to pay attention.

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Morgan State Students Win National AI Innovation Challenge With SocialSense AI

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Morgan State AI innovation is getting national recognition after a team of student innovators won first place in the 2026 PROPEL Center Future of Tech Innovation Challenge with an artificial intelligence-powered app designed to help students manage social anxiety and build stronger communication skills.

The winning team, known as Team HAX Lab, represented Morgan State University and earned the $35,000 grand prize for SocialSense AI, a privacy-first app that uses artificial intelligence to analyze social interactions and give users personalized feedback. The app was designed to help college students and others become more confident during real-world conversations.

The students competed against HBCU teams from across the country in a challenge focused on real-world problem solving, emerging technology, and the future of work. For Morgan State, the win adds another major achievement to the university’s growing reputation in artificial intelligence, computer science, and student-led innovation.

Morgan State AI Innovation Wins On A National Stage

Team HAX Lab included four Morgan State students: Osita Odunze, Jaden Reeves, Daniel Onyejiekwe, and Fikewa Akindolire. The students represented Morgan’s Human-AI eXperience Lab, known as HAX Lab, along with the Department of Computer Science and the Center for Equitable Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Systems.

The PROPEL Center Future of Tech Innovation Challenge brought together students from historically Black colleges and universities to develop AI-driven solutions for real-world problems. The challenge attracted more than 1,100 applicants from 89 HBCUs nationwide. Only 70 finalists representing 17 institutions advanced to the national finals.

That level of competition makes Morgan State’s win stand out even more. The students were not just asked to come up with an idea. They had to identify a problem, build an AI-powered solution, create a pitch, and present their work in front of industry leaders and technology professionals.

SocialSense AI stood out because it connects artificial intelligence to a challenge many students quietly deal with: social anxiety. The app was built within the Apple ecosystem and designed to use data from devices such as the iPhone and Apple Watch to assess conversational dynamics, engagement levels, and signs of nervousness.

The goal is not to replace human connection. The goal is to help users better understand how they communicate, track their progress, and grow more comfortable in social settings over time.

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SocialSense AI Puts Privacy At The Center

One of the most important parts of SocialSense AI is its privacy-first design.

For an app dealing with personal communication patterns, emotional cues, and anxiety, privacy cannot be an afterthought. Team HAX Lab built SocialSense AI so sensitive personal data remains stored on the user’s device instead of being sent to the cloud. That feature helped separate the app from many AI tools that collect and process personal data externally.

That matters because the next generation of technology will not just be judged by how powerful it is. It will also be judged by how responsible it is.

Morgan State’s students showed that HBCU innovators are thinking beyond the hype around AI. They are thinking about trust, safety, mental health, and how emerging technology can serve people without exploiting them.

For students, especially those navigating college life, networking, classroom participation, internships, and career development, communication skills can shape opportunity. A tool like SocialSense AI speaks directly to that experience.

HBCU Students Are Building The Future Of Tech

This win also pushes back against the idea that HBCU students are simply trying to enter the tech industry. They are already building solutions that belong in the future of tech.

Programs like the PROPEL Center Future of Tech Innovation Challenge are important because they give HBCU students access to mentorship, applied learning, industry feedback, and national visibility. Students were challenged to work across areas such as education, health innovation, cybersecurity, energy, media technology, and accessibility.

That experience matters in a tech economy where access has not always been equal. Black students and HBCU graduates have the talent, ideas, and cultural insight to help shape artificial intelligence. What they often need is the platform, funding, and industry access to bring those ideas forward.

Morgan State’s win shows what happens when that access meets preparation.

The team’s victory also reflects the university’s broader investment in AI and equitable technology. Through the HAX Lab and CEAMLS, Morgan State students are being trained to think about artificial intelligence in ways that center human experience, fairness, and real community impact.

That is what makes this story bigger than a pitch competition. It is a reminder that HBCUs are not outside the innovation economy. They are central to it.

Morgan State Students Turn Classroom Learning Into Real Impact

For the students on Team HAX Lab, the challenge gave them a chance to turn classroom learning into a working prototype with real-world potential.

Akindolire, an information systems major, said the experience helped confirm her interest in product management. Reeves, a cloud computing graduate, highlighted the value of meeting students and professionals across the innovation space. Onyejiekwe, a computer science graduate, said the challenge helped him turn an idea into a product and pitch it with confidence.

That kind of experience can change a student’s career path. It gives them more than a résumé line. It gives them proof that their ideas can compete nationally, attract investment, and solve meaningful problems.

Morgan State said Odunze, Reeves, and Onyejiekwe graduated during the university’s 149th Spring Commencement in May, while Akindolire is a rising junior. Their win gives current and future Morgan students another example of what is possible when HBCU talent gets the space to create.

A Major Win For Morgan State And HBCU Innovation

The success of Team HAX Lab is a major moment for Morgan State and a strong example of the innovation happening across the HBCU news landscape.

HBCUs have always produced leaders, problem-solvers, and culture-shapers. Now, as artificial intelligence transforms industries, HBCU students are making it clear they deserve to be part of the rooms where the next generation of technology is designed.

SocialSense AI is not just an app. It is a student-built solution that combines mental health awareness, communication development, wearable technology, artificial intelligence, and privacy.

That combination is exactly where the future is headed.

Morgan State’s national win is a reminder that the future of tech should not be built without HBCU voices. In this case, those voices did more than participate. They won.

Former Jackson State Football Player D.D. Bowie Killed In Mississippi Shooting

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Former Jackson State and Ole Miss football player Idarrious “D.D.” Bowie has died after a shooting in Rankin County, Mississippi, leaving the state’s football community and the HBCU world mourning a young life lost too soon.

The 27-year-old former standout was shot Friday evening at a home off Adams Road in Rankin County. He was transported to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries. His death has hit especially hard across Mississippi, where Bowie was known long before college as one of the state’s top high school football talents.

Bowie’s journey took him from Morton High School to Ole Miss, then to Jackson State University, where he became a productive wide receiver for the Tigers during the 2019 season. For many who followed his career, he represented the kind of homegrown talent that made Mississippi football special.

D.D. Bowie Killed In Shooting After Reported Disturbance

WLBT reported that court documents described a verbal argument before the shooting. The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a disturbance that escalated into gunfire in the 100 block of Adams Road.

Five people have been charged in connection with Bowie’s death. Ladarious J. Harrison, 18, and Dominick Sanabria, 19, have been charged with murder. Michael Mitchell, 19, Semiko Crump, 46, and Kaylee D. Trimble, 18, are facing accessory after the fact of murder charges.

The suspects entered not guilty pleas during their initial court appearance. Harrison and Sanabria were denied bond, while Trimble and Mitchell each received $500,000 bond. Crump was also denied bond. The case remains active, and the suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

The sheriff’s office said witnesses reported seeing a small gray vehicle leave the scene after the shooting. Investigators also recovered a firearm as part of the ongoing investigation.

A Mississippi Football Star Before Jackson State

Before Bowie became part of HBCU football, he was already one of Mississippi’s most electric young athletes.

A graduate of Morton High School, Bowie earned U.S. Army All-American honors and was rated as a four-star recruit by multiple recruiting services. His athletic ability made him one of the most talked-about prospects in Mississippi, and his talent eventually led him to Ole Miss.

At Ole Miss, Bowie played defensive back during the 2017 season. He appeared in nine games as a freshman, recording six tackles and one pass breakup. His college career later shifted when he transferred to Jackson State, where he moved to wide receiver and found a new role in the Tigers’ offense.

Bowie’s official Jackson State roster bio shows he played in 10 games during the 2019 season, finishing with 35 receptions for 512 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged more than 14 yards per catch, giving the Tigers a reliable downfield threat.

That season helped make Bowie a familiar name among Jackson State fans and Mississippi football followers. His ability to transition from defensive back in the SEC to a productive receiver at JSU showed the range of his talent and the resilience behind his football journey.

Remembering D.D. Bowie Beyond The Game

While many knew Bowie because of football, his life extended far beyond the field.

His obituary described him as a lifelong resident of Ludlow, Mississippi, a member of Mt. Zion M.B. Church, and a proud graduate of Morton High School’s Class of 2017. It also noted his love for family, football, and basketball.

Bowie is survived by his parents, children, siblings, and extended family. His funeral arrangements include visitation on June 19 at Wolf Funeral Services in Morton and a funeral service on June 20 at Morton United Methodist Church.

For his loved ones, Bowie was not just a former athlete. He was a son, a father, a brother, a teammate, and a friend. That is the part of the story that matters most.

Jackson State And Ole Miss Communities Mourn

Bowie’s death has connected grief across several communities. At Ole Miss, he was once a highly recruited defensive back with major expectations. At Jackson State, he became part of a proud HBCU football program with one of the most passionate fan bases in the country. In Morton and Ludlow, he was a hometown talent whose name carried meaning long before he ever played college football.

Stories like this are painful because they remind people that athletes are often celebrated for their numbers, rankings, and highlights, while their humanity can get lost. Bowie’s football résumé was impressive, but his death is not just a sports story. It is a family tragedy.

His passing also comes at a time when communities across the country continue to wrestle with the impact of gun violence. For the HBCU community, the loss of another young Black man with talent, family, and a future is heartbreaking.

The Case Remains Active

The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing. More information may be released as the legal process moves forward.

For now, the focus remains on Bowie’s family, his children, his former teammates, and the communities that watched him grow from a Mississippi high school star into a college football player.

D.D. Bowie’s life should be remembered with care. He gave fans moments to cheer for, gave teammates someone to line up beside, and gave his family memories that will continue long after the headlines fade.

The HBCU community sends prayers to Bowie’s family, friends, former teammates, and everyone mourning his loss.

FAMU Scores Major Legal Victory In $2 Billion Underfunding Lawsuit

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The FAMU underfunding lawsuit is moving forward after a federal appeals court revived claims alleging that the State of Florida has underfunded Florida A&M University by nearly $2 billion over several decades.

In a major legal victory for current FAMU students, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that a lower court acted too soon when it dismissed the case. The appeals court did not decide whether Florida discriminated against FAMU or whether the state is legally responsible for the alleged funding gap. Instead, the court ruled that the students’ claims were strong enough to survive dismissal and continue through the legal process.

That distinction matters. The case is not over, but FAMU students now have another opportunity to present evidence and push forward a lawsuit that could have national implications for public HBCUs.

The lawsuit, filed by current FAMU students, argues that Florida has failed to fully eliminate the effects of segregation in its public higher education system. The students claim the state has chronically underfunded FAMU when compared to historically white institutions such as the University of Florida and Florida State University.

What The Court Ruled In The FAMU Underfunding Lawsuit

The Eleventh Circuit’s June 9 decision revived claims brought by several FAMU students against the State of Florida, the Florida Board of Governors, and higher education officials. The students brought claims under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark higher education desegregation case, United States v. Fordice.

The court ruled that the students had standing to bring the case and that their claims should not have been dismissed at the motion-to-dismiss stage. In plain English, the appeals court said the students deserved the chance to keep litigating.

The court specifically said the district court credited the state’s version of the facts too early instead of accepting the students’ well-pled allegations as true, which courts are generally required to do at that early stage of a lawsuit.

“Nothing in this opinion reflects any view on the underlying merits of the students’ claims,” the court wrote in its decision. Still, the panel concluded that the students’ claims “should’ve survived” the dismissal stage.

The case now returns to the lower court for further proceedings.

Students Say Florida Has Underfunded FAMU For Decades

At the heart of the FAMU underfunding lawsuit is a long-running argument about whether Florida has treated its only public HBCU fairly.

The students allege that Florida has underfunded and under-resourced FAMU in multiple ways. Their claims include general underfunding, lower per-student allocations, lower faculty salaries, fewer resources for campus facilities and infrastructure, and less support for academic research and student services.

The lawsuit also challenges Florida’s handling of land-grant funding. FAMU and the University of Florida are both land-grant institutions, but the students argue that Florida has not supported FAMU at the same level as UF.

That issue has been part of a much larger national conversation around HBCU funding and the historic underinvestment in 1890 land-grant institutions. A federal analysis previously found that FAMU faced a funding gap of roughly $1.9 billion when compared to the University of Florida over a 30-year period.

For FAMU students, those numbers are not abstract. They connect directly to classrooms, labs, housing, campus facilities, faculty recruitment, technology, research opportunities, and the overall student experience.

Why The Case Matters For FAMU And Public HBCUs

This ruling is bigger than one lawsuit. It speaks to a question HBCU advocates have raised for generations: have states truly repaired the damage caused by decades of legally segregated higher education?

FAMU was founded in 1887 and remains one of the most important public HBCUs in the country. The university has produced generations of leaders, professionals, educators, scientists, journalists, business owners, public servants, and cultural figures. But like many public HBCUs, FAMU has long had to compete while carrying the weight of historic underinvestment.

That is why this case matters to the broader HBCU news community. Funding determines more than budgets. It shapes opportunity. It affects whether a university can build modern facilities, attract top faculty, expand academic programs, support student research, and compete for major grants.

The students’ lawsuit also points to academic program decisions. They argue that Florida has allowed unnecessary duplication of FAMU programs at nearby historically white institutions while limiting FAMU’s ability to offer more unique, high-demand programs.

Those claims go directly to the legacy of segregation in higher education. When public HBCUs are underfunded, under-resourced, or boxed out of high-demand academic programs, students can be left with fewer opportunities than their peers at better-funded institutions.

Florida Has Denied The Underfunding Claims

The State of Florida and higher education officials have pushed back against the allegations. The state has argued that its funding decisions are lawful and that the students have not proven the alleged disparities are tied to Florida’s former system of de jure segregation.

A lower court previously dismissed the lawsuit, finding that the students had not done enough to show that modern funding disparities could be traced to legally enforced segregation. The Eleventh Circuit disagreed with that dismissal, at least at this stage of the case.

That does not mean the students have won the entire lawsuit. It means they have won the right to keep going.

The state will still have opportunities to defend its funding decisions, and the students will still have to prove their claims as the case moves forward.

A Major Moment In The Fight For HBCU Equity

The revival of the FAMU underfunding lawsuit is a significant moment for students, alumni, and HBCU advocates who have argued that public HBCUs are still dealing with the financial consequences of segregation.

For decades, HBCUs have been asked to do more with less. They have educated Black students through exclusion, discrimination, economic barriers, and systemic inequity. They have produced excellence even when the resources did not match the mission.

This lawsuit brings that history into a federal courtroom.

If the students are successful, the case could force Florida to confront how decades of funding decisions have affected FAMU and its students. It could also add momentum to similar conversations across the country, where land-grant HBCUs have pushed states to address long-standing funding disparities.

For now, the victory is procedural but powerful. The students’ claims are alive. The lawsuit is moving forward. And the fight over whether Florida has failed to fully support its only public HBCU is far from over.

Jackson State Student Death Case Ends In Mistrial After Jury Deadlocks

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The Jackson State student death case involving Flynn Brown has ended in a mistrial, leaving his family still fighting for justice more than three years after the 22-year-old student was found dead on campus. Brown, a Jackson State University student from New Jersey, was killed in December 2022, and former JSU student Randall Smith has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with his death.

A judge declared a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict in Smith’s murder trial, WLBT reported. The jury deliberated for a little more than three hours before deadlocking 10-2. While jurors reportedly believed Smith was guilty of a crime, they could not agree on whether the evidence supported first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter.

The outcome does not mean Smith was found guilty or not guilty. A mistrial leaves the case unresolved and gives prosecutors the option to pursue another trial.

Jackson State Student Death Case Leaves Family Without Closure

Brown’s death shook the Jackson State community when he was found dead on campus on Dec. 2, 2022. Early reports from ABC News said Brown had been shot and discovered inside a vehicle in a campus parking lot. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said Smith had been arrested in connection with the case, and campus officials stated at the time that there was no continuing threat to campus.

For Brown’s family, the mistrial was another painful chapter in a case that has already stretched across years. His parents, Michele Hill Brown and Michael Brown, have publicly said they will continue seeking justice for their son.

That grief is difficult to separate from the larger reality of what college is supposed to represent. Families send students to institutions like Jackson State University with the hope that they will be educated, protected, challenged, and supported. For many students, especially those who leave home to attend an HBCU, campus becomes more than a place to study. It becomes a second home.

Brown’s death cut into that sense of safety.

What Happened During The Trial

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence connected to the fatal shooting and Smith’s statements to investigators. WLBT reported that Smith admitted to shooting Brown, while the defense argued the shooting happened during a fight and raised self-defense as part of its case.

Jurors could not agree on the level of criminal responsibility. That distinction matters in a murder trial because first-degree murder generally requires proof of premeditation, while other charges may involve different legal standards. Some jurors reportedly questioned whether prosecutors had proven premeditation beyond a reasonable doubt.

The mistrial now leaves the next step in the hands of prosecutors. They may retry the case, pursue a different legal strategy, or make another decision based on the evidence and court process.

Until then, Brown’s family remains without the final resolution they hoped the trial would bring.

Flynn Brown’s Parents Also Filed A Lawsuit Against Jackson State

The criminal case is not the only legal matter connected to Brown’s death. Brown’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Jackson State University, accusing the school of neglecting his safety after alleged prior incidents involving Brown and Smith.

WAPT reported that the lawsuit claims university staff had been alerted to concerns before Brown was killed. The lawsuit also alleges that JSU failed to act in a way that could have protected Brown.

Those allegations are separate from the criminal trial, but they keep attention on a broader question: what responsibility does a university have when warning signs appear between students living in campus housing?

That question matters far beyond one case. It speaks to campus housing procedures, student conflict reporting, residence life response, emergency communication, and the trust families place in colleges.

Campus Safety Remains A Serious HBCU Conversation

The Jackson State student death case is not just a courtroom story. It is a campus safety story, a family story, and an HBCU community story.

HBCUs carry a unique cultural responsibility. These institutions are often described as family because they provide students with belonging, history, mentorship, and community in ways that extend beyond the classroom. That closeness is part of what makes the HBCU experience powerful. It also makes moments like this especially painful.

When tragedy happens on campus, students want answers. Parents want accountability. Alumni want to know that their alma mater is protecting the next generation. The public wants transparency.

For Jackson State, the case remains a reminder that student safety must be treated as an active responsibility, not just a policy statement. That includes how universities respond to student conflict, how quickly concerns are escalated, and how seriously institutions take complaints before they become emergencies.

This is also why the story matters to the larger HBCU news community. A student’s death on campus should never become just another headline. It should push institutions to review systems, strengthen support, and make sure students and families know where to turn when something feels wrong.

What Comes Next In The Jackson State Student Death Case

Because the trial ended in a mistrial, the case remains open. Smith has not been convicted or acquitted in this proceeding. Prosecutors can seek another trial, and Brown’s family has made it clear they do not plan to stop fighting.

As the legal process continues, Brown should be remembered as more than the victim in a case file. He was a son, a student, and a young man whose future was taken from him.

The Jackson State student death case has already carried years of pain for his family and the JSU community. The mistrial extends that pain, but it does not erase the demand for answers.

For the HBCU community, the responsibility now is to honor Brown’s life with care, follow the facts closely, and keep attention on both justice and campus safety.

Howard University’s Ian Wheeler Wins UFL MVP as Louisville Kings Claim 2026 Championship

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A Howard University alum just became a UFL champion — and he did it on his home turf.

Former Howard University running back Ian Wheeler rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, earning United Bowl MVP honors as the Louisville Kings upset the defending champion DC Defenders 27-20 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. on June 13, 2026. Wheeler’s United Bowl MVP performance joins a historic list that includes Richard Dent of Tennessee State, Doug Williams of Grambling State, and Jerry Rice of Mississippi Valley State — all HBCU alumni who earned MVP honors in a professional football championship game. For the second straight year, an HBCU product was the story of the United Bowl.

A Walk-On Who Never Stopped Believing

Ian Wheeler’s journey to United Bowl MVP is the kind of story HBCU football was built to produce.

Wheeler arrived at Howard as a walk-on with nothing guaranteed. He left as one of the most decorated players in MEAC history — finishing with nearly 2,500 all-purpose yards, returning a school-record three kickoffs for touchdowns, winning two MEAC championships, earning a 3.57 GPA, and landing a spot on the MEAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team. In October 2023, Wheeler was accepted into Howard University’s medical school. He chose football instead.

After the 2024 NFL Draft, Wheeler signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent and scored two touchdowns in his preseason debut. Then a season-ending ACL tear in the final preseason game ended his Bears tenure before it started. Most players never come back from that. Wheeler did.

“This is a great opportunity for me because unfortunately I went through some tough times and didn’t get any rookie minicamp invites or workouts,” Wheeler said after the championship. “I’m just thankful.”

He returned to the scene of his greatest college moments — Audi Field, where he played countless games as a Bison — and delivered the biggest performance of his professional career. His mother was in the stands. It was her birthday. Wheeler made it a night she will never forget.

The Play That Won the Championship

Louisville trailed 16-13 heading into the fourth quarter. On the very first play of the period, Wheeler took a handoff, found open space, and broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run up the middle that gave the Kings a lead they would never surrender. Two plays after a Cameron Dantzler interception on the ensuing DC drive, James Robinson punched in a score to push it to 27-16. A dramatic 60-yard field goal from DC’s Matt McCrane made it 27-20, but the Kings held on as the Defenders’ final drive stalled on a 4th and 5 from the Louisville six-yard line.

Wheeler’s championship performance capped a postseason run for the ages. The week before, he sealed Louisville’s semifinal win over the St. Louis Battlehawks with a 51-yard game-clinching touchdown. Over two playoff games, Wheeler amassed 170 rushing yards and two touchdowns — putting the HBCU pipeline on full display for a national audience.

Shannon Harris: HBCU Coach, Back-to-Back Champion

Wheeler’s MVP night was extraordinary — but the HBCU coaching story at Audi Field belongs to Shannon Harris, a Tennessee State University alumnus who coached the DC Defenders to their second straight United Bowl appearance.

Harris took over as interim head coach just one week before the 2025 UFL season opened. He guided DC to a championship that year, won the Buddy Teevens Coach of the Year Award, and was named permanent head coach heading into 2026. This season, he navigated a 5-5 regular season record and the loss of starting quarterback Jordan Ta’amu to a season-ending knee injury in Week 8 — and still coached the Defenders to the championship game.

Harris is not the only HBCU product on DC’s sideline. Offensive line coach Brian Braswell played at Hampton University before a coaching career spanning the NFL, XFL, and major college football. Quarterbacks coach David Johnson played at Edward Waters University. The DC Defenders’ championship culture has HBCU fingerprints all over it.

HBCU Products. Professional Champions.

The 2026 United Bowl made one thing impossible to ignore. HBCU athletes and coaches do not just belong at the professional level — they win championships there. Wheeler’s United Bowl MVP performance puts him in the same sentence as some of the greatest names in professional football history. And Shannon Harris, now a back-to-back finalist and one-time champion, is one of the most coveted coaching names heading into the 2026 offseason.

“HBCU talent continues to prove we can help teams win at the highest level,” one analyst wrote after the final whistle. “Open your minds, offer contracts, and win.”

The HBCU community already knows what the rest of the sports world is slowly learning — the talent has always been there. The 2026 United Bowl just made that point impossible to argue.

Meet the Spelman Seven — The Most Valedictorians in Spelman College History

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Spelman College just made history — and seven young Black women are at the center of it.

For the first time in the college’s 144-year history, Spelman College named seven co-valedictorians for the Class of 2026. Dubbed the “Spelman Seven” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Alexis Sims, Nia-Sarai Perry, Cori’Anna White, Aiyana Ringo, Alyssa Richardson, Sophia Davis, and Mariama Diallo all graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA. All seven entered Spelman together in the fall of 2022 — and all seven are leaving at the very top of their class. The Spelman Seven valedictorians are not just a record-breaking moment for the college. They are a statement about what Black women accomplish when given the right environment to thrive.

Seven Women. Seven Stories.

Every one of the Spelman Seven brings a different discipline, background, and vision to the historic achievement.

Nia-Sarai Perry, 22, is a philosophy major from Tallahassee who spent her junior year believing she had missed her shot at valedictorian after a single A-minus. She proved herself wrong — and will head into private equity at DLA Piper law firm after graduation. Cori’Anna White, who described being educated as Spelman’s core identity, will attend Columbia Law School in the fall with her sights set on a career as an attorney. Alyssa Richardson, a biochemistry major from Washington D.C., earned a full-ride scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania medical school and will train to become a physician. Aiyana Ringo, a sociology major from New Orleans with seven internships on her résumé, is pursuing a career in criminal-legal reform and will work as a paralegal at the Federal Defenders of the Eastern District of New York. Sophia Davis is pursuing research at the intersection of music, art, and the environment. Alexis Sims aspires to be a lawyer. And Mariama Diallo rounds out a group that collectively represents careers in medicine, law, film, policy, public service, and creative industries.

Together they are headed to some of the most prestigious institutions and organizations in the country — and they are going there as Spelman women with perfect GPAs.

What It Felt Like to Share the Title

One of the most powerful elements of this story is not the achievement itself — it is how these seven women experienced it together.

“I hate doing things alone. So of course, I’m not valedictorian alone,” Perry said. “I love the fact that I don’t have to do this alone.” Davis echoed that sentiment: “It is all of the people that have poured into us. This is all of the forces, all of the love, all of the companionship that has gotten us to this moment.”

Richardson captured the Spelman experience in a single line that quickly spread across social media: “Spelman is like a Black girl Disneyland, where we can come and be ourselves and grow in our excellence and be leaders. To see that reflected in the valedictorians, and being distinguished with my sisters, it’s just amazing.”

Ringo added the broader context that makes this moment land differently in 2026: “It’s very difficult to be valedictorian at Spelman, and seeing seven Black women accomplish that shows our brilliance and our excellence. It makes it more powerful and shows how we can make history.”

Why This Moment Matters Right Now

The Spelman Seven arrived at this milestone during a national moment when diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives — and Black-centered educational institutions themselves — face mounting political pressure and legal challenges. Against that backdrop, seven Black women graduating with perfect GPAs from the nation’s top-ranked HBCU is not just a feel-good story. It is a direct response.

This is not Spelman’s first time producing multiple valedictorians. Last year the college had four, and in 2022 it had five. But seven in a single class — all entering together as freshmen in 2022 and finishing together at the very top — is something the school has never seen before in its 144-year history. Spelman’s Senior Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Mark Lee called it “extraordinary.”

The Spelman Seven leave behind a message for every student walking through those gates next fall: believe in yourself, be patient with yourself, challenge yourself, embrace every moment, and do not give up.

The Legacy Continues

The Class of 2026 commencement took place May 17 at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, with political strategist and MSNBC anchor Symone Sanders Townsend delivering the keynote address and receiving an honorary doctorate of laws. Sanders Townsend — a former senior advisor to President Biden and chief spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris — became just the latest in a long line of trailblazing Black women to grace Spelman’s commencement stage.

The Spelman Seven walked across that stage together. They made Spelman College history together. And they are going out into the world together — seven sisters, seven 4.0s, and a legacy that will be talked about on that campus for generations.

Four Former Alabama State Basketball Players Are Permanently Banned After Throwing a Game for $2,000

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One of the most troubling sports betting scandals in HBCU history just reached its conclusion — and the fallout is permanent.

On June 5, 2026, the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions officially ruled four former Alabama State University men’s basketball players permanently ineligible after finding they agreed to throw a game during the 2024-25 season. The players — Amarr Knox, Shawn Fulcher, Corey Hines, and TJ Madlock — manipulated the outcome of a December 2024 road game against Southern Mississippi in exchange for a total of $2,000 in bribe payments. The Alabama State sports betting scandal is now one of the most high-profile integrity cases in college basketball history — and it carries consequences that will follow these young men for the rest of their careers.

What Happened in December 2024

On December 5, 2024, Alabama State traveled to Hattiesburg to face Southern Mississippi. Southern Miss was favored by six points. Before the game, Fulcher connected his teammates with a bettor through a group chat, arranging for the Hornets to underperform and ensure Southern Mississippi covered the spread.

The game played out exactly as arranged. Alabama State led by three at halftime — causing the bettor to send anxious text messages to the players — but the Hornets were outscored 51-31 in the second half and lost 81-64. Southern Mississippi covered. The bettor collected.

The four players split $2,000. Fulcher and TJ Madlock each received $700. Hines and Knox each received $300.

What makes the story even more jarring is the context. TJ Madlock is the son of former Alabama State head coach Tony Madlock — who is not accused of any wrongdoing and has since taken the head coaching job at Memphis. And Amarr Knox, one of the four players named, is the same guard whose buzzer-beating layup gave Alabama State its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory just months later in March 2025. The same player who made history for his program had already agreed to throw a game for pocket change.

Federal Charges and a Multi-Year Investigation

The case did not stay inside the NCAA’s walls. In January 2026, Fulcher and Hines were indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on multiple federal charges — including bribery in sports wagering contests, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Two bettors connected to the scheme were also indicted on January 14, 2026.

The investigation began in July 2025, when Temple University — where Hines had transferred — notified NCAA enforcement staff that Hines had been contacted by the FBI and shown text messages related to a sports integrity issue during his time at Alabama State. That notification unraveled the full picture.

Of the four players, only Knox agreed to his violations during the NCAA investigation. Fulcher and Hines denied the charges. Madlock declined to be interviewed entirely.

Alabama State released a statement distancing the institution from the violations and reaffirming its commitment to compliance. The school emphasized that the players are no longer part of the program and that the university itself is not a party to the case.

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The Bigger Picture for HBCU Athletics

This case does not exist in isolation. The Alabama State scandal is part of a broader wave of sports betting integrity cases hitting college basketball programs across the country. Mississippi Valley State and multiple Power Five programs have also faced similar allegations tied to the explosion of legalized sports betting following the Supreme Court’s 2018 Murphy v. NCAA decision.

But for HBCU athletics, the stakes of this story carry a specific weight. Programs like Alabama State operate with smaller budgets, less institutional infrastructure, and athletes who often come from communities where financial pressure is real and constant. That context does not excuse what happened — four players agreed to corrupt a game and betray their teammates, their school, and their fans. But it does demand an honest conversation about the predatory nature of sports betting operators who specifically target college athletes.

Four young men threw away their careers for a combined $2,000. The sports betting industry that made that transaction possible continues to operate freely and lucratively. That imbalance deserves more attention than it gets.

What Comes Next

All four players are permanently ineligible and can only be reinstated with the direct assistance of an NCAA institution — an unlikely path given the circumstances. Fulcher and Hines still face federal criminal charges. The legal process will play out separately from the NCAA ruling.

For Alabama State, the program moves forward under new leadership — former head coach Tony Madlock has moved on to Memphis, and the Hornets are rebuilding. The school’s statement made clear that it views this chapter as closed on the institutional level. But the players whose names are attached to this decision will carry it with them long after the headlines fade.

Lil Baby Just Paid Off a Spelman Graduate’s Student Loans — Four Years After She Slid in His DMs

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A Spelman College graduate just went viral for the best reason — and Lil Baby deserves every bit of the praise coming his way.

Janay Lesley, also known as Nay Speaks, is a first-generation college graduate, aspiring rapper, and sickle cell disease advocate who recently revealed that Atlanta rap superstar Lil Baby paid off her student loan balance of $24,074.97 in full. The moment sent the internet into a frenzy — but what made the story truly special was the timeline behind it. Lesley first sent Lil Baby a direct message asking for help on April 8, 2022 — when she was barely a freshman at Spelman College. Four years later, just after she walked across the stage at graduation, the loans disappeared.

She Shot Her Shot as a Freshman and Never Forgot About It

Lesley’s story starts the way a lot of great HBCU stories do — with someone betting on herself when nobody else was watching.

In the spring of 2022, Lesley was a brand-new Spelman student navigating the financial realities of college life. She reached out to Lil Baby directly and asked if he could help with her tuition. It was a long shot — she knew that. But she sent the message anyway.

Years passed. She stayed focused. She built her music career, earned her degree, advocated for sickle cell awareness, and grew her Instagram following to over 105,000. Then, just after graduation, her mother called with unexpected news. An email had arrived about Lesley’s loans. They had been paid off in full. Every dollar.

“I was a graduating senior at Spelman College. I am now a Spelman alumna. Chat, we made it across the stage,” Lesley said in a video that quickly spread across social media. “My largest loan was exactly $24,074.97. My mom calls me today and says, ‘Nae, I got an email about your loans. It says that they were paid off in full.’ The loans are paid, chat.”

A Message About Faith, Persistence, and Taking Your Shot

What turned this story from heartwarming to viral was the way Lesley framed it — not just as a lucky break, but as proof of something bigger.

“I just want to emphasize that prayer, manifestation, delusion, all of these things hold power,” she said. “I DM’d Lil Baby April 8th of 2022. It is 2026. I have got my degree. And here comes Lil Baby to pay off my loans.”

She closed with a message aimed directly at other students who might be sitting on an idea, a dream, or a request they are too afraid to send. “Don’t let anybody tell you nothing about the things that you believe and that you know are possible. Anything is possible. Every shot you don’t take, you miss. So take every shot.”

That message landed. The clip spread across platforms almost immediately, drawing praise for both Lesley’s persistence and Lil Baby’s quiet generosity.

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Why This Story Hits Different for the HBCU Community

Student loan debt is one of the most significant barriers facing HBCU graduates. Research consistently shows that Black college graduates carry higher levels of student loan debt than their peers at predominantly white institutions — a gap driven by decades of underfunding, less access to institutional scholarships, and fewer family financial resources to draw from.

Against that backdrop, Lesley’s story is more than a feel-good moment. It is a reminder of the very real financial weight that Spelman College students and HBCU graduates across the country carry after commencement. It is also a reminder that community, generosity, and connection — even an unexpected DM answered four years late — can change someone’s life.

Lil Baby, an Atlanta native who has been vocal about wanting to give back to his city and community, did not make a public announcement about the gesture. Lesley shared it herself. The quiet nature of the act made it hit even harder for people watching online.

Janay Lesley Is Just Getting Started

With her loans cleared and her degree in hand, Lesley is moving forward with her music career and her advocacy work around sickle cell disease — a condition that disproportionately affects Black Americans and remains underfunded and underrepresented in public health conversations.

She came to Spelman as a Boston hip-hop prodigy with a Boston Music Award already on her résumé. She is leaving as a first-generation graduate with a story that has inspired thousands of students across the country to keep believing in what they know is possible.