In response to coronavirus, Central State University has canceled all athletic competition for the spring. The black college also announced that all spring athletic related events including, but not limited to, practices and spring football exhibitions will be suspended until further notice.
The decision was made in conjunction with protocols put in place by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) as well as recommendations from public health officials, according to a media report.
“In collaborative efforts with the NCAA and SIAC, Central State University has decided to cancel all spring athletic competition while suspending practices and team activities until further notice. Our decision is in the best interest of the safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, fans and the community,” Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tara A. Owens said. “As organizations around the world continue to adapt and work together to neutralize the spread of COVID-19, we remain attentive to this situation and will continue to evaluate if additional actions need to be taken.”
CSU officials said that they have been in talks with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), NCAA, and SIAC as well as all of Ohio’s public universities and colleges while the disease takes center stage around the world.
You can visit MarauderSports.com and follow official social media pages for additional information.
The hotties — the nickname given to Texas Southern student Megan Thee Stallion’s fans — are definitely a force to be reckoned with. If Meg tells them to jump, they will most likely jump and then some, supporting her at any cost, streaming her music, and expressing their love for her.
The 20 million-plus people who streamed her latest project, “Suga” on Spotify since its release earlier this month is just the beginning, if the Megan Thee Stallion hate train doesn’t step in. And even if they did have something to say about the way she’s handling her business, and in particular, her 2.7 GPA at the black college, it may well fall on deaf ears. Some people reacted negatively to it, questioning if she will be able to graduate and calling her dumb.
Okay, let me explain this in layman’s terms. Meg is a B student or average. But she can tour the world and still make line for a Divine Nine organization, which should be an inspiration for a lot of people. Some of those who are angry with her GPA probably don’t attend a community college or are at home not doing anything with their life, and can’t relate.
We may look back on Meg if and when she gets her degree as a bright spot for many rappers who don’t necessarily want to pursue higher education; and former HBCU students like me would love her no less.
Just as important as pursuing higher education — if not more important — is supporting each other and giving back to the community. Those who are mad and try to knock down Meg because of her GPA are not only nuts, they’re also jealous of her success.
President Donald Trump recently announced that he has waived interest on all student loans as the novel coronavirus takes center stage around the world.
On the same day he blamed the former administration for the slow response to the disease, saying that changes Obama made “only complicated things further.”
Trump has been in office for over three and a half years.
President Donald Trump announced that he will waive interest on all federal student loans in response to the coronavirus.
“I am announcing the following emergency actions today: to help our students and their families, I’ve waived interest on all student loans held by federal government agencies and that will be until further notice,” he stated during a press conference.
Former Federal Student Aid COO A. Wayne Johnson opened up about this move, stating that waiving interest, “basically does nothing to improve personal cash flows.”
According to him, his “specific recommendation to the President and the Congress… is that this is the moment to go ahead and effect cancellation of up to $50,000 of debt,” Yahoo Finance states.
Democratic lawmakers are also working on having a bill introduced that proposes allow students to withdraw from college during this time, and not be forced to repay their loans from this semester.
Aspiring educators listen up! TMCF’s Teacher Quality and Retention Program (TQRP) is looking for you. Become a Fellow and inspire the next generation to change and inspire the world!
Future entrepreneurs and project builders the Pitch 2020 is the place for YOU!
The Pitch 2020 is an excellent opportunity for students to learn, engage in hands-on exercises, and develop the three C’s of an Entrepreneurial Mindset: Curiosity, Connections, and Creating value. Develop and pitch solutions for business, social, or educational problems to an expert panel of judges.
The coronavirus outbreak is, of course, impacting historically black colleges and universities.
Public schools and universities across the nation are adjusting their schedules. While some schools have opted to keep their normal schedules until after spring break this month, several HBCUs have already taken some precautions against spreading the virus.
On Tuesday, Morgan State University in Baltimore became one of the first universities to cancel classes for the rest of the week and announced it would move to online classes following spring break and a two-week period afterward. Dorms will remain open during spring break. Bowie State University, in Bowie, Maryland, canceled classes Thursday and Friday and plans to transition to online classes following spring break next week until April 6. Students from Bowie were told not to plan to return to campus before April 6.
“Everyone – faculty, staff and administration – is pulling together to support our learning environment in a manner that will support the effort of our county, state and government at large. These are tough times, but we, as a society, will get through it,” said Bowie State vice president of athletics and recreation Clyde Doughty Jr.
Hampton University informed staff and students on Thursday that it was canceling in-person classes starting Friday, with remote instruction continuing until another assessment of student safety is made. Hampton is also requiring all, except international students, to leave campus by Sunday.
Howard University sent an email to students Wednesday addressing campus closures and travel precautions. It said classes would continue through Friday, which is the start of spring break for the university. Classes will be held online until April 6, when another assessment will be made regarding campus safety.
The Washington area, where Howard, Bowie State and Morgan State are located, had eight confirmed cases as of Thursday. Hampton, in the Tidewater area of Virginia, is in the vicinity of two cases among the 15 reported confirmed cases in the state.
“Although the university took a little long to announce transitioning online, I think they are doing a good job in keeping students in mind. Many other universities have completely closed campus, leaving students with nowhere to go. Howard keeping campus open allows students who can’t afford or are not able to leave a sense of security,” said Josyana Joshua, a senior journalism major from Westchester, New York.
In its email, Howard’s administration said it would be leaving dorms open and adjusting hours at libraries and student centers to accommodate students.
“The dormitories are going to remain open particularly for students for whom it would be financially difficult to travel back and forth and obviously for international students. We will also be going to continue to provide meal service with Sodexo, it’s just going to be a little bit modified,” said Howard provost Anthony K. Wutoh.
On Tuesday, Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania, announced it will cancel in-person classes for the rest of the semester. In another email on Thursday, Lincoln president Brenda A. Allen asked students to leave campus by Sunday at 6 p.m. Pennsylvania had 16 confirmed cases when the second announcement was made.
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference joined more than 15 conferences Thursday in canceling the remaining games in the men’s and women’s basketball tournament in Norfolk, Virginia. The league also is suspending all sports through the end of spring 2020. The Southwestern Athletic Conference canceled its basketball tournament in Birmingham, Alabama, and suspended regular-season competition for all sports until March 31.
Nathaniel is a 2019 Rhoden Fellow and a senior journalism major and history minor from Evanston, Illinois. He has written both sports and news for The Hilltop and the Ghanaian Times. Having grown up a die-hard sports fan of everything Chicago, he is a firm believer that the Bears will be in Super Bowl contention this year.
Miami Beach Police were called in response to an apparent drug overdose of a man in a hotel where Andrew Gillum, a graduate of Florida A&M University, was found, according to a police report.
He was “inebriated” and “unable to communicate with officers” at the time, the report said. Meth was also recovered. But Gillum claims that he has never used the drug before.
He works for CNN as a political commentator since January 2019. In addition, he ran unsuccessfully for the governor of Florida in 2018, losing a close race to Republican Ron DeSantis.
Former Florida Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum is named in a police report Friday saying he was “inebriated” and initially unresponsive in a hotel room where authorities found baggies of suspected crystal methamphetamine.
Gillum, the former Tallahassee mayor who ran for governor in 2018, is not charged with any crime. The Miami Beach police report says Gillum was allowed to leave the hotel for home after he was checked out medically.
Gillum, 40, said in a statement that he was in Miami Beach for a wedding and did not use illegal drugs.
“While I had too much to drink, I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines,” Gillum said. “I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused for our movement.”
According to police, fire rescue crews were called to the Miami Beach hotel around 1 a.m. Friday regarding a suspected drug overdose. Police say Gillum and two other men were in the hotel room.
“Mr. Gillum was unable to communicate due to his inebriated state,” the police report says.
Police say one of the men came into the hotel room and found Gillum and Travis Dyson, 30, apparently under the influence of an “unknown substance.” Officials began chest compressions on Dyson and he was taken to a local hospital, where authorities say he is in stable condition.
Gillum, meanwhile, had stable medical signs when authorities returned for a welfare check and was allowed to leave the hotel for home, the police report says.
Gillum was the first black nominee in a major political party to run for governor in Florida. He lost narrowly to Republican Ron DeSantis in the 2018 election.
On March 3, the United Negro College Fund(UNCF) held their second annual State of the HBCU Address. Attendees gathered at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. as the UNCF informed the community of Congress’ involvement in improving Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), per their suggestions, and how the House can continue to support HBCUs henceforward. UNCF also honored members of Congress who participated in authoring legislation, writing Congressional letters, making speeches and joining the bi-partisan HBCU Caucus, amongst other activities involved with the support of The Future Act.
The Future Act, which was approved by the House with a vote of 319-96 and unanimously consented by the Senate on December 10, 2019, will now create an annually permanent $85 million investment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at HBCUs.
UNCF President Dr. Michael Lomax at the second annual UNCF State of the HBCU Address on March 3. (Photo by Lucas Ballard)
UNCF asserted HBCUs’ effect on the country. “Because of their legacies and continued powerful combined impact, HBCUs serve a vital purpose in American academia and the United States economy,” the organization said in a statement.
UNCF’s President Dr. Michael L. Lomax was responsible for delivering the official address. Though, thankful for the cooperation and passage of The Future Act, Lomax spoke in depth about the lack of funding HBCUs still face.
“It’s my hope that a year from now when we meet again, we will have taken a giant stride to end the HBCU paradox and secure the transformational support that HBCUs have longed deserved and long gone without,” Lomax said. “On one hand, we know that HBCUs are among the few institutions in America that enjoy consistent bipartisan support. The gamut of American society hails HBCUs and the role they have played in the history of our nation. But despite all of that bipartisan support, HBCUs have always been woefully underfunded throughout their nearly two centuries of history. And in 2020, we are still badly underfunded despite the very real victories we won in Congress last year.”
The panel at the second annual UNCF State of the HBCU Address on March 3 at the Marriott Wardman Park in Northwest, D.C. (Photo by Lucas Ballard)
Along with The Future Act, “UNCF has led efforts to increase annual funding for HBCUs via multiple programs approved by Congress. UNCF also secured a deferment of federal loan payments made by institutions through the Department of Educations’ HBCU Capital Financing Program,” according to a statement from UNCF.
A panel discussion featuring leaders in minority education was held following the address. Panelists included: Dr. Antonio Flores, president of the Hispanic Association of College and Universities (HACU); Dr. Harry Williams, president of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund; (TMCF) a representative for Dr. Lezli Baskerville, president, National Association For Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO); Carrie Billy, president of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC); and Rita Pin Ahrens, executive director; OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates.
The panel focused on varying ways HBCUs can work in cohesion and make progress in moving other relevant legislation forward.
Billy mentioned the turmoil, stress and cruel prolonged treatment that most minorities have faced in the United States. “I hope that our work that we’re doing here today, and together in the future, will honor [our ancestors’] legacies and they’re wildest dreams,” Billy said enthusiastically.
Wanting to build a space for current and former Central State University students to connect with each other, an alumnus created a Facebook group last week with great things in mind. The idea was an instant success.
A couple of hundreds of people joined in “Hire a Marauder Network,” posting on things like job opportunities, mentorship proposals, networking events and more.
“I felt there was a need to connect current CSU students with as many alumni as possible,” the creator of the Facebook group, Dr. Virgil Goodwine told HBCU Buzz. He goes by the name Virgil Goodwine II on the social media site.
Today, approximately 1,774 Marauders have become members of the group and users are very active in it, helping each other succeed and making better happen.
The CSU alumni base is huge, and much larger than what most people realize. With so many across the country, Goodwine said he considered viewing social networking, and in particular Facebook from a job or career networking lens.
“I felt it would be an efficient way to connect current students with alumni with a specific focus on career development and employment opportunities.”
The Black College Experience
Goodwine said that one of the most important things he learned during his undergraduate years at CSU was the “make it happen” and “figure it out” mindset. He added that his time at CSU was at a time where the culture of the school was rebuilding, trying to get back on track.
“We did not have a football team, our band was between 27-80 members (my freshman year was exactly 30 members), class sizes ranged between 5-20, and often the progress wasn’t always seen clearly by everyone,” he said.
Dr. Virgil Goodwine pictured.
But even with that being said, there were many positives that came about because of his experience.
Goodwine said that every student just about knew each other, friendships and families were created, connections with professors were very strong, and the university started to grow with the addition of Foundation Hall I and II dormitories on the yard.
During this time, Goodwine and his colleagues often shared books to get through courses — not everyone could afford books — food (given that they only had one cafeteria), rides to Fulmer’s Market (since there was no Walmart or Speedway for them), and they just appreciated figuring things out.
He said that he is a proud alumnus of CSU as a result of his HBCU experience, noting that his struggles as a student only strengthened his character.
According to Goodwine, a good portion of his Ph.D. was built on the lessons he learned at CSU.
Social Media As A Means Of Communication
Of the group’s opportunities for mentoring and mentee relationships to flourish between current CSU students and alumni, Goodwine said that utilizing things like social media can have a great influence on an individual’s educational and professional development.
He said that his dissertation was centered on persistence and retention in HBCUs, adding that he’s “mindful of the positive results teacher-to-student mentoring and peer-to-peer mentoring relationships have on academic and career success.”
Social network platforms are deemed as a non-traditional model to seek out mentors in your field of study. But obviously, when used effectively, it can be a catalyst for starting and maintaining positive mentoring relationships.
“Any current student or alumni looking for job/career, networking, or mentor/mentee opportunities, the “Hire A Marauder” network is for you!” Goodwine said.
Howard University has revealed the in-depth actions they plan to take in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus, which as of Wednesday was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, according to The New York Times.
The Howard University Student Association shared a press release devised by the HBCU’s Executive President Taylor Ellison and the university’s president Dr. Wayne Frederick. “As of March 23 Howard will transition to online classes,” the release stated. “The university is not forcing students to return home at this time.”
Students were also discouraged from international travel.
“Above all else, our main priority is ensuring the University has a plan in place to support students facing financial and geographical obstacles that inhibit their ability to make safe decisions,” the release added.
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, many schools in heavily hit areas are already shutting down in-person classes and events. In New York state alone, schools like New York University, Syracuse University and Columbia University have suspended in-person classes in favor of classes held remotely, according to Business Insider. According to the Center for Disease Control, New York is one of the hardest states hit so far with over 100 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday. With predominately white institutions taking such precautions, it brings to question how historically Black colleges and institutions (HBCUs) are managing the fast growing disease.
As of now, the states hit hardest by the coronavirus — New York, California and Washington state — don’t have a huge concentration of HBCUs. However, the HBCUs that are present in those states are continuing to track the situation. For example, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Willowbrook, California hasn’t canceled classes, but they continue to keep students informed about safety precautions and future events. In a Friday letter, President David M. Carlisle told students, “One decision we have already made, in order to take a responsible leadership position on this issue, is to cancel this year’s Spring Gala. We feel this is a small sacrifice for the greater public health good. There will be additional communications on this topic as the situation proceeds.”
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 30: People gather outside the Mordecai Wyatt Johnson Building during a sit-in at Howard University in Washington, DC on March 30, 2018. The students posted a list of demands on the building and hope to meet with administrators to discuss issues. (Photo by Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Certain cities across the country have witnessed various cases of the coronavirus including Houston, Texas which has reported at least 12 cases, according to the Houston Chronicle. While places like Rice University have canceled in-person classes, the HBCU Texas Southern University continues to hold classes and is tracking the situation.
“You may be aware that Rice University, which does have a faculty member who contracted COVID-19, cancelled classes for this week,” TSU said in a Monday announcement on their site. “At this time, we do not feel this action is necessary at TSU. Please rest assured that we are prepared to take whatever action(s) necessary to keep our community safe.” They then provided the usual CDC suggestions of washing your hands, staying home if you’re sick and more.
In Wake County, North Carolina, at least five people tested positive for the coronavirus, according to ABC 11. Neither Shaw University nor Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina have canceled classes. They have posted the CDC’s precautions on their site and said their closely tracking the situation. Saint Augustine’s added:
“SAU has extensive plans in place for handling communicable diseases of concern. Since coronavirus is acting similar to contagious respiratory illnesses, the plans call for increased communications, making sure supplies are stocked if they are needed, and coordination between the university and local and state authorities.”
Coronavirus cases have also risen in Virginia to nine, including two residents in Virginia Beach. Neither Hampton University nor Norfolk State University have announced plans to cancel in-person classes, although both institutions gave the CDC precautions on their site and Norfolk even created a fun video on how to stay healthy during this season.
Along with listing precautionary measures, some universities — such as Howard University in Washington, D.C. — have also suspended all international travel for school. In a statement on their site, Howard explained, “On March 8, Howard University announced the suspension of all University-supported, non-essential international travel for students, faculty, and staff. This includes future group trips, spring break programs and individual travel. It also includes requests for approval of future international travel and remains in place until further notice.”
Clearly, universities across the country are handling the coronavirus in their own way, although most have kept correspondence with their students and listed important information on their site. As the virus continues to spread across the globe, institutions of higher learning will hopefully continue to keep their students and staff updated and safe.
The HBCU Band Scholarship Recruitment Fair comes to the campus of Florida Memorial University on Saturday, March 14, 2020. organized by Dr. Julian E. White, former band director at Florida A&M University.
Auditions will be held on the campus of Florida Memorial University Saturday, March 14.
Talented high school juniors and seniors who are music students from South Florida are invited to audition for an opportunity to earn music scholarships at this event and gain admission to some of the most prestigious historically Black colleges and universities in the country.
Registration is now open and auditions begin at 9 a.m. in the Wellness Room on the campus of Florida Memorial University located at 15800 NW 42nd Ave., Miami Gardens, FL 33054. Students may register online at Eventbrite.com / HBCU Band Scholarship Recruitment Fair.
The goal of this recruitment fair is to match talented young musicians with college recruits who may be able to assist with college admission or award scholarships.
“We want to give students every opportunity to further their education,” said Dr. White.
“Students will be able to showcase what they have learned from all of the years of study and practice and know that all of their hard work has been worthwhile. We hope that their success is inspiration for future students to strive for artistic excellence in performing on their instrument.”
Alabama State University alum Lil Yachty channels fellow HBCU alum, Oprah Winfrey in a hilarious new video featuring Drake and DaBaby.
“Oprah’s Bank Account” stars Yachty as a convincing Oprah while he brings on Drake and DaBaby to discuss their lives as mainstream rap artists in today’s growing Hip-Hop scene.
The track is scheduled to appear in the black college alum’s anticipated album “Lil Boat 3” and will drop later this spring.
“Oprah’s Bank Account” was written by Lil Yachty and produced by EarlOnTheBeat, while the video was directed by Director X. Yachty also came up with the concept and penned the skits for the hilarious clip, which was filmed in both Toronto and Atlanta.
In the video we see Drake welcomed as a special guest on Lil Yachty’s The Boprah Show, where Yachty channels his inner Oprah, complete with a wig and high heels. Drake and Boprah delve into his “LSC,” or light-skinned capability, before discussing the new generation of rappers. He cheekily reveals that he “loves all the little ditties, all the little jingles that the kids are doing,” and praises Lil Yachty for being at “the forefront of that movement of music that should be forgotten about.”
Elsewhere in the visual, collaborator DaBaby appears to explain the art of making an album sound like one complete song. “Make every damn song like an ongoing song – you never have to make another song again,” he insists.
North Carolina A&T graduated Rev. Jesse Jackson just endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for president in an attempt to get black people to vote for the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist.
Rev. Jesse Jackson is a hero of mine. It's one of the honors of my life to have his support. Together, we will build the nation based on justice we know we can become. pic.twitter.com/xnIsmOeQcq
“I stand with Bernie Sanders today because he stood by me,” Jackson said during one of Bernie’s campaign rallies. “I stand with him because he never lost his taste on justice for the people.”
“I stand with him because he stands with you,” he said.
Sanders gushed about the endorsement, reminding the crowd that Jackson worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who had graduated from Morehouse College, and helped lead the fight against segregation in the South.
“What he did was the first major African American candidate in the history of this country was to put together a coalition which he named the Rainbow Coalition,” Sanders said.
He continued, “He came to Vermont, I’m proud we supported him back then. He won Vermont and a number of other states, including Michigan!”
Sanders last week won the vote in California 33.5% of the vote to Biden’s 24.8%.
Megan Thee Stallion just released her album, and although she’s been getting rave reviews, its a line from one of her songs that has everybody talking. She is now getting dragged online for having a 2.7 GPA at Texas Southern University! Over the last 24 hours, the topic has been trending, and several people are telling her to do better.
Here’s the full story.
Megan Thee Stallion’s album, Suga, was released yesterday, and despite the great reviews, some people found the time and energy to drag Megan, because of some of the lyrics in one of her songs. In that one song, she revealed that she current;y has a 2.7 grade point average.
For those who don’t know, a 2.7 GPA is equivalent to a C+ or a B-, depending on the school you attend.
Megan is currently attending Texas Southern University, where she majors in health administration. She is in her third year, and she’ll have a lot of hard work to do if she’s going to pull those grades up. But with Megan’s busy schedule, she rarely has the time to attend class in person.
We’ve later learned that she’s been doing her homework and taking all her tests online.
Although Megan seems to be happy with her grade, several of her fans didn’t think that it was something to be proud of. One person wrote, “I know Meg didn’t say she had a 2.7 GPA.” Another person wrote, “Meg thee Stallion just said she got a 2.7 GPA. Girl, is they gon let you even graduate?”
Some people went as far as calling Megan slow, but some of her other fans quickly came to her defense. One of her defenders wrote, “C’mon, could you perform at multiple shows, release tracks, film music videos, and be a full-time college student at the same time?”
Which side of the fence are you on?
This story originally appeared on Popular Superstar.
HBCU family, here’s to all the football players at the historically black colleges and universities who have been invited to participate in the NFL HBCU Combine on March 28!
The Instagram account Sporcasso has released a list of the players.
Vice President Mike Pence’s recent visit to Hampton University’s Proton Therapy Institute drew virtually no national media attention, but it should have.
Sure, it offered no political drama. Such visits appear routine. Yet this visit highlighted an important initiative that has been largely overlooked: ensuring the continued success of our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) at a time when declining enrollment and financial struggles threaten their existence.
For more than a century, HBCUs have played an essential role in America’s higher education system. They provided an education for black Americans at a time when they were excluded from segregated universities. Even after desegregation, students who daily endured hostilities and humiliations in desegregated schools found acceptance at HBCUs. They met professors and administrators who cared about them, who knew the struggles they faced, and who were deeply invested in their success.
In the post-slavery era, abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass stressed the importance of education for every black person, declaring that education was another form of emancipation for newly freed blacks — emancipation from a life of ignorance. Education also meant emancipation from a life of poverty, as students learned the skills they needed to get good jobs, be truly independent and earn a living for themselves and their families. Douglass’ words apply today just as they did more than 130 years ago.
Hampton’s Proton Therapy Institute is just one example. It’s one of the largest proton therapy centers in the world and is producing new scientific discoveries and innovations. Proton therapy has changed the way we treat a variety of cancers by delivering doses of highly targeted radiation to tumors while sparing surrounding healthy tissue.
This kind of innovation isn’t surprising. Students at HBCUs represent just one-tenth of one percent of all college students in America, yet these schools produce 22% of all science, technology, engineering and math bachelor’s degrees earned by black American students. These are the kinds of degrees that bring us such incredible advances like proton therapy.
Despite this, financial struggles have been a constant problem for many of the nation’s 100-plus HBCUs, so the Trump administration has been taking steps to ease the burden and enable these schools to stay focused on their core mission.
Early in his presidency, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to create a White House initiative to promote excellence and innovation at HBCUs. Then in 2018, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos canceled the repayment of more than $300 million in federal relief loans that four HBCUs took out in 2005 in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. More recently, Trump signed the bipartisan FUTURE Act to provide more than $250 million a year for 10 years to HBCUs.
This isn’t just good news for HBCUs, this is good news for America. With the administration highlighting the accomplishments of HBCUs through visits such as Pence’s to Hampton, the American people can better appreciate the kind of return they’re getting on their investment and can begin to see how these institutions are not only creating brighter futures for minority students, but for the entire nation.
Kay C. James, a graduate of Hampton University, is president of The Heritage Foundation. Dr. Harry L. Williams is president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul’s CP Family Foundation is dedicated to leveling the playing for students of color in the sports and entertainment industries.
In a just-announced partnership, Paul, Live Nation Urban and the foundation will begin a summer internship program at North Carolina A&T’s College of Business and Economics (COBE) tied to a business of sports and entertainment class.
“Access through education helps level the playing field and true leadership comes from knowledge,” said Paul. “I’m looking forward to expanding the partnership with A&T and Live Nation Urban and seeing the future results of our efforts.”
According to the foundation, the internship has been in discussion since December.
“The conversation started back in December with Live Nation Urban to bring resources to the table to enhance the class in some way,” said Carmen Wilson, project manager at the CP Family Foundation.
The internship will expose students to aspects of the live music industry that they may not get otherwise. They will be learning marketing, sales, promotion, staging, booking and logistics.
They are to work on the fulfillment of building out live concerts and events throughout the summer with Live Nation either in Washington, Los Angeles and North Carolina.
“We are excited to partner with Chris Paul and North Carolina A&T to offer this great opportunity to their students,” said Gee, president of Live Nation Urban. “One of my goals for Live Nation Urban has always been to introduce young African American future executives to the live music industry. We are disproportionately underrepresented in this space, and it will take programs like these and partners like Chris and N.C. A&T to help change that narrative.”
