UNCF State Of The HBCU Address

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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. 

This story originally appeared on Afro.com.

Central State Grad’s Facebook Group Is A Place For Students, Alums To Find Job Opportunities — And More

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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. 

Coronavirus And HBCUs: How Black Colleges Are Reacting To COVID-19

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UPDATE: 2:39 p.m. ET, March 11 –

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.

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Original story:

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.

This story originally appeared on News One.

Florida Memorial University Hosts HBCU Band Scholarship Auditions

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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.”

Read more here.

HBCU Alum Lil Yachty Channels Oprah In New Video Featuring Drake & DaBaby

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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.

From Highsnobiety:

“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.

You can watch the entire video below.

HBCU Grad Jesse Jackson Endorses Bernie Sanders For President

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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.

“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 Getting Dragged Online For Having 2.7 GPA At Texas Southern University

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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.

NFL HBCU Combine List Has Been Released

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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.

See the entire list below:

Kay C. James & Harry L. Williams: Commitment To HBCU Serves America

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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.

This post originally appeared on Daily Press.

NCA&T Internship Is The Result Of Thunder Guard Chris Paul’s Passion For HBCU Students

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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.”

A New President Wants To Make Delaware State University The Most Diverse HBCU In America

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Delaware State University is starting the new decade with a new president, and in his own words, he and his team are focused on making their institution “the most diverse, contemporary Historically Black College and University [HBCU] in the nation.” 

Tony Allen was named Delaware State’s 12th president on January 1, 2020, succeeding Wilma Mishoe, the University’s first female chief, who retired at the end of 2019. Allen had served as Delaware State’s Executive Vice President and Provost since 2017, when he joined the institution. Prior to that, he worked at Bank of America; was an executive vice president at MBNA Bank; and the founding president of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. He also formerly worked for former Vice President Joseph R. Biden as a speech writer and special assistant. 

Currently, about 64% of Delaware State’s 5,000 students are African-American. Allen intends to enhance the University’s attraction to additional Black students, at the same time he broadens its profile to include more students from groups that are either chronically under-represented in college or poorly served by public education.

“In Delaware and across the nation,” Allen says, “we’re looking for students with a fire to succeed, regardless of the color of their skin, their country of origin, the god they worship, or the ones they choose to love.” 

A primary example of the University’s expanding definition of diversity is its commitment to the children of undocumented workers, the “Dreamers.” Delaware State was among the first institutions in the country to welcome Dreamers to its campus.

Allen commented, “ I continue to get asked if HBCUs are still relevant in today’s world, and my response is always, ‘If you didn’t have HBCUs like Delaware State University, you’d have to invent us.’ There are very few places that can provide a quality, affordable, four-year comprehensive education to all students, regardless of their economic circumstance. As a system, HBCUs represent the best return on value in the nation.” 

Read more here.

NFL Network’s Steve Wyche Explains Why The NFL HBCU Combine Matters

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NFL Network’s Steve Wyche explained on Monday during an interview on NFL.com the benefits of having an NFL HBCU Combine, citing that many black college prospects are often overlooked.

“Let’s talk about the combine that the NFL is staging for the players of historically black colleges and universities, [it] will probably be between 40 to 50 players,” Wyche said.

He continued, “They’re still compiling a list of players who will be invited to this event right now. But this is for a group of players who weren’t invited to the scouting combine or to the Senior Bowl or East-West Shrine Game.”

He went on to say that what’s interesting about the matters is the fact that the NFL plucks a lot of players from HBCUs and another fact that, historically, there are 30 players in the NFL Hall of Fame.

And even now there are many talented players coming out of these institutions that are getting a some playing time on pro football teams like South Carolina State’s Darius Leonard of the Colts and Bears running back Tarik Cohen who was a star at NCAT.

“I spoke to some people organizing this, saying, “Why is this necessary?” Wyche said.

“And they said the key here is there are so many layers from HBCU schools, which is mainly FCS and Division II schools, that aren’t probably scouted,” he continued. “So this is just another opportunity for scouts to get eyes on players like Tennessee State’s wide receiver Chris Rowland — one of the most dynamic players in college football, who got to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl but was not invited to the combine to get eyes on him.”

Chris Rowland, of course has won a lot of post-season awards last year.

“The league is trying to do something again to give everybody the opportunity to get properly evaluated and properly scouted,” Wyche said.

He also noted that the day after the NFL HBCU Combine, which takes place on March 28, there’s also a combine for international players so that scouts can get some eyes on them as well.

HBCU Student Megan Thee Stallion Drops New EP ‘Suga’

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HBCU Texas Southern University student Megan Thee Stallion is in prime from. And her latest EP, which has arrived Friday, shows that she’s in it to win it.

Called ‘Suga,’ the EP features Atlanta drip innovator Gunna, Kehlani and Meg’s raw talent.

On “Savage,” she boats that “N***** say I taste like sugar, but ain’t s*** sweet” and keeps the same energy throughout the EP.

For a special treat to her hotties, she also released a video for “B.*.*.*.*.” on the same day.

The video is now the No. 1 trending video on YouTube.

The EP comes after the “Hot Girl Summer” rapper took her label 1501 Certified Entertainment to court, claiming that they was “instructing her distribution company “not to release or distribute any of her new music,” according to Billboard.

New York Knicks’ Attendance Hits Rock Bottom After HBCU Grad Spike Lee Incident

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Karma, at least for last night, was real. After being involved in a messy disagreement with their biggest and most celebrated fan, Spike Lee, the New York Knicks experienced its lowest basketball attendance at Madison Square Garden since 2006, according to Newsweek. (Lee graduated from Morehouse College.)

The Oscar-winning writer-director and famed No. 1 Knicks fan told ESPN’s First Take earlier this week that he will not attend another Knicks home game this season. According to Lee, Madison Square Garden security wouldn’t allow him to enter the Knicks’ home court through the employees’ entrance, a ritual he has been doing for almost 30 years. The backlash has been growing as fans, former pro basketball players, TV commentators and even casual basketball fans have come out against the Knicks and Madison Square Garden after MSG released a statement essentially blaming Lee for the current mishap.

“They never said when the thing changed, so why not call me?” Lee said. “When my deposit’s due, this astronomical price for Knicks tickets, and I’m one day late, my phone is ringing off the hook.”

“The idea that Spike Lee is a victim because we have repeatedly asked him to not use our employee entrance and instead use a dedicated VIP entrance—which is used by every other celebrity who enters The Garden—is laughable,” the statement from Madison Square Garden read. “It’s disappointing that Spike would create this false controversy to perpetuate drama. He is welcome to come to the Garden anytime via the VIP or general entrance; just not through our employee entrance, which is what he and [James Dolan] agreed to last night when they shook hands.”

Only 16,588 people attended Wednesday’s Knicks game at MSG, an arena that has a full capacity listed at 19,812. That was the arena’s smallest home crowd in nearly 13½ years. The Knicks, as is their won, lost to the Utah Jazz, 112-104.

Will this trend continue? The Knicks play the Oklahoma City Thunder at home tonight.

This post was written by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton, a writer at Black Enterprise, where it was originally published. It is published here with permission.

We Endorse Bernie Sanders For President

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The time is now!

Over 40 years have passed since that historic march for voting rights, but we are still fighting for our rights. Today, 1 in 1,000 black men and boys can expect to die as a result of police violence.

Black colleges are in a protracted legal battle with the state for insufficiently funding our schools while funding other traditional state schools that duplicated our programs, right in my home state, Maryland.

We have a long way to go in addressing the issues of gender inequality, global warming and reproductive freedom. Important things like reversing Donny’s corporate tax breaks and adopting policies that enact equal pay for women in the workplace are essential to the progression of this nation.

Marijuana arrests account for more than half of drug arrests in the United States. Of the 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010, 88% happened for simply possessing marijuana. Research exposes significant racial bias nationwide. Despite roughly equal usage rates, Blacks are 3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana.

We have to stop thinking about racism simply as someone who says the N-word or does something obvious or violent. Our country is in desperate need of great leadership that understands the systematic struggles. We need a candidate that intrinsically meets every single point on our agenda.

The time is now!

The first thing I did when writing this endorsement was looking up the word endorsement. “ An act of giving one’s public approval or support to someone or something.“ Act: taking action. Public: of or concerning the people as a whole. Support: to bear all or part of the weight of.

We need an all hands on deck, LOUD and unprecedented grassroots movement to further secure our future, our children’s future and our children’s children’s future. We desperately need new anti-racist policy agenda in the White House and change on the issues affecting our daily lives and our communities.

THE TIME IS NOW!

That’s why the HBCU Buzz team and I are endorsing Senator, Bernie Sanders for president.

Bernie’s plan addresses the five central types of violence waged against black, brown and indigenous Americans to tackle physical, political, legal, economic and environmental injustices.

Bernie’s long history of fighting for social equality the and rights of African Americans isn’t new. His record goes back to the early 1960s.(YES, around the same time my mother was born, 60years ago) Keep in mind, he was arrested in college as a student leader protesting institutional segregation and racial disparities; “disparity within the disparity”.

Bernie vowed to strengthen and support our historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) by investing $10 billion to create and expand HBCU medical, dental, and teacher training graduate programs at HBCUs. He will fight to cancel 100% of institutional HBCU loan debt from the Capital Financing Program. Bernie’s plans for tuition-free colleges and canceling student debt would lift a burden off the shoulders of millions of working-class families. He is also a cosponsor of S.461, the HBCU PARTNERS Act.

Bernie pledged to legalize marijuana in the first 100 days with executive action, vacate and expunge all past marijuana-related convictions, and ensure that revenue from legal marijuana is reinvested in communities that were hit hardest by the War on Drugs.

Bernie believes healthcare is a human right, not a political matter.

Bernie wants to adopt Equal Pay for Equal Work through the Paycheck Fairness Act and fully fund Planned Parenthood, Title X, and other initiatives that protect women’s health, access to contraception, and the availability of a safe and legal abortion.

Bernie is radical, realistic, and the best candidate for the myriad of ethnic backgrounds, economic differences, and political perspectives that make America what it is. If you DO YOUR RESEARCH, you will learn that Bernie in the White House benefits all Americans and his agenda has a little something for everyone. As a Black man, entrepreneur, son of Africa and an HBCU graduate, there is a strong alignment with my stance and his plans as president.

HBCU Grad Jamal Bryant Warns Christians Not To Participate In Burning Sage, Says It’s ‘Witchcraft’

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
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HBCU Family, we all are familiar with Jamal Bryant, who is the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia. He also graduated from HBCU Morehouse College in Atlanta.

Well, in a teaching session with the women of his church that streamed on YouTube on Monday, Bryant warned his members to stay away from the practice of burning sage. According to the Oxford dictionary, sage is an aromatic plant with grayish-green leaves that are used as a culinary herb, native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

He said he “was amazed because two saints gave me sage for my new house.”

This lead him to do his research on the practice of it and made him question sage once he discovered that it is basically a demonic New Age practice.

He continued, “I didn’t know what to do with it. I was unsure of it. And all the more, why they’d feel comfortable giving it to a pastor. Then I began to research and study it and found out that the sales of it have gone up by over 200% in the last four years and have to be constantly placed on restock in natural health stores.”

Bryant argued that when you practice burning sage, you are essentially calling upon spirits to fight off negative spirits, not calling upon the name of Jesus:

“Another word for burning sage is smudging. The thought of the Native Americans is that certain herbs carry spirits in them … and when you burn certain herbs you’re calling on those spirits to dispel evil or vexing spirits or energies from a space, from an object or person. And so it is their contention that when I am burning sage, I am then calling down a spirit or calling up a spirit to then wrestle with that energy that’s in a room, that’s in a car or in a person.”

He said “So are those who burn sage and then put it around themselves saying that they don’t want any negative energy around them or negative energy approaching them?  … It is highly practiced now by the New Age movement.”

He later said that those who practice burning sage are playing the role of God because they think that calling upon spirits to cast away the bad ones, which is what He and His angels already does for us.

“They are spiritual. They just do not believe or submit to authority … They believe through the doctrine of New Age faith or New Age theology, that mortals or humanity through the right wave of devotion and meditation can ascend themselves to become a deity. So they become their own gods.

The people who believe that they are their own god, we don’t know how to approach them or even how to attack it because we have minimized demonic possession as those who are foaming around their mouth, eyes are roaming in the back of their head and they are squirming on the floor. That’s how we’ve recognized demons.”

In a piece titled “Black Millennials Leave Church for African Witchcraft,” The Atlantic’s Sigal Samuel wrote that white millennials have left the church in droves over the last decade, embracing witchcraft instead. Black millennials are now following suit:

Over the past decade, white Millennials have embraced witchcraft in droves. Now a parallel phenomenon is emerging among black Millennials. While their exact numbers are difficult to gauge, it’s clear that African American pop culture has started to reflect the trend. In the music industry alone, there’s Beyoncé’s allusion to an African goddess in Lemonade at the Grammys; Azealia Banks’s declaration that she practices brujería (a Spanish term for witchcraft); and Princess Nokia’s hit “Brujas,” in which she tells white witches, “Everything you got, you got from us.”

African American witchcraft originated in West Africa, the birthplace of Yoruba, a set of religious traditions focused on reverence for ancestors and worship of a vast pantheon of deities known as orishas. Those traditions accompanied West Africans who were brought to the Americas as slaves, and were eventually combined with Western religions, such as Catholicism, that many slaves were pushed to embrace.

By the early 19th century, Cuban Santeria, Brazilian Candomblé, Haitian Vodou, and other syncretistic faiths had emerged as a result. In cities like New Orleans, voodoo (slightly different from Haitian Vodou) and hoodoo, which also descend from West African faiths, grew popular. These practices—which often involve manipulating candles, incense, or water to achieve a desired result—may have helped give slaves some sense of power, however minimal.

It’s difficult to gauge the exact numbers of black millennials who have embraced African witchcraft. But Bryant said that those who do, in particular the ones who practice burning sage, are devaluing the anointing life of Jesus Christ.