FILE – In this July 24, 2009, file photo, Rachel Dolezal, a leader of the Human Rights Education Institute, stands in front of a mural she painted at the institute’s offices in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Dolezal, the former NAACP chapter president who made headlines in 2015 when her race came into question, has been tapped to speak at a Martin Luther King Day celebration set for January in Cary, N.C. (AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios, File)
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is taking renewed heat for her past Native American heritage claims — this time from a radio host who compared her to Rachel Dolezal, a former NAACP leader who was found to be a white woman posing as black.
Warren was forced to confront her ancestry claims on New York-based radio show “The Breakfast Club” Friday morning, including the DNA test she took last fall that showed she had a Native American ancestor six to 10 generations back.
“I’m not a person of color. I’m not a citizen of a tribe, and I shouldn’t have done it,” Warren said.
Co-host Charlamagne tha God asked, “If you had a chance to do it over, would you?”
Warren said, “I can’t go back,” before pivoting into key issues of her presidential bid, including canceling student loan debt and investing in historically black colleges and universities.
But Charlamagne tha God didn’t let the subject drop, questioning how long Warren knew the truth about her ancestry.
Warren responded by saying, “Tribal citizenship is an important distinction and not something I am.”
Warren was pressed on whether she’d reaped any benefits from her claims — Warren stated on her Texas state bar card registration that she was “American Indian” and long listed herself as a minority in a national law professor directory. Warren responded Friday that a Boston Globe investigation found she didn’t receive any advantages and that “nothing affected any job I ever got.” The Globe report cited denials by people involved in her hiring at Harvard Law School that her minority claim played a role. Harvard University, however, touted Warren as a minority hire in 1996.
Charlamagne tha God told Warren, “You’re kind of like the original Rachel Dolezal, a little bit.”
Warren, appearing slightly flustered, said, “This is what I learned from my family” before another host cut her a break and changed the subject.
Warren has been enjoying somewhat of a resurgence in the polls recently. She’s essentially tied for third with U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, Philadelphia-based Democratic strategist Neil Oxman said, though she remains far behind former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Her slew of policies had largely replaced discussion of her ancestry, pundits said.
“She’s in a period where people are kind of taking a second look at her, and that’s why she’s rebounded somewhat in the polls,” Oxman said.
But Oxman said Warren has to learn to handle her ancestry better.
“This has got to be the last time she mishandles this stuff,” Oxman said. “This thing defined her, to some degree, for some period of time, and she seems luckily to have gotten away from that. You don’t want this thing to redefine yourself, and so she better figure it out.”
Instead of an apology tour, Oxman said Warren should just say “Hey, I’m proud to have whatever percentage of Indian blood I have. I’m proud to have it, and that’s it. You don’t say anything else, ever. You move away from it.”
But Massachusetts-based Democratic strategist Scott Ferson said the radio show conversation likely wouldn’t hurt Warren in the long-term.
“I would say she’s sort of 93% past it at this point,” Ferson said, adding, “I think the issue is pretty well baked for most people and the people who are going to have a problem with it are people who aren’t supportive of her for other reasons as well.”
When the Rev. Jaymes Robert Moody takes his pulpit to preach, sometimes he pictures the graveyard.
That is where his congregation was born.
It was called Georgia Cemetery — named, he has been told, for the place the enslaved were stolen from before being sent to work the fields in Huntsville, Ala.
The graveyard was where they buried their loved ones. It was there they could gather in private. It was there where they could worship a God who offered not only salvation, but the thing they sought most — the promise of freedom.
That graveyard, and those who founded what is now St. Bartley Primitive Baptist Church in 1820, weighs heavy on the young minister who now leads the congregation. It is not lost on him that the Gospel he preaches, the Gospel so many black people embraced to sustain them through the horrors of beatings and rapes, separations and lynchings, separate and unequal, is the same Gospel used to enslave them.
“That’s the history of the black church,” said Moody, who at 29 leads a congregation of 2,000 members that will celebrate 200 years in existence next year.
He makes sure every new member goes through a church orientation to learn that history — all of it. He preaches about the ways slaveholders claimed the Bible was on their side, citing passages that commanded servants to obey. He also talks about the ways black Christians have reclaimed the Bible and its message of liberation.
400th Anniversary
As America commemorates the 400th anniversary of the creation of representative government in what would become the United States, and the first documented recording of captive Africans being brought to its shores, it is also grappling with the ways the country justified slavery. Nowhere is that discussion more fraught than in its churches.
“Christianity was pro slavery,” said the Rev. Yolanda Pierce, dean of the divinity school at Howard University. “So much of early American Christian identity is predicated on a pro slavery theology. From the naming of the slave ships, to who sponsored some of these journeys including some churches, to the fact that so much of early American religious rhetoric is deeply intertwined … with slaveholding: It is pro slavery.”
Some Christian institutions, notably Georgetown University in the District of Columbia, are engaged in a reckoning about what it means that their past was rooted in slaveholding. But others have not confronted the topic.
“In a certain sense, we’ve never completely come to terms with that in this nation,” Pierce said.
The Africans who were brought to America from 1619 onward carried with them diverse religious traditions. About 20% to 30% were Muslim, Pierce said. Some had learned of Christianity before coming to America, but many practiced African spiritual traditions.
Early on, many slaveholders were not concerned with the spiritual well-being of Africans. But few had qualms about using Christianity to justify slavery.
Some theologians said it was providence that had brought Africans to America as slaves, since their enslavement would allow them to encounter the Christian message and thus their eternal souls would be saved, said Mark Noll, a historian of American Christianity.
Some preachers encouraged slave owners to allow their slaves to attend worship services — though only in separate gatherings led by white pro slavery preachers. They had to be seated in the back or the balcony of a segregated church. Those men of God argued that the sermons on the injunction in Ephesians and Colossians, “slaves, obey your earthly master,” would promote docility among enslaved workers.
Slave Bible
The Museum of the Bible in Washington displays a “slave Bible,” published in 1807, which removed portions of Scripture including the Exodus story that could inspire rebellious thinking.
Some ministers promoted the idea that Africans were the descendants of Ham, cursed in the book of Genesis, and thus their enslavement was fitting.
“That biblical interpretation is made up of whole cloth in the 15th century,” Noll said. “There’s just no historical record of any seriousness to back it up. It’s made up, at a time when Europeans are beginning to colonize Africa.”
Slaveholders frequently noted that the Israelites of the Old Testament owned slaves.
Abolitionists tried to make arguments against using the Bible to justify slavery, but they were in the minority.
“They were considered to be radical,” Noll said. “Often they were considered to be infidels, because how could they say God was opposed to slavery if it was so obvious in the Bible that he was not?”
The foremost objectors, of course, were black people themselves. Large numbers adopted the faith, and they quickly began remaking it into their own.
“As soon as enslaved people learned to read English, they immediately began to read the Bible, and they immediately began to protest this idea of a biblical justification for slavery,”
Pierce said.
“Literally as soon as black people took pen to paper, we are arguing for our own liberation.”
Those books and broadsides challenging prevailing biblical interpretations were savvy.
“They very quickly learned that the only way we can be heard is to speak the language of our slaveholders, to speak to them about the text that they love, that they believe in,”
Pierce said.
SPURRING NEW INTEREST
In the generations since — including during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, as well as a present-day movement spurring new interest in African religions — some black people have rejected Christianity as the religion of the oppressor. Many have embraced Islam or have explored African traditions; young adults today include complaints about the church not doing enough to address racial injustice on their long list of reasons for leaving church.
But for vast numbers, both centuries ago and now, Christianity motivated and uplifted with the promise of heavenly rewards and the possibility that their reward might come on earth, too. Christianity brought enslaved Africans “this powerful and profound sense of hope,” Pierce said. “That Jesus would return. That there is a life and world after this life. That what is going on with the human body, the mortal realm, is just temporary. That there is eternity. That you will be rewarded, you will experience joy and peace and comfort. … That this God is a God of transformation.
“No wonder it was embraced.”
That conversion did not come without questioning the faith that brought both oppression and liberation.
“More than anything, this challenged them the most: The challenge of believing in a God that at the time was used to intend to pacify, but still believing in the God that could provide freedom,”
Moody said.
The religion of black Christians and white Christians is constructed on the same tenets — the belief in an almighty God, Jesus Christ as savior and the Holy Spirit as comforter. But the division that began with such wildly divergent interpretations of the Bible’s message about slavery would only expand. As of 2014, 80% of American churchgoers attended churches where at least 80% of the congregation is of only one race, according to Pew Research Center.
“The church gave spiritual sanction [to racism], both overtly by the things that it taught and covertly by the critique that it did not raise,” said Bishop Claude Alexander, who leads The Park Church in Charlotte, N.C.
Different Priorities
Political priorities vary widely. White evangelicals tend to be more focused on issues such as abortion and sexuality, while many black Christians rate issues of economic and racial inequality and criminal justice higher, Alexander said.
“How does one account for that difference in priority when these groups basically believe the same thing?” he asked. “If I’ve never experienced oppression or marginalization outside of the womb, then it’s easy for me to make what happens inside the womb a priority.”
“There’s no quote-unquote ‘theology’ that’s not shaped by context,” Alexander said, adding that racialized violence is the context that has always shaped America and the American church, Alexander said. “It was the amniotic fluid out of which our nation was born.”
But Alexander is looking to change the context. He is working on putting together groups of leaders — such as the presidents of predominantly white evangelical colleges and the presidents of historically black colleges; the ministers of influential white churches and influential black churches — who will travel together on what Alexander terms “pilgrimages.”
They will travel together to the sites of America’s unhealed racial wounds. To the lynching memorial in Montgomery, Ala. To Charleston, N.C.’s, harbor, where so many enslaved people were transported that, to this day, 60% of black people can trace their history back to that bloody port. To Virginia, where the first enslaved Africans set foot on this soil in 1619.
Perhaps, he hopes, they will leave their pilgrimage ready to face the fifth century since then with a bit more grace.
Chantelle Gary said her daughter, Normandie Alise Cormier, has always been an “ambitious kid.” At 18, Cormier has already tutored 146 adults, helping them pass exams to obtain their high school equivalency diploma or gain entry into graduate school.
Cormier, however, set another ambitious standard this month. After graduating with double honors from both Early College Academy and South Louisiana Community College in Lafayette, Cormier has been accepted into more than 139 colleges and five medical schools, including international institutions in Spain, Italy, Switzerland and South Africa, according to a news release Tuesday (May 28).
Cormier also received a collective total of $8.7 million in scholarship offers, including 17 full rides, according to the release. In a statement, Cormier said she’s planning to attend Xavier University due to its reputation as the top producer of black doctors nationwide.
“It’s been a long journey with lots of obstacles but with a positive mindset, everything I put my mind to was within reach,” Cormier stated.
Cormier told The Acadiana Advocate she applied to dozens of schools through the Common Application and the Common Black College Application. She plans to enroll at Xavier in the fall to complete her bachelor’s degree on a pre-med track, with the goal of becoming a surgeon. Cormier credits her success to her single mother, who homeschooled Cormier along with her brother, according to the release.
Cormier not only overcame poverty and bullying, but she was also bedridden in a hospital a few months before graduation. The Advocate reported Cormier developed an immune system disorder at age 2 that led to frequent hospital stays while she was growing up.
Cormier has also immersed herself in entrepreneurship since the age of 12, according to the release. In high school, she started three initiatives focused on tutoring and youth mentoring, and she was only 15 when she presented her first business seminar in Las Vegas alongside her mother, according to the release.
Cormier received recognitions of academic excellence from U.S. Presidents Barack Obama in 2015 and Donald Trump in 2018, according to the release. This summer she will be honored at a ceremony in California with a GE-Reagan Foundation scholarship and award of $40,000 in memory of former President Ronald Reagan. Cormier will also receive a Community Champion award this July.
“It’s such a surreal feeling knowing there’s light before the end of the tunnel and it starts with being humble and counting every blessing,” Cormier stated.
Are there zones in your garden that have lost their former attractiveness, and you would like to renovate them to make your beloved a surprise? We have prepared a whole bunch of easy and quick ideas for you to get inspired, so that next season, you can take up the “tuning” of your garden possessions with new forces! Choose the project for yourself and amaze your loved one.
1. More potted plants!
As usual, beautiful flowering pottery pieces will help to camouflage the unattractive corner for transplanting.
2. Meadow with wildflowers
This idea is so cool because you will be able to walk in the meadow among fragrant plants, even if very small, without leaving the gate of your garden. What a romantic gift to your partner – planting some wildflowers!
3. Creative decor
You can use the shells of snails to make small decorations for the flower bed. Simple wooden or bamboo sticks will serve as a support and put the shells on top of them. These pieces are also suitable for decorating flower boxes and pots.
4. Silent alley
One place to rest is good, but a few are even better. Especially if the path to a nook will run along the alley planted with wisteria and ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas.
5. Woodpile in a new role
Another great idea to surprise your partner. If you ever date Russian women, take this into consideration because they love gardening! A neatly folded firewood can be easily turned into a protective screen – behind it, you can place a trash container or equip a place to make compost. In order for the construction to be stable, tie or glue it together making a stable back panel.
6. Unexpected accent
The boulder, which was placed on a gravel bed, can be used to divide the motley flower garden into zones, making the picture more dynamic. It is surrounded by fescue, sage ‘Purpurascens’ and red barberry. In the background, (Sisyrinchium striatum can be planted.
7. Fancy retro decor
If there is no place for a pond in the garden at all, you can always make your own interpretation of it. Like the one that is made of zinc buckets planted with algae and cranes in antique style. Place the buckets as if plants are pouring out of them.
8. Paradise
In a small area covered with gravel dumping, a fountain can be placed. Surrounded by rudbeckia with pink flowers, Echinacea, Pennisetum foxtail, and Monard, this place begs you to sit down and enjoy the beautiful view.
9. Edging for the flower bed
Border it with a low brick wall, and a vegetable garden or flower bed will look neat and tidy. In addition, stones accumulate heat, which has a beneficial effect on the development of plants. Potted daisies can gently emphasize the rural charm of this corner
10. Want a bright contrast?
Then you are welcome! Blue flowers of cornflower or orange marigolds enhance the brightness of each other’s colors. Both plants are annuals. Plant them and enjoy vivid colors. Calendula should be sown from April to June, blue cornflower – preferably in April, but you can do it until June. Why not create such a bright ensemble?
11. Let there be light!
Moisture-resistant colored paper lanterns suspended in the trees will light up the open-air party and add mood, and in the daytime, they will not go unnoticed. Important advice: they do not need electricity, the flashlights are powered by ordinary batteries.
12. An interesting approach
Who said that the trickle should flow only among lush greenery and that grassy perennials could not grow on the terrace among the plates? Our idea is to create the design of the walkway among the mini-flower garden on the summer terrace which will resemble the flow of water. Agree, a very original decision.
13. The higher, the better
To make a spectacular accent in the flower garden, you can use the original garden obelisk. And the more graceful, more beautiful, and higher it will be, the better! Use bright details – this is a simple and fast way to make the garden a lot more beautiful!
14. Music of the Light
After a hard day’s work, nothing is more relaxing than a gathering with loved ones on a cozy bench in the garden. And to create a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere, place candlesticks with flickering candles next to a place to relax.
15. White walls as a background for vegetation
Design a small patio, as if it were a part of an interior. White ink is often used to enhance the brightness of a small space. With white brickwork and white garden furniture, you get an attractive summer terrace, which has a serious, airy and bright style.
16. Greens on the fence
Use the fence to add color and greenery to the garden corner. Growing plants on the fence or vertical grating plants are the perfect solution for a small area. Vertically overgrown fence distracts attention from a small courtyard.
Cybercrime has hit the headlines again in recent weeks with the head of the National Crime Agency – Lynne Owens – asking the British government for £1.1 billion a year to combat the growing threat of technology.
According to a 2016 study by the Ponemon Institue the global cost of cybercrime will reach $6 trillion by the year 2021. Fiendish criminals on the Dark Web grab the headlines when it comes to cybercrime but they are not the biggest threat to the average internet user.
The average person is more likely to fall foul of insurance fraudsters and data thieves than serious criminals on the internet. In this article we tell you everything you need to know about cybercrime as well as taking a look at an industry that is leading the way in protecting their customers.
(The threat of cybercrime in the UK is rising.)
Data is gold
In the past decade the internet has transformed the way that we carry out our daily activities. We buy, sell and bank on the internet on an almost daily basis handing over our sensitive personal data every time we do so.
This data is gold to fraudsters who actively seek to get it by any means possible. Once your sensitive data has been breached fraudsters can; steal your identity, make fraudulent cash withdrawalsor take out loans in your name to name but a few.
The most common techniques used by fraudsters
Phishing:Every day hundreds of thousands of fake emails are sent out from fraudsters pretending to be a reputable company. The scamsters will usually impersonate a trusted company that you use such as favourite supermarket or your bank.
In these emails you will be told of a problem with your account and given ‘quick and easy’ instructions to rectify the issue. To do this you’ll have to click on a link within the email that will take you to an external site where you’ll enter your login details.
Once you’ve done that the fraudsters have won. They have obtained your login details and if that’s for your online banking they will be able to withdraw and transfer your money. If the details are for a retailer they can place high value orders to a destination of your choice and reap the rewards.
In the summer of 2018 cybercriminals posed as HMRCand emailed people to notify them of their outstanding tax rebates. To claim this customers had to enter their bank account details in order to receive the money by BACS transfer. Instead thousands of people across the UK fell victim to the scam and lost huge sums of money.
(HMRC have been victim to a series of elaborate phishing scams on multiple occasions in the past.)
Drug deliveries: When you hear the words ‘drug trafficking’ the image that pops up in your head is one of a well-oiled organisation shipping drugs cross-continent through hi-tech means. Instead one of the most common ways to send drugs is via the postal service, it’s largely anonymous and risk free for traffickers.
All of the risk is placed on the recipient and fraudsters mitigate this risk by hacking people’s personal data to send drugs and other items to their address. Similar to the phishing threat the fraudsters will either obtain their victims addresses through phishing or hacking.
Once they have this they will organise a series of packages to be sent to these addresses, employing someone as a go-between to pose as the recipient and grab the package from the postman before it is delivered.
If they are unsuccessful in this you could end up with an unexpected delivery of illegal goods. Even worse, the police could get wind of the scam and go after you instead of the fraudsters and traffickers.
Gambling: An industry leading the fight back against cybercrime
In 2018 sweeping changes were made to the Data Protection Act in the United Kingdom that affected date regulations all around the world. The move by the authorities was made to impose tighter restrictions on companies handling sensitive data who had previously been lax with their customers’ data.
One industry that wasn’t worried by these restrictions was online gambling which had been leading the way in security terms for the best part of a decade. Online gambling has been one of the fastest growth industries in the UK & worldwide since the late nineties.
Revenues for the industry grew to almost £5 billion last year and one of the reasons that customers keep coming back to websites offering online slots, casino games and more is because they trust them.
A trusted online gaming site will offer users safety and protection through displaying a dedicated section on their website full of details on the measures they use to keep players’ money safe. Online gambling companies not only deal with thousands of high-value transactions a day, but they hold vitally sensitive personal data on their customers. Safeguarding these transactions and the data involved in them is of the utmost importance to online gambling providers.
(Online gambling companies have gone to great lengths to ensure your data is safe.)
How do online gambling companies protect their customers?
Payment service providers: Every registered gambling website must use a recognised payment service provider to process payments to and from their customers. Only a select few providers are licensed to provide these services to gambling companies such are the stringent regulations in place in the industry.
Gambling licences: The online gambling industry is heavily regulated by the British government and to operate within the country they must obtain a licence to do so. Obtaining a gambling licence to operate in the UK can take up to 12 months and providers must demonstrate their ability to protect their customers from cybercrime in order to gain their licence.
Encryption: All personal data held on you by an online gambling provider will be heavily encrypted as soon as you input it. This means that the data you provide to the company will be changed into a different format once, twice or even more than this to protect it from hackers.
The threat of cybercrime is not going to go away, in fact the threat is likely to increase in the next decade or so. As technology improves and adapts, so do fraudsters who are looking to steal your money or your data.
There are steps that you can take individually to protect your own sensitive data such as implementing strong passwords. There are times however when you simply have to rely on the security procedures of a company that you are using. Make sure you research a company’s online safety rating before handing over potentially damaging personal data.
According to a 2016 study by the Ponemon Institue the global cost of cybercrime will reach $6 trillion by the year 2021. Fiendish criminals on the Dark Web grab the headlines when it comes to cybercrime but they are not the biggest threat to the average internet user.The average person is more likely to fall foul of insurance fraudsters and data thieves than serious criminals on the internet. In this article we tell you everything you need to know about cybercrime as well as taking a look at an industry that is leading the way in protecting their customers
African Americans have been
supported throughout the years by amazing community institutions that have
educated, empowered, and emboldened generations. Through engagement with
organizations like HBCUs, the black church, and community groups, we leverage
the strength of our collective to build our own legacies and live our best
lives.
#StoryTime : At the turn of the
20th century, although Black students were finally being admitted into
universities, they weren’t fully integrated into university life. Black Greek
letter organizations, known as the Divine Nine, were founded to provide them
with a safe space to cultivate Black identity, and foster academic excellence,
leadership skills, and an overarching mission to strengthen the community.
Many members of Black Greekdom have become trailblazers—disrupting industries, breaking boundaries, and making history that we’ve all benefited from. Today, we’re highlighting five famous fraternity members, who are dedicated to their letters for the life, and have adopted community involvement as their motto.
Terrence J
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 09: Terrence J attends 2019 Roc Nation THE BRUNCH on February 9, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation )
This blockbuster movie star, and former 106 & Park host, joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. while attending North Carolina A&T State University. During a White House panel, Terrence J shared: “When I was 17 years old just going into college, completely rough around the edges and unfocused and my first semester I don’t think I got past a 2.3 maybe a 2.5 that first semester. But I remember being there, for the four years and working with different professors and joining Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and getting in with the right crowd and meeting the right people and just really being mentored and nurtured by the right guidance. By the time I graduated college, I graduated with a 3.6 [GPA], I was the student body president, I was at the forefront of my class with a lot of different job prospects.” (1) His membership in Omega Psi Phi played a role in shaping his life and career, allowing him to show up as the person we all know and love. He is currently the National Ambassador for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Omari
Hardwick
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 09: Omari Hardwick attends 12th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at American Museum of Natural History on December 09, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/WireImage)
Yep, Ghost from Power is an Alpha, y’all! The famous actor pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. in 1996 at the University of Georgia. Though he’s your favorite character to hate on screen, in real life, this self-proclaimed renaissance man routinely helps Black students gain access to the notoriously segregated tv and film industry. As a trailblazer, his genuine support has helped others contribute to greater representation!
Colin Kaepernick
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 06: Colin Kaepernick attends The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Colin Kaepernick, the trailblazing celebrity activist, and former San Francisco 49ner, pledged the Xi Phi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. at the University of Nevada, Reno. During the NFL’s 2016-2017 season, Kaepernick began kneeling during the National Anthem in protest of racial injustice. “He took a knee for us, so we need to stand up for him,” radio host Mark Thompson shared, echoing the Black community’s support for Kaepernick. His courage led to him being named one of Time’s Most Influential People, and one of the faces of the new Civil Rights Movement.
Kurt
Carr
ATLANTA, GA – JULY 09: Singer Kurt Carr of Kurt Carr and the Kurt Carr Singers performs during the McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour at Georgia World Congress Center on July 9, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Kurt Carr, the two-time Grammy nominated legendary composer and performer, pledged Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. at the University of Connecticut. His newly released single “Bless Somebody Else,” is the theme of his life for this season, and is definitely in alignment with the principles of Black Greek life. In fact, a portion of proceeds from the single will benefit several charities.
Terrence
Carson
LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 30: Terrence C. Carson attends a special taping hosted by TV One in celebration of the network’s Living Single 25th anniversary marathon on July 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images)
Terrence Connor Carson also known as T.C. Carson, who played the debonair Kyle Barker on the trailblazing FOX sitcom Living Single, attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He became a member of the Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. in 1981. Although Carson has landed major roles since then, the impact Living Single had on our community was significant. The entire cast was a beautiful and accurate portrayal of Black life, one that the world needed to see at that time.
(1)Xonecole
(2)RCA Inspiration
In the comments below, tell us about a man who you believe is trailblazing, and representing their fraternity well!
Premier Health president and CEO Mary Boosalis presented a $25,000 check to Wilberforce University this week to support the university’s #WilberforceUnite campaign.
Premier Health’s Mary Boosalis
Funds raised during the campaign will be used to improve campus facilities, academic programs, student services and faculty and staff development at the historically Black institution in Wilberforce, Ohio. Leaders have a goal to raise $2 million by June 30, 2019.
“On behalf of the Wilberforce University family, I express heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the generous gift from Premier Health to support the Wilberforce Unite Campaign,” said Wilberforce president Dr. Elfred Anthony Pinkard. “This gift will allow us to continue the important work of the Wilberforce Renaissance and is tangible evidence of the strong partnership between Wilberforce and Premier Health in this work of institutional transformation. I want to especially acknowledge and thank Premier Health president and CEO and Wilberforce University Board of Trustee member Mary Boosalis for her confidence in and on-going support of Wilberforce University.”
The first African-American male valedictorian at his high school in Georgia is coming to North Carolina for college.
And a video of him rapping to celebrate his achievements has amassed nearly half a million views.
Rawlin Tate Jr. took 21 AP classes, has a 4.7 GPA, “received over $1 million in scholarship offers” and is the first black male to be valedictorian in Woodland High School’s history, according to the school. Now he’s going to North Carolina A&T State University on a full academic scholarship, the high school said.
“You are an inspiration to many and we are so proud of all of your accomplishments,” the school said in a Facebook post.
“Congratulations!! Welcome to #Aggieland,” North Carolina A&T State University wrote.
Tate tweeted that he was also ranked number one in his class for seven years in a row, was accepted to 14 collegesand was a member of seven national honors societies.
He’s also a recording artist, an oboist, a concert pianist and an athlete on two varsity sports teams, according to his Twitter.
He showed off his musical chops in a video posted to Twitter.
#ncat#NCAT23#valedictorian#BlackExcellence 1. First African American male Valedictorian in Woodland History 2. “4.7 GPA I just secured the bag”🤪 3. #1 of my class for 7 years STRAIGHT 4. A Georgia Scholar 5. Over 1.2 million dollars in scholarships pic.twitter.com/lklhMVZjgp
“I’ve always been high achieving but to this degree — I’ve never really experienced this,” Tate told 11Alive. “I didn’t even know what a valedictorian was going into high school. I’ve just kept doing what I was doing, and now I’m here.”
Did you know that the earliest traces of the ever popular “Memorial Day” holiday began with former slaves more than 150 years ago?
It’s no secret that hundreds of thousands of Black soldiers and laborers served in Union armies.
Following the American Civil War, in 1865, a group of slaves worked together to dig up 257 dead Union soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave nearly a month after the battle.
Condemned to a life of oppression and inhumanity, the former slaves wanted to honor and properly bury the soldiers who fought and died for their freedom, properly.
After 2 weeks of digging and locating the fallen heroes, the celebration of life and newly-gained freedom commenced, with a parade of 10,000 people, led by 3,000 black children singing and marching.
History books will quote the holiday began in 1868, but, like much else in America, the ACTUAL origin dates back years prior, and came from our melanated brothers and sisters.
In the late 1990s, a dusty archive at Harvard University was found and it recounts the former slaves’ commemoration. Now known as Memorial Day, the holiday began as “Decoration Day,” stemming from the decorating of the soldiers’ graves.
Happy Memorial Day. We honor those who fought for our peace and advancement of life.
Many people dream of owning a small business. Owning a company is ideal for people who are naturally creative, are visionaries, and want freedom from the daily toil of a corporate job. However, launching a small business is not solely about having enough capital or a great idea. A would-be entrepreneur should also have the courage to take risks, a great imagination to be innovative, and the self-discipline to sustain the work needed to attain set goals. Here are some important considerations to think about before launching a small business.
BASE YOUR BUSINESS ON SOMETHING YOU LOVE DOING
A business has a higher chance to succeed if it is based on its owner’s passion. Entrepreneurs tend to work harder and enjoy what they’re doing if they love the business. If you love animals, you will naturally enjoy any pet-related company. If you like to cook, you’ll be better off opening a restaurant. A business will not be all work (and no play) if you are also enjoying it.
KNOW THE FINANCIAL SIDE OF THE BUSINESS YOU WANT TO ENTER
Passion and a love for food and cooking will not automatically translate to being a successful restaurateur. The difference between a business entrepreneur and an enthusiast is the financial know-how of the former. Knowing how to cook excellent meals will not necessarily lead you to customers and profit. Before you enter into a business, make sure that you explore not only the creative and production side of the process, but also the marketing, financial, and costing aspects as well. Make sure you’re using the latest accounting technology like quickbooks enterprise hosting for payroll processing and business invoicing.
CREATE A BUSINESS PLAN
A business plan is your outline of goals to be achieved at a particular time. The plan also includes details on how you will achieve these goals. Putting your ideas into writing will provide you a more unobstructed view of your business. Small details can be easily omitted when you’re just planning in your head. A business plan can also serve as your timeline of achievements and how far you are in your endeavors. No matter how small you plan to be, make a business plan.
BUILD YOUR CUSTOMER BASE
More than it relies on its investors, suppliers, and employees, a business enterprise relies on its customers. Every customer is vital to a business. Getting started on a small business means building your customer base. Before you invest in a business venture, make sure that you are assured of sales from a customer base that will cover your operating expenses.
GET FUNDING AND OTHER SUPPORT
It is tough to start a business without any help from the people around you. You will need sufficient funding to start up your business. Even if you have enough capital, you will still need the support of your family and from the experts. Some business aspects, like accounting, building your store, or designing your business website, are better handled by experienced and skilled professionals.
CREATE A UNIQUE PRODUCT OR SERVICE IDENTITY
Create something that will make the customers come to you. Offering a product or a service that is similar to those already in the market is risky. Why would a satisfied consumer switch to you if they were already getting this product or service from other providers? Developing a unique identity for your product or service will elicit interest, or at least enough for customers to give it a try. You can also try re-selling some of the popular global brands or start providing consultancy services for some IT operations like exchange to office 365 migration.
A business venture’s success is almost always dependent on how it was started. Moreover, getting started is also the hardest part of establishing your own small business. First-time entrepreneurs are always encouraged to seek help, especially on things that they are not confident in accomplishing. Paying someone to do it right is a small cost compared to entirely losing the business due to incompetence.
This post was written by Jeff Shuford, a writer at Black Enterprise, where it was originally published. It is published here with permission.
ALBANY, Ga. (WFXL) — Alumni from Historically Black Colleges or Universities, or HBCUs, met at Albany State University Tuesday, May 14 to discuss the future of HBCUs.
After a senate bill was proposed in early April, Albany State University students, alumni, City Commissioner Jon Howard and others are hosting events with the goal to save HBCUs.
Senate Bill 273 which has since been revised, originally proposed Albany State University, Fort Valley State University and Savannah State University would combine under one name, The Georgia Agriculture and Mechanical University System.
Under the latest version, Senate Bill 278, each institution of the university system will remain separate from each other.
The text of the new bill says that the school’s board be composed of 19 members:
11 appointed by the Governor
One appointed by the Presiding Officer of the Senate
One appointed by the Speaker of the House
Two appointed by the Local Board of Trustees of each institution of the university system
Albany State Adjunct Professor and Graduate of Morehouse College, James Pratt, Jr. and others believe this appointment process could potentially be problematic.
“We know that politics being involved in education can often be detrimental to minority groups and those on the margins, particularly given the history of HBCUs,” said Pratt, Jr. “We see the consolidation efforts across the nation from Maryland and Mississippi which has decreased funding for HBCUs, decreased resources, decreased recruitment, and the admission of students that need the history and the culture of HBCUs.”
Commissioner Jon Howard says there will be other similar events in the future.
Queen Bey pulled in a big crowd on Netflix with the premiere of “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé” last month — with an audience that was overwhelmingly young, black and female, according to Nielsen.
On its premiere date (April 17), the concert film on Netflix reached 1.1 million U.S. viewers and garnered an average minute audience of 828,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. The film — following Beyoncé and her performance at 2018 Coachella, which paid homage to America’s historically black colleges and universities — received a similar average minute viewing audience over the course of the next few days heading into the April 20-21 weekend.
“Homecoming” didn’t register as big an audience as other recent, high-profile Netflix originals, including “Bird Box” (3.5 million viewers on its premiere day)and Will Smith’s “Bright” (5.4 million), as measured by Nielsen. The research firm was unable to provide estimates for other Netflix concert specials, like Bruce Springsteen’s “Springsteen on Broadway” or Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” stadium tour.
It’s worth pointing out that Nielsen’s estimates do not provide a complete picture of Netflix viewing. Nielsen’s SVOD Content Ratings cover only the U.S. and track viewing only on internet-connected TVs (excluding mobile devices and computers). Given the youth-skewing makeup of the “Homecoming” viewership, the exclusion of mobile may have resulted in a sizable undercount of the total actual audience.
What’s notable is the predominantly young, female and African-American composition of the viewers who watched the Beyoncé special.
On premiere day, the film’s audience was 63% African-American, Nielsen found. Within the first seven days of release, the “Homecoming” viewership was 55% African-American within its first seven days — higher than any other original streaming series or film tracked by Nielsen to date. “Bird Box”’s audience was the closest, with an audience that was 24% African-American. Hispanics were 15% of “Homecoming”’s audience and Asians accounted for 5% in the first seven days.
Beyoncé’s Netflix special also skewed heavily female. Within the first seven days of its premiere, the film’s audience was 70% female, more than Netflix’s “Orange Is The New Black” season 6 (66%), “House of Cards” season 6 (54%) and “Bird Box” (57%). In addition, 43% of “Homecoming”’s audience 18-34, 12% were 2-17 and 27% adults ages 35-49, according to Nielsen.
On the social front, “Homecoming” had 757,000 interactions across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter over its first week, most of which were driven by organic content. By comparison, that’s more than three times Netflix’s “Springsteen on Broadway” special (225,000 interactions across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter over its first 7 days following its Dec. 15, 2018).
Among the most-engaging pieces of social content for “Homecoming” came from Michelle Obama on Instagram, in a video congratulating Beyoncé for raising the bar as well as her celebration and promotion of diversity in the movie.
Of the 757,000 total interactions measured around “Homecoming” in the first week, 65% occurred on Twitter, 33% occurred on Instagram, and just 2% occurred on Facebook, according to Nielsen.
“Homecoming” came to Netflix under a three-project deal with Beyoncé worth $60 million, Variety reported last month. The price tag for the “Homecoming” special was around $20 million. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is credited as executive producer, writer and director of the film.
“This is the first time in recent memory that we have had an admitted student this young. Sydney has shared with us that she intends to enroll. We are excited to welcome her to campus in the fall, along with the rest of the incoming class,” Ingrid Hayes, vice president of enrollment management, said in a statement.
Sydney said she plans to study biology. She will live on campus and spend weekends at home, at least during the first semester.
The teenager and her family live in Stonecrest. Growing up in south DeKalb County, Sydney said she rarely watched TV with the exception of animal documentaries. She loved being outdoors — digging in the dirt, searching for bugs and frogs, pretending to make food out of leaves. She went to a Montessori school until she was about 6 years old. She and her family credit that schooling with putting her on a pathway to success.
“A Montessori gives you what you are ready for, and she just kept going,” said Sydney’s father, Byron Wilson. Wilson is the founder of Wilson Academy, a private school in Lithonia.
After attending the Montessori school, Sydney was home schooled for a couple years, then attended a private school. But by the time she was 10, it was clear she didn’t need to be in elementary school, but high school. So Sydney, who is one of five daughters, started attending the school her father founded.
Sydney said she has always had a good work ethic and enjoys being challenged academically. She also loves to cook and plays soccer at a competitive level. Still, she said, she’s just a kid.
“People might think I am separate from the rest of people my age, but there are some facets of my life when I am still just a kid,” she said. “I still like to play LEGOs, and I think it’s cool to still play with LEGOs.”
In the past, she sometimes struggled to fit in with other kids — those her age, as well as her classmates who were as much as seven years older. But she’s come to peace with challenging social dynamics.
“I have been in the middle and torn between two worlds,” she said. “I could be in a classroom and not be invited to parties and it did use to affect me. But not everyone is willing to accept me, and I had to learn sometimes people are not going to be as openhearted, and that’s OK.”
Atlanta teen may be youngest student ever admitted to Spelman College.
Over time, she’s developed close friendships and has two best friends — both of whom are girls graduating from high school.
And now, the straight-A student, who was still 13 when she received her acceptance letter from Spelman, looks forward to going to the Atlanta college, where she already feels welcome.
September 26, 2018 Atlanta – General campus photo of Spelman College on Wednesday, September 26, 2018. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COMPhoto: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Spelman College is No. 51 on the list of the Best National Liberal Arts Colleges, tying with Agnes Scott, Dickinson and Rhodes colleges, as well as Furman University, according to the 2019 U.S. News & World Report’s list of college rankings. Spelman was also listed as No. 1 among Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the 12th year in a row and was included on the list of the nation’s most innovative liberal arts colleges.
“I am so excited to be in the sisterhood,” said Sydney. “So many women have reached out to me and have been very nice and supportive, and I am so excited to see what my life will be at Spelman.”
Recently, I had the opportunity to connect with my cousins who are Morehouse men from different generations. Given the difference in time when attending Morehouse, they all provided unique perspectives of policy changes at the institution over the years. One particular policy change that sparked much conversation was Morehouse College’s recent transgender policy. Morehouse College’s transgender policy comes seven years after their appropriate attire policy. The policy covers the dress code norms regarding what should be worn and who can wear specific types of clothing.
As a graduate of multiple historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), I have seen first-hand the high regard HBCUs hold themselves to regarding diversity and support of educating the next generation of African-American men and women. HBCUs play a critical role in providing social environments and experiences that promote diverse student populations. Unfortunately, when we talk about diversity, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students are often excluded from the conversation. The gaps in federal educational policy and a lack of institutional policy fails to address queer issues and leaves college students that identify as Queer unprotected from discrimination.
Denise A. Smith
Traditionally, HBCUs have been places that nurture students and promote diversity. However, when it comes to embracing LGBTQ students, many HBCUs fall short of identifying the best ways to be inclusive on campus. HBCUs have a reputation for being conservative places. Many HBCUs were founded through alignment with religious entities which have deterred HBCUs from engaging in conversations around LGBTQ issues or adopting policies to further ensure students are not discriminated against.
The Campus Pride HBCU Clearinghouse, provides the most up-to-date resources for HBCUs. The website highlights the core policies and program that will help a HBCU determine where they are in terms of LGBTQ-inclusive policies, programs and practices. Georgia has 10 HBCUs across the state, nine out of the 10 meets at least one of the 14 criteria on the Campus Pride LGBTQ Checklist. Campus Pride has also been recommended by researchers who suggest that higher education institutions should use to determine where colleges stand in regard to inclusivity and anti-discriminatory policies.
When reviewing the Campus Pride database, Morehouse College made their Dean’s list, meeting 7 out of the 14 criteria which includes: an active LGBTQ student organization, an ally program or safe space, and a special lavender or rainbow graduation ceremony, just to name a few. After visiting the Morehouse College website their transgender policy was accessible, however information about their student support resources regarding their student organizations and safe spaces were inaccessible for a prospective student that aspire to be Morehouse Men. The steps HBCUs are taking to protect students from discrimination while on campus, is subtle and needs to be intentionally woven into the campus culture, and publicly accessible. Unfortunately, this information could not be found on the Morehouse College website.
Due to the historical stigmatizing of LGBTQ students, there needs to be policy recommendations that will address the lack of inclusivity and educational policy that protect college students within the LGBTQ HBCU community in Georgia.
It is important for Morehouse College to promote their inclusive program and resources that support queer students and share how they have been implemented. This would provide clarity of any concerns regarding policies that prevent discrimination and promote inclusivity amongst the student population as well as a case study for other colleges.
HBCUs employ faculty and staff from many different generations. Due to the generational divide it’s important faculty and staff are exposed to mandatory training on gender identify and expression. This training should also be woven into student orientation and student events to augment their understanding and acceptance of gender diversity. These training and inclusion in programming will ensure nondiscriminatory policies and practices are implemented effectively. Change is hard but necessary when it comes to providing Black students with the best education and experience achievable.
Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, the sixth president of Morehouse College, encouraged students to generate and challenge ideas, which promoted freedom of expression, therefore developing future leaders. As an advocate for students and empowering them to make positive change, it is important for me to highlight the importance of institutional policies that are inclusive of all the students that colleges and universities serve. Regardless of a student’s innate gender identity, HBCUs should keep with their legacy of race uplift, calling out discrimination, and provide an inclusive campus environment for all their students. I am so happy that Morehouse is moving in this direction.
Raylynn Thompson is set to graduate from Oklahoma’s Muskogee High School with a 4.7 GPA and as the No. 1 student her class, a feat she was told could never happen because of the color of her skin.
According to Tulsa World, Thompson was approached in Walmart by a woman who had seen her leaked transcript and was told: “Black people can’t be valedictorians.”
“That’s not the only racist comments I’ve heard … I just use those kinds of things to propel me,” the 18-year-old told the local news publication. “If you say I can’t do something, I’m going to go ahead and do it just to prove you wrong. I’m not going to let your words define me.”
Now that she has proved the naysayer wrong, Thompson has offered the woman an invitation to her graduation.
Contrary to the unidentified woman’s racist remark, the Muskogee High’s principal Kim Fleak revealed the school had previously had Black valedictorians.
In addition to being a top student at her high school, Thompson was also taking college course at both Indian Capital Technology Center and Connors State College. She earned more than 30 college credits.
The 18-year-old was also accepted into over 60 colleges, including Oklahoma State University, Texas A&M and the University of Missouri.The scholarship offers are approximately valued at $1 million. According to The Claremore Daily Progress, Thompson decided on Alcorn State University, a historically Black college located northwest of Lorman, Mississippi.
“Alcorn State not only offered me a full-ride (scholarship), they have the most undergraduates that go off to medical school,” she stated. “I know that they’re preparing their students fully for the future.”
Thompson’s goal is to become a neonatologist, a pediatric specialist focused on ill or premature newborns.
The Muskogee High School graduation will take place on May 25.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Before each game, Clarence Carter III glances across the diamond as the opposing team warms up. He peeks in the dugout, scans the outfield and takes inventory around the infield during batting practice, counting how many African-Americans he can spot on the other team.
This is not an unusual drill for African-Americans playing in the major leagues, where their numbers have dwindled in recent decades, or in the similarly exclusive world of youth travel baseball.
But what makes this exercise striking is that Carter, a junior infielder at Bethune-Cookman University, plays for — and often against — one of America’s historically black colleges.
“It did catch me by surprise; I’m not going to lie,” said Carter, who transferred to Bethune-Cookman from a community college in Fullerton, Calif. “I would have thought coming to an H.B.C.U. there would be more black people, but things aren’t always what you expect.”
While baseball’s struggles to attract African-American talent and fans are well documented, the depth of the issue comes into sharper relief for teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, a group of historically black colleges and universities stretching from Maryland to Florida. At each of the nine MEAC colleges that compete in baseball, the baseball teams often feature more white and Latino players than African-Americans.
Consider the standard-bearer for the conference, Bethune-Cookman, which has won 19 MEAC championships and plays its home games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, the same field where Robinson first suited up for a game after signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. At times this season, the Wildcats have not started a single African-American player.
