Read Cory Booker’s Full $100 Billion Plan To Support HBCUs

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On his official website for the upcoming presidential campaign, candidate Cory Booker shares his plan for historically black colleges and universities:

Supporting and Protecting HBCUs

Cory Booker is running for president to create opportunity for all Americans—especially communities that have been left out and left behind, like communities of color that have for centuries been deprived of wealth, opportunity, and their voices as citizens. 

CNN

Cory believes that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) play a central role in creating pathways to opportunity and empowering Black communities, and that’s why today he is outlining actions he will take as president to ensure that America’s HBCUs and MSIs are well-funded, affordable, and continue to deliver opportunity for Black and Brown Americans. 

The fact that Cory is running for president of the United States is a testament to the vital role of HBCUs. Cory’s mother is a graduate of Fisk University, and his father, born into poverty and raised by a single mom, graduated from North Carolina Central University after members of his church sent around a collection plate to help him pay for his first semester. 

The role HBCUs have played in Cory’s life is not unique. More than one in five Black Americans with a bachelor’s degree received their degree from an HBCU, and HBCUs are responsible for educating a majority of all Black teachers, doctors, judges, and engineers. Despite these contributions, they are challenged by significant under-investment and, as a result, endowments at HBCUs are at least 70 percent smaller than endowments at non-HBCUs.

“I am here today because of the power of these institutions to uplift and bring about opportunity to Black Americans.”

– Cory Booker

Cory’s plan for HBCUs and MSIs would:

  • Ensure that HBCUs and MSIs are able to provide a world-class education in world-class facilities. Cory would:
    • Build on the investments of the Future Act by investing an additional $30 billion in competitively-awarded grants by the Department of Education to enable HBCUs and MSIs to expand and improve STEM education and help with recruitment, retention, and graduation rates. Importantly, an investment of this scale would provide schools the security of funding for years to come, avoiding a situation where STEM funding for HBCUs can be held hostage by Congressional Republicans seeking leverage to push their legislative agenda. 
    • Provide $30 billion in grants to upgrade infrastructure, including facilities and technology, at HBCUs and MSIs to ensure all students have access to a world-class education in world-class facilities.
    • Build on his bill, the HBCU Capital Financing Improvement Act, which would allow more institutions to access financing to improve or construct classrooms, libraries, laboratories, dormitories, instructional equipment, and research instrumentation. Cory would also double the total amount of loans available through the HBCU Capital Financing Program. 
  • Put HBCUs at the center of the fight against climate change. Cory will require that at least 10 percent of his $400 billion 50-State Climate Moonshot Hubs are based in HBCUs and MSIs. Each hub would be focused on reasserting our global leadership in Research and Development (R&D) and leading the way in tackling the most important challenges in basic science, applied research, manufacturing, and commercialization.
  • Expand collaboration between HBCUs and federal agencies. Cory would:
    • Sign into law the Parren Mitchell Minority Business Education and Empowerment Act, a bill proposed by former Rep. Elijah Cummings that would require the SBA to collaborate with HBCUs to establish Small Business Development Centers and develop entrepreneurship curricula. 
    • Fight to pass the HBCU PARTNERS Act, which would direct federal agencies to make a concerted effort to support HBCU participation in federal programs and grants. 
  • Make college affordable for all Americans. Cory would:
    • Fight to pass the Debt-Free College Act, which would help students who attend public colleges, HBCUs, or MSIs graduate without debt by providing public funding to cover the full cost of college, including tuition, fees, and living expenses.
    • Double the value of Pell Grants from $6,200 to $12,400, which about three in four students at HBCUs rely upon, and ensure that Dreamers are eligible to receive them. He would also fight to pass the Restoring Education and Learning Act to extend eligibility to incarcerated individuals. And, Cory would require that HBCUs and MSIs make up 10 percent of higher education institutions in the Second Chance Pell Grant Program.
    • Work with Congress to pass the What You Can Do for Your Country Act, which would strengthen and expand the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program that provides debt cancellation to those who enter public service like teachers, social workers, public defenders and those who serve in the military. Borrowers would have their student debt cut in half after five years in public service and receive full debt forgiveness after 10 years in public service. Cory will also fight for his STRIVE Act, which would forgive loans for teachers incrementally and provide full forgiveness after seven years.
    • Forgive student loan debt for low-income students who are struggling to repay their debt and for those who received degrees from failed for-profit colleges. 
    • Make it easier to apply for student aid by simplifying the FAFSA for low-income students who qualify for other programs, as in his Simplifying Financial Aid for
  • Students Act. He would also make the FAFSA more accessible for all by removing the prior drug conviction question on the FAFSA.
  • Ensure access to affordable child care at HBCUs, community colleges, and other MSIs and invest in the child care workforce by passing his Preparing and Resourcing Our Student Parents and Early Childhood Teachers (PROSPECT) Act, which provides grants to MSIs and community colleges for student parents who need child care and invests in infant and toddler educators. 

In addition to the most comprehensive plan to support our HBCUs, Cory has put forward a set of proposals to close the racial wealth gap and create opportunity in Black and Brown communities. One of his signature proposals, “Baby Bonds,” would give every child in America a savings account of up to $50,000 to use for things like higher education, purchasing a home, or starting a business—the kinds of investments that change life trajectories. A study by Columbia University found that Baby Bonds virtually erases the racial wealth gap among young adults and gives every American a shot at economic opportunity. 

Cory has also put forward a sweeping plan to reverse decades of exploitation and create economic opportunity in Black and Brown communities, including through the creation of a Community Justice Fund, a historic new effort singularly focused on restoring wealth in traditionally marginalized communities. In addition, his Opportunity and Justice for Workers plan lays out a bold vision for an economy that works for all, including a massive expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, provisions for closing the gender pay gap, ensuring universal paid family leave, and putting high-quality, affordable child care within reach.

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North Carolina A&T State Aggies Win Celebration Bowl, Third Time In A Row

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ATLANTA, GA — “North Carolina A&T Aggies wins their 3rd straight Celebration Bowl title in a 64-44 shootout victory over Alcorn State on Saturday,” writes HBCU Gameday‘s Stephen-Michael Thompson Jr. in a detailed game recap:

Heavily debated but anticipated, the Celebration Bowl puts the MEAC champion and SWAC champion in a bowl game atmosphere in Atlanta. Once again, the Celebration Bowl was a gold rush as North Carolina A&T won over Alcorn State, 64-44.

ASU’s Felix Harper went to work early against the Aggie defense. After letting up a field goal early, the Aggies responded. Kylil Carter threw a dart for the Aggies to Elijah Bell for 53-yards, capping a drive where the Aggies took over a minute to drive 65-yards. The Braves came right back, taking only six plays to drive 74-yards for a touchdown. Harper found Chris Blair to finish that drive. Read more via HBCU Gameday.

Ford Partners With HBCUs To Bring the Ford F-150 Truck To Campuses

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When it comes to contributing to the education of students attending historically black colleges and universities, some companies just make a donation, which is cool, but, for the likes of Ford Motor Company, they are actually involved in doing more than just giving money.

When it comes to contributing to the education of students attending historically black colleges and universities, some companies just make a donation, which is cool, but, for the likes of Ford Motor Company, they are actually involved in doing more than just giving money.

I had the opportunity to actually see and experience what goes on when a corporate company commits to an HBCU. The tour made stops at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee, for the Southern Heritage Classic, the annual rivalry between Jackson State University and Tennessee State University; Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field, Prairie View, Texas, for the Prairie View A&M University Homecoming, where the Panthers took on the Dragons of Virginia University of Lynchburg; and the final stop at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, Durham, North Carolina, for the North Carolina Central University Homecoming, where the Eagles went up against the Spartans of Norfolk State University.

I attended the homecoming for North Carolina Central University, where southern hospitality was definitely in full effect. I witnessed and even participated in ‘car karaoke’ but done in a Ford F-150 and there were numerous interactive games people enjoyed and giveaways including Ford ultimate tailgate prize package where someone received a Ford-branded package complete with two padded lounge chairs, two tumblers, and a 45-quart cooler.

For nearly 15 years, Ford has donated more than $2 million to support the Tom Joyner Foundationand continues to do so. “Through its support of the Tom Joyner Foundation, the Ford Motor Company has changed the lives of countless families,” says Tom Joyner. “The scholarship dollars provided by Ford have helped students graduate from HBCUs, relieving them and their families of financial burden and allowing them to pursue careers, especially in the STEAM fields.” For every ride & drive at the homecoming game, Ford donated $20 to the Tom Joyner Foundation.

Related: 5-Year-Old Drummer Receives Full Band Scholarship To HBCU

We attended a brunch where NCCU’s Tymia Atkinson (a junior Social Work major who plans on attending law school to specialize in sexual and domestic violence law after graduating) received Ford’s 2019 Community Service Leader Award and we viewed an “Ode to the Builders” commercial spot, filmed at the Ford River Rouge plant, that was narrated by Angela Bassett. The brunch was hosted by 97.5 radio personality SHOWTIME.

I got the opportunity to speak to Dibrie Guerrero, who is the multicultural marketing manager for Ford Motor Co.

WHY IS INVESTING IN HBCUS AN IMPORTANT INITIATIVE FOR FORD MOTOR CO.?

“Ford Motor Co. touches the lives of people everywhere; globally we are known for making and selling the most technologically advanced, reliable and fun-to-drive vehicles in the world, but we are also dedicated to driving human progress not only through the freedom of movement but within our communities. Education is the foundation for success. It is key to making lives better, creating social change and building strong communities and HBCU’s provide an environment that prepares future generations toward contributing to their communities, builds confidence and gives them the skills they need to cultivate a career. At Ford, we are all about working toward the future together.”

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE HBCUS AND FORD?

“Driven by the F-150 HBCU Truck Tour, our partnership with HBCUs is deep and longstanding. Providing our platform to further educate the world on the importance of HBCUs and the importance of building a strong foundation for a strong future is what continues to drive that passion within us. We believe in leadership and pride and we couldn’t be any prouder than always supporting HBCUs, it’s what makes us Built Ford Proud.”

“Homecoming and ‘classic season’ is the best time to celebrate the history and traditions of our historically black colleges and universities,” Guerrero also states. “Ford is proud to support historically black colleges and universities through this fall’s F-150 Truck Tour.”

Read more about the great work being done at HBCUs.

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.

Albany State Will Rename Two Buildings To Honor Influential Administrator, Family

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ASU News⁠ — Albany State University (ASU) will pay tribute to a legendary administrator and an iconic family with the renaming of two buildings on campus. ASU shared a press release.

The University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved a University recommendation to name the East Campus Student Center as the C.W. Grant Student Union and the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Complex as the Jones Brothers Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Complex.

“At all institutions, there are reminders of individuals who left an everlasting mark,” said ASU President Marion Fedrick. “It is both a privilege and an honor to recognize. Dr. C.W. Grant and the Jones family for their commitment to the institution. They are true examples of those who have lived out excellence.”

Dean Grant, as he was affectionately known, served as the Vice President of Student Affairs at ASU for 30 years. The Golden Ram community mourned his passing in late September.

“We will continue to honor his legacy,” Fedrick said. “The naming is in recognition of his outstanding service to the institution.”

“I could spend the rest of my life trying to correctly phrase what Dean Grant meant to the University,” said Glenn Singfield, a local businessman and ASU supporter. “If I did, it would come out the same and that is, Dean C.W. Grant committed loyalty with honor to the University. He was unwavering in his loyalty but the honor that he had always prevailed because he always did what was right for the institution. The institution is a fixed structure, but also a moving piece that includes faculty, students, and the entire Ram Nation. Dean Grant was willing to share his resources. He gave back monetarily when others thought it would be thievery; he gave.”

The Jones Brothers (Oliver, Melvin, Wilbert, Caldwell, Major, and Charles) are widely recognized as the only family to produce six brothers who played professional basketball, including four who played in the NBA. All six brothers attended Albany State College and collectively played as centers for the ASU men’s basketball team for eighteen consecutive years. One of the brothers, Oliver Jones, served as head coach of the basketball team for 28 years. The basketball court will be named in his honor to further recognize his contributions to the institution.

“There are few individuals, let alone families, who have had the impact of the famous Jones family to ASU athletics and to the institution. We are delighted to honor them in this way,” Fedrick said.

“Coach taught us to win basketball games, but his real legacy came in teaching us how to win in the game of life. “Whenever Coach Jones would walk in a room, he had this presence that would fill the entire room. He is the type of guy that knows just the right thing to say to get the best out of every person,” said alumnus Grady Caldwell. Jones recruited Caldwell for the ASU men’s basketball team more than 20 years ago. “Narrowing him down to simply a basketball coach would be a disservice to the type of person he is and what he has done for a lot of people at ASU. He’s done a lot for athletes and students in general. Coaching basketball games was just a small part of what he did.”

Ceremonies unveiling the new names will be held on the listed dates below.

  • The Jones Brothers naming will take place on Saturday, January 25 (Basketball Homecoming)
  • The C.W. Grant Student Union naming will take place on Friday, March 27 (Founder’s Day)

The Jones Brothers HPER Complex Fund has been created to raise money in support of all basketball operations, complex operations, and basketball scholarships. The goal for contributions is $100,000 annually. The C.W. Grant Fund is in support of student leadership and success programs. The goal for contributions is also $100,000 annually.

To donate toward each fund, please text ASUGIVES to 71777, call 229-500-3286, or visit the ASU GiveTo website and select the desired gift designation.

Details surrounding each naming ceremony will be released in the coming weeks.

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Follow Albany State University on Twitter and Facebook @AlbanyStateUniv

How HBCUs Helped Rescue Jewish Refugees

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The Trump administration’s latest efforts to turn away refugees and asylum seekers are undermining the system of refugee protection built after World War II. That system came about in part because of a horrific choice made by the United States during the war. Motivated largely by anti-Semitism, the United States failed to resettle hundreds of thousands of Jews fleeing Nazi Germany, condemning them to imprisonment and death.

The Trump administration is resurrecting this prewar framework — a racist, exclusionary system that shut out nearly all nonwhite, non-Western European refugees. Once again, desperate people who turn to the United States for help are being forced to return to the deadly circumstances of their home countries.

During World War II, even as the government sought to keep people out, some Americans, including key administrators at historically black colleges and universities, worked to bring people to safety — and their example offers lessons for us today.

As the Nazis took power in Germany, Jews faced immediate danger. Despite the pogroms and concentration camps, however, Jews fleeing Nazi rule couldn’t just come to the United States. For one thing, they had to prove they would not be a “public charge” — i.e., that they could support themselves financially — before they would be eligible for a visa to the United States. Since the refugees were required to leave almost all of their money in Germany, they had little hope of supporting themselves upon arrival in the United States and were forced to secure affidavits from U.S. citizens, typically relatives, who pledged to support them — a lengthy process.

The public charge rule was an onerous obstacle but not the only one. Jewish refugees needed travel visas from each country they might cross in their journey to the United States and needed to prove they would not pose a security risk. Would-be immigrants also faced years-long waiting lists for visas that were essentially a death sentence, a point made by Rep. Emanuel Celler (D-N.Y.) on the House floor in 1943. “It takes months and months to grant the visas,” Celler said, “and then it usually applies to a corpse.”

The U.S. government was well aware of Nazi atrocities as early as the 1930s, yet that knowledge did not spur federal action.

“One of the greatest crimes in history, the slaughter of the Jewish people in Europe, is continuing unabated,” Treasury official Josiah E. DuBois Jr. wrote in a scathing 1944 memo. He warned that “this Government will have to share for all time responsibility for this extermination” and backed up his assertion with pages of documentation showing that State Department officials, driven by anti-Semitism, actively blocked the rescue of Jews desperately trying to escape Europe. A few weeks after the memo was written, President Franklin D. Roosevelt finally formed the War Refugee Board, which is credited with saving as many as 200,000 Jewish refugees.

Private organizations and individuals had long before stepped up to help refugees circumvent barriers erected by U.S. immigration policy. Beginning in the mid-1930s, the American Friends Service Committee drew on its networks to find strangers who would pledge to support refugees as a way to sidestep the public charge rule. The Rockefeller Foundation formed the Emergency Committee in Aid of Displaced Foreign Scholars to place academics expelled from German universities at U.S. universities, where they would be eligible for work visas.

Finding jobs was not a simple task, even when placing highly qualified professors with degrees from distinguished institutions. The same anti-Semitism that fueled efforts to keep Jews out of the United States also pervaded academia. In the aftermath of the Great Depression, American faculty members who had seen their salaries slashed resented the idea of refugee scholars who might add to the strain on already limited university resources.

Read more here.

Herman ‘Ike’ Boone, NCCU Grad Who Inspired ‘Remember the Titans,’ Dies at 84

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DURHAM, N.C. (WPVI-TV) — The high school football coach whose story inspired many in “Remember the Titans” has died, according to North Carolina Central University officials. He was 84.

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Herman “Ike” Boone

Herman “Ike” Boone, a Rocky Mount native, was a double-graduate of North Carolina Central University and NCCU Athletics Hall of Famer.

The cause of death was not immediately released.

As documented in the “Remember the Titans,” Boone was the head football coach at T.C. Williams High School in a racially divided Alexandria, Virginia, in 1971. Boone united and coached the diverse team and turned it into Virginia’s most powerful football team at the time, winning a state championship while navigating the early days of desegregation.

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In December 1971, President Richard M. Nixon was quoted as saying “the team saved the city of Alexandria.” Read more via WPVI-TV.

Getting Into An HBCU Was A Dream Come True—But I Still Felt Like An Outsider

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It was freshman orientation at Hampton University in Virginia. As we filled Ogden Hall, student leaders greeted us with chants (“Rock the blue and white!”) to get us hyped for the journey ahead. We had anxious grins and coy smirks as the summer hits of 2014—“Hot Boy” by Bobby Shmurda, “CoCo” by O.T. Genasis—blasted. It was my first time away from home.

Going to an HBCU, or historically black college or university, felt magical. I’d be the first person in my immediate family to get an undergrad degree. Being in a place founded for my ancestors who weren’t allowed or couldn’t afford to attend other institutions gave me a sense of pride. I’m from a single-parent, lower-middle-class home in Petworth and went to predominantly black and Hispanic public schools. My grandmother and aunts have high-school diplomas or associate’s degrees. My mom attended Hampton but dropped out in her sophomore year to have the daughter who’s writing this. In a way, I chose Hampton to finish what she started.

During those first days, I asked classmates why they’d made their choice, and they usually said their parents had gone there or to another HBCU. Sometimes the conversation segued to high-school activities—sports, college-prep programs, their local Jack and Jill chapters. I nodded but, after the third time or so, decided to find out what that was. Once I Googled it, I realized why I hadn’t heard of it: Jack and Jill is an 81-year-old organization with a venerable pedigree in the black community, putting on cultural and educational programs targeted at young people. Or as a classmate said: It’s a club that “bougie” black moms join.

Graduates celebrate their degrees during commencement ceremonies at Hampton University in Hampton, Va., Sunday, May 9, 2010. President Barack Obama addressed the graduates at historically black university on Sunday. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

In other words, I realized, not a club my mom would have joined.

At Hampton, there were kids who sported designer bags and drove expensive cars you’d never see in my DC public school. I imagined that this might have been the first time some of them would be doing their own laundry.

When I’d moved in, I’d seen parents in caps and T-shirts marking them as alums of Hampton or members of the black sororities and fraternities with histories of service. Until then, I’d been oblivious to what I would come to understand as classism in the African American community. All I knew was I felt like an outsider. Not being able to bond through shared experiences can be lonely.

Later that week, we freshmen received a message from our big brothers and big sisters—upperclassmen assigned to help us navigate college: All of the “littles” were to meet at the football stadium for a photo of solidarity commemorating the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, black men who’d died in incidents of police brutality that summer. As we posed, I looked to my left and right and, for the first time, felt in a safe space. I wasn’t thinking about who lived in the suburbs or drove what car. I only saw us uniting for our community. Maybe I had something in common with Jack and Jill after all.

Over my four years, I joined a variety of organizations, including the school’s student leadership program and the National Association of Black Journalists. Eventually, Hampton became my place, too. I also started being honest about my background—and that’s how I found my tribe.

By Hampton tradition, commencement was on Mother’s Day, and 2018 was also the 150th anniversary of the school’s founding. The next day, my mom posted a Facebook photo of my graduation regalia hanging inside our apartment, with the following words: “And this will hang in my house for as long as I see fit.” It’s still there.

This article appears in the November 2019 issue of Washingtonian.

Morgan State VP Of Research Elected To Join World’s Leading Scientists As 2019 AAAS Fellow

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The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has announced the election of Morgan State University’s Willie E. May, Ph.D. as a 2019 AAAS Fellow. May, who serves as Morgan’s vice president for the Division of Research and Economic Development (D-RED), was among the more than 400 newly elected leading scientists from around the world to have earned the lifetime distinction of AAAS Fellow, in honor of their invaluable contributions to science and technology. Fellows are elected each year by their peers serving on the Council of AAAS, the organization’s member-run governing body, and May was selected for his international leadership in the measurement and standards infrastructure of science and technology.

The honor of being elected an AAAS Fellow began in 1874 and is officially acknowledged with the presentation of a certificate and rosette. Dr. May will receive his certificate and rosette this February in Seattle, Washington during the AAAS Fellows Forum, a part of the Association’s Annual Meeting.

“It is with the deepest gratitude and humility that I accept this appointment as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,” said Dr. May. “I look forward to a continued commitment in support of the global leadership needed in the advancement of measurement standards and science and technology infrastructure.”

AAAS Fellow

As the policymaking body of the AAAS, the Council annually elects Fellows with the expressed intent on preserving the integrity of the Association and the esteemed honor conferred upon those who have been granted fellowship in the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society. Collectively, AAAS Fellows represent an exclusive body of diverse scientific thought-leaders whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.

The 443 newly elected Fellows represent each of AAAS’s 24 sections, from neuroscience and psychology to social, economic and political sciences. The honor recognizes diverse accomplishments, including pioneering research, leadership within a given field, teaching and mentoring, fostering collaborations and advancing public understanding of science.

In order to be considered for the rank of Fellow, an AAAS member must be nominated by three previously elected Fellows, the steering group of an AAAS section, or the organization’s CEO. Nominations go through a two-step review process, with the relevant steering group reviewing nominations in their section and the AAAS Council voting on the final list.

At Morgan, in his role as vice president for D-RED, Dr. May supports research throughout the University and oversees IP and commercialization efforts. He previously served as the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and as the director of Major Research and Training Activities at the University of Maryland, College Park. His laboratory-based research is described in more than 90 peer-reviewed technical publications. Recently, he was selected to become a member of the Consumer Reports Board of Directors. Dr. May joined the University in May of 2018.

The entire list of all 2019 AAAS Fellows can be viewed online.

About Morgan

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 125 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

Lil Mo’s Daughter Accepted To HBCU, North Carolina A&T State University

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College acceptance letters are being mailed to prospective students just in time for them to celebrate and share the exciting news with their families. Lil Mo’ is among the proud mothers who will be bidding her daughter, Heaven Love’on Stone, a temporary farewell next year as she sends her off to college.

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First of all, let us just applaud this young queen for choosing to pursue a college education. Especially when you live a life of glitz and glam, going to college can seem somewhat “unnecessary.”

Lil Mo’ excitedly announces the news via Instagram:

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I’ve failed at ALOT of things. But 1 thing you can’t take from ME is that when it comes to MY CHILDREN, they will NOT LOSE nor FAIL!! We not taking no L’s on this side. Congrats to my 1st born HEAVEN, Being accepted into A&T. AGGIE PRIDE!! Major in psych.

-Lil Mo’ (Cynthia Karen Loving)

If she chooses to join the HBCU family, her eldest baby girl Heaven Love’On Stone is going to not only have a plethora of excellent learning opportunities, she’ll be front row to the Greatest Homecoming On Earth (GHOE), at North Carolina A&T State University.

We wonder if Lil Mo will perform at GHOE or any of the numerous concerts and events that happen at NCA&TSU. Pull. Up. Ma! Either way, we’ll be there!

Aggie Pride!

Former FAMU Student Killed In Officer-Involved Shooting

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WJAX-TV — Jamee Johnson, the man who was shot and killed in an officer-involved shooting Saturday night, was a former student at Florida A&M University, sources confirmed with Action News Jax.

According to FAMU’s Communications Department, Johnson attended FAMU as a Business Administration major from Fall 2015 to Spring 2019. He was not awarded a degree.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said a suspect was killed in an officer-involved shooting northeast of Springfield Saturday evening.

Police said the suspect was shot after a traffic stop turned up a pistol. At first, the suspect cooperated with police, but when officer Garriga tried to arrest him, a struggle started.

The suspect jumped into his car and tried to get away. Read more via WCTV.

Phillies Hire Former A&T Baseball Standout, Adam Ordonez

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EAST GREENSBORO – NCA&TSU Aggies share, Former North Carolina A&T baseball standout Adan Ordonez has been named player development coach for the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system. 

Ordonez was a four-year starter for N.C. A&T from 2015-2018 and played for the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers of the United Shore Professional Baseball League last season.

“Really happy for Adan and his opportunity to work in baseball,” said N.C. A&T coach Ben Hall. “He will do an outstanding job with the Phillies in his new role. It truly fits his personality. He was a tireless worker here and always displayed care to help others develop.”

Courtesy: NCAT Aggies

During his time as an Aggie, Ordonez racked up the accolades that included Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Rookie of the Year, Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and N.C. A&T Male Rookie Athlete of the Year. 
Read more via North Carolina A&T State University Athletics.

Historically Black Colleges, Advocates Looking For Help From President Donald Trump On Funding

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WASHINGTON (AP) – The nation‘s historically black colleges and universities are pushing for President Donald Trump to set aside more federal contracts and grants for their schools, and take a greater hand in their welfare by moving responsibility for a key program for those colleges to the White House.

The presidents of the nation‘s 100-plus HBCUs, pressing their case for greater attention from the new Republican-controlled government, met with Trump briefly in the Oval Office and later with Vice President Mike Pence. On Tuesday, they planned to meet with GOP lawmakers.

President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019, after attending the casualty return at Dover Air Force Base, Del., for the four Americans killed in a suicide bomb attack in Syria. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

“Know that beginning today, this administration is committed to ensuring that historically black colleges and universities get the credit and the attention they deserve,” Pence said after the meeting. “Our administration at the president‘s direction is working to find new ways to expand your impact so that more students, especially in the underserved communities of this country, have a chance at a quality education.”

The college presidents, as well as the United Negro College Fund, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and other HBCU advocates, planned to express their support for migrating the White House Initiative on HBCUs from the Education Department to the White House itself.

Such a move would give the initiative “greater impact for our institutions,” said Johnny Taylor, head of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a nonprofit organization that has supported public historically black colleges and universities since 1987.

“Anything that the Trump administration could do to channel more federal dollars in form of grants and contracts to and through the HBCUs would really benefit our institutions and in many cases, our communities, as well,” said Mickey L. Burnim, president of Bowie State University, in Bowie, Md.

Conservative commentator Armstrong Williams, who donated $250,000 to his alma mater, South Carolina State University, said Monday night: “When you have it in the White House, you have that creditability, that weightiness that goes with it.”

Read more here.

Missy Elliott Highlights ‘The Divine Nine’ In New Music Video Challenge

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It’s lit!

Everyone’s favorite female rapper Missy Elliot is back, dropping a new Drip Demeanor video that features “The Divine Nine” entertaining the audience with their steps and strolls.

We’re here for it!

You can check out the video below. Let us know what you think and leave a comment.

Illinois AKA Sorority Chapter Upholds Legacy Of Service

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You could tell the story of Lamba Tau Omega through numbers. $25,000 in scholarships for African-American youth. 700 pairs of eyeglasses donated. 230 cases of water sent to the Bahamas. 400 non-perishable items donated to Rich Township Food Pantry.

Even with those impressive figures, the story of LTO rests on the shoulders of the 256 members, the local women who dedicate their time and resources to giving back to the community in the name of sisterhood. 

A large mission made local
Lambda Tau Omega is the local chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, an international organization comprising 300,000 members, according to the AKA website.
AKA was established in 1908 by nine female undergraduate students at Howard University in Washington D.C.

An AKA Lambda Tau Omega Chapter member sews a pillowcase shirt to donate as part of the group's 2019 MLK Day of Service activities. (Provided news)
  An AKA Lambda Tau Omega
  Chapter member sews a
  pillowcase shirt to donate as
  part of the group’s 2019 MLK
  Day of Service activities.
 

“It was the first sorority for college educated African-American females. Because, of course, we weren’t allowed to join the others,” said Marilyn Hamb, president of LTO and an AKA member since her freshman year at Northwestern University. 

Hamb later graduated with a degree in chemistry; she went on to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Illinois Institute of Technology and worked at IBM for 33 years until her recent retirement.

Joining AKA was an outlet for finding community and a sense of cultural camaraderie. As a new college student in a predominantly white institution, “the music at a dance wasn’t what I would listen to or dance to,” Hamb said.

Joining AKA allows African-American women to socialize, connect and network. However, from its founding, Hamb said AKA was conceived as an organization focused on providing service and promoting scholarly achievement. 

AKA now boasts nearly 400 undergraduate chapters at colleges and universities, mostly concentrated in the eastern United States.

“As the women graduated from college, they wanted to continue to serve, so they created graduate chapters,” Hamb said. “All of our members are college educated, graduated professionals.”

These members comprise nearly 600 chapters, located in more varied areas of the country than their undergraduate chapters, reflecting the movement of AKA members as they become working professionals and influencers around the country.

Several chapters operate in the South Suburbs, including LTO, which has members from Homewood, Flossmoor and several surrounding towns. 

“We serve the community in which we live, and we’re very proud of that,” said Hamb, a Homewood resident.

Read more here.

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FAMU Alum Creates Documentary To Explore The Relationship Between Basketball & The Streets

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More Than Basketball, the brand, was founded in 2009, by then 21-year-old Arize Ifejika and it is set to release its next film “Wicked Jumpshot” on December 16.

Over the last 10 years Ijefika’s company has produced short films, docuseries, web series, documentaries, event recaps and more!

The company shares, “we have long believed that the games of basketball has always been about more than what happens on the court. It’s a culture, a lifestyle, a tool for life lessons, an art, a business and most importantly a means to unite people from all different walks of life. The platform that is created from our events has allowed us to leverage the other verticals of our business!”

Image result for arize ifejika
The Undefeated Players pictured with Arize Ijefika, center

The decade-old company is just getting started and has been featured in ESPN’s “Undefeated,” The Washington Post and Channel 8 News.

Wicked Jumpshot features basketball stars such as Quinn Cook, Isaiah Thomas, John Wall, Carmelo Anthony, Kyle Anderson, Jayson Tatum, Max Kellerman and Wayno. The film explores a dynamic relationship between basketball players, their love for the game and a conflicting resistance to the environment around them, often being drug and gun related. The official trailer says,

“The relationship between the rapstar, the trapstar and the hooper it’s nothing new; whether in the booth, on the court, or on the Ave… it all begins in the neighborhood.

Watch the official trailer:

The company More Than Basketball consists of 6 verticals:

  • Elite Youth Basketball Events
  • Film & Media
  • Technology
  • Merchandising & Apparel
  • Public Speaking
  • Community Outreach.

Learn more about Arize Ifejika, More Than Basketball and its latest press and projects at morethanbasketball.com.

Suspect In Hate Crime Murder Of Bowie State Student Plays The White Sympathy Card

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Newsone reporter Adrian Moore shares, The hate crime trial is underway for a University of Maryland student accused of the fatal stabbing of Bowie State University student Richard Collins III back in May 2017.

Sean Urbanski and Richard Collins III
Source: University of Maryland Police & Facebook / University of Maryland Police & Facebook

According to WJLA, Prince George’s County prosecutors are saying Sean Urbanski killed Collins, who was visiting UMD’s campus, because Urbanski was biased against Black people. Meanwhile, the defense seems to be playing the old white sympathy card, saying Urbanski was drunk and upset about his friends graduating a year ahead of him.

Prosecutors kicked off the trial Wednesday, telling jurors that Urbanski had “poisoned” his mind beginning in 2016 with offensive humor and racist imagery. They argued that when he saw newly commissioned Army 2nd Lt. Richard Collins with a white man and an Asian woman at a University of Maryland bus stop, he carried out a targeted, premeditated murder.

They directly said in court that Urbanski “killed Collins for no reason other than he was Black.” The evidence they cited included racist memes on his phone and his apparent Facebook membership to a racist White Supremacist group called “Alt-Reich: Nation.” Read more via Newsone.