An Alcorn State University alumnus’ dedication to creating products to better society has received a patent for one of his creations that would benefit those who are active in high temperatures.
Dr. Charles Magee, who earned a bachelor’s degree in general agriculture in 1970, was awarded a patent for his invention of a solar adiabatic cooling apparatus. The device that Magee calls a solar evaporative cooling vest was created to provide cooling for individuals in tropical environments. The apparatus is designed for a person’s upper body to cool the surrounding ambient air 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit.
“I envision users such as soldiers, football teams, fans at outdoor sporting events, hikers, forest fire fighters, landscape, and field workers would benefit from my product because it will allow them to stay cool and more comfortable while they work in the sun,” said Magee, who serves as a biological systems engineering professor at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University.
Magee is known for his creative ability. His latest invention is his seventh creation to be awarded a patent. Currently, five of his creations, an anti-icing/reflective apparatus for automobile windshields and windows, osmotic bandage, an osmotic process and system for food production, and a process and system for rehydration, disinfection, sanitation, storage, and shipping of produce and flowers, have pending patents.
A critical factor in Magee’s motivation to invent a personal cooling system is the recorded instances of football players collapsing and even dying as a result of overheating and heat strokes. He feels that his product could put an end to such happenings.
“There is an abundance of high school, college, and professional football teams that could take advantage of this cooling system to prevent heat exhaustion during games and practices. There have been cases where players have collapsed due to heat exhaustion, and some have lost their lives due to heat strokes, which is one of my reasons for developing this creation. This invention could be a lifesaver.”
Magee currently is working on developing a prototype for his invention to test its functionality.
ATLANTA— The leadership of Sigma Pi Phi fraternity — also known as the Boulé — has made good on its promise to focus its attention on the current state of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities.
The focus, which has gained momentum under the leadership of Dr. Gregory J. Vincent, was on full display on Saturday, when the fraternity hosted a day long forum at Morehouse College dedicated to strategizing and providing best practices on how to recruit, retain and graduate Black students from these storied institutions.
Three panels included experts on HBCUs who also focused on leadership and governance, professional schools and federal, state and external challenges and opportunities for HBCUs.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor delivered the keynote address.
“I’ve been a member of the Boulé for several decades and the Boulé is making a focus on HBCUs and I think that’s an appropriate focus,” said Scott in an interview with Diverse. “HBCUs provide a significant portion of higher education opportunities for minorities and for African-Americans and we need to make sure that they stay alive, particularly in light of the attacks on affirmative action that are going on now in the courts.”
Dr. Michael Lomax, president of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) said that he has been a member of the Boulé for three decades and said that the UNCF has a strong relationship with the fraternity, manages a scholarship for them and has partnered on a number of philanthropic initiatives, including one in Dallas.
“What I am excited about is that this is really such an extraordinary network of high achieving African-American males who have influence all around the country,” said Lomax. “They’re beginning to look at how strategically to leverage their influence on behalf of issues they’re concerned about and higher education is one of them.”
As the nation grapples with a student debt crisis, HBCUs have been hardest hit, said panelists who said that philanthropy to these institutions have to be a central focus moving forward.
“Philanthropy has to be taught,” said Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., the civil rights stalwart, who attended Morehouse College and worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the civil rights movement. “It does not come automatically.”
Dr. David Wilson, president of Morgan State University reminded the audience that on the campuses of some HBCUs, many of the buildings bear the names of Carnegie, Rockefeller, DuPont — White philanthropists — who donated dollars to keep these institutions alive.
He said that today, wealthy African-Americans should assume that mantle.
“HBCUs are open for million dollar investments from Black millionaires. We don’t want Black millionaires in entertainment and sports and industry to not see an investment opportunity in HBCUs that White multi-millionaires saw a 100 years ago,” said Wilson. “I think that would be a terrible missed opportunity if this wealth that is being accumulated by Blacks doesn’t eventually make its way back to HBCUs.”
For years, the Boulé which was founded in Philadelphia in 1904 by a small group of physicians and medical professionals largely operated behind the scenes. But that is changing, as the fraternity has become more vocal on social justice issues.
Recently, it has partnered with Emory University to house its modern archives (the older archives are housed at Fisk University) and to digitized editions of the Boulé Journal, which is one of the oldest continuous African-American publications.
Jamal Watson can be reached at jwatson1@diverseeducation.com. You can follow him on Twitter @jamalericwatson
There has been significant discussion recently regarding the uptick in HBCU enrollment. In recent years, enrollment increases across the HBCU landscape have been attributed to a variety of reasons. Some cite the political atmosphere as a reason, noting that HBCUs serve as a reprieve for students fleeing overt racism and racial microaggressions present in communities and schools. For instance, all-star athlete and little league world series famed pitcher Mo’ne Davis explained that she wanted to attend an HBCU to connect with other young Black women and have an experience outside of the all-White schools she has attended as an adolescent. Others note the renewed interest and popularity of the Black tradition and Black aesthetic among a new generation of Millennials and Centennials.
Dr. LaToya Owens
While there have been numerous articlesfrom HBCU alum that highlight why they attended and in retrospect had a good experience at their institution, we rarely hear from current HBCU students, namely freshmen, who just made the decision to attend an HBCU. This outlook holds the potential to be very valuable to institutions, particularly enrollment management offices, as they strategize to appeal to a vastly different group of students than ever before. While HBCUs have historically used tradition, legacy, and word of mouth to attract students, new efforts may be required to attract a new group of students who is essentially “up for grabs” by higher education institutions. While alumni recruitment stories, including my own, are often skewed by the experience individuals had at the institution, talking to early career students can help us understand how they made decisions, how the institution measures up to their expectations, and what will keep them enrolled.
This blog documents interviews with three students currently attending private HBCUs to understand their journey to college and their current experience. I understand that this is not a representative sample. The aim here is to move beyond recruitment to a conversation on yield, retention, completion and student success, and to value the experience and perspective of young people on our campuses. In this effort, I talked to a diverse group of HBCU underclassmen about their experiences selecting an institution and what has happened since entering the campus.
The following was revealed as common themes in their experiences selecting institutions:
The consideration of a large pool of institutions (15 or more per student),
The importance of extra-curricular activities in connecting them to knowledge of HBCUs,
The lack of HBCU knowledge imparted by advisors or in traditional educational settings, and
Dissonance between how HBCU alum impart information and how these students receive college-choice information.
The students considered a multitude of factors in their college choice process and all entertained a variety of schools. They all noted that they applied to a varied number of institutions and visited every school they applied to as well. While students did not report receiving information about HBCUs from their school advisors, all three noted that adults involved in their extra-curricular programs offered them knowledge of HBCUs. Interestingly, the two students whose parents either attended or graduated from HBCUs felt their parents did not offer significant enough knowledge of the schools, as their experience only spoke to the institution they attended, and they desired information on the range of HBCUs. Students relayed the importance of becoming familiar with more institutions in the HBCU sector as they understood not all are created equal.
Amira Williams, a freshman at Clark Atlanta University (CAU) from Sacramento, California said that CAU was the only HBCU she applied to while in high school. While she never ruled out HBCUs, she applied to three PWIs and only one HBCU. In terms of making decisions regarding college, Amira noted that both of her parents have graduate degrees, so not attending college wasn’t really an option for her. Amira was president of her school’s Black Student Union in high school and felt that she learned more about HBCUs, outside of the fact that they were majority Black, through her involvement in the Union than from her parents, teachers or advisors. This was even though her father briefly attended Morehouse before transferring. She added, that while in her early high school years she was resistant to HBCU attendance, her continued experience at a high school with a small Black student body made her yearn for increased and continued connections with Black friends and the community. Thus, in terms of her college experience, she expected to learn more about the Black community and forge life-long friendships with like-minded young women. While she reports her expectations for friendships have been met and she is excited about her school involvement, one issue she noted was her lack of African-American or Black professors, as she views the classroom as an opportunity to learn beyond the textbook and believes her knowledge about the community and Black perspective will partly be facilitated by her classroom experience. She believes this is critical to fulfilling her college purpose of self-discovery.
Sierra Jennings, a first-year student at Bennett College from Charlotte, North Carolina, echoes the importance of extra-curricular programs in college decision processes, as she explained that an HBCU focused program, Campus Connections, was integral to her college decision process. The program, offered through a religious organization, offered Sierra the opportunity to learn about and visit a variety of HBCUs. She became interested in the program because both her parents and maternal grandmother are HBCU alum of North Carolina Central University and Bennett College. Though her parents advocated for their college, Sierra said the tour helped her gain an understanding of the culture of each campus. After seeing various campuses, Sierra chose to attend Bennett College over Hampton University because she saw herself as a Bennett Belle and she received a full scholarship offer. She also notes that she learned there was an HBCU for every kind of person and has thus become a big advocate for the institutions. She expects that her college experience will facilitate her development as a Black woman, as she believes the purpose of higher education is to learn more about oneself, the world and other people.
Like Amira and Sierra, Sharod Smalls, a first-generation college student and sophomore from the Bronx, New York attending Morehouse College, said that his high school pre-law program is where he learned about HBCUs beyond loose mentions of Howard University and Clark Atlanta University in social settings. His pre-law advisor counseled him to investigate Morehouse College. While he applied to 15 schools, when he began researching, he felt Howard and Morehouse stood out because of the successes of their alums and the connections the students and alums had to their respective institution. Additionally, he noticed that support and opportunities were different on campuses where students had more of a connection to faculty and staff. Ultimately, learning of his pastor’s Morehouse alumni status swayed his decision. Related to his expectations for college, since entering Morehouse he has had experiences ranging from internships to connections to pre-law programs that he feels he would not have had access to at a larger school or a predominately white institution, which is key as his purpose in attending school was to open doors to opportunities not available to his family or community.
For enrollment management offices, the thought processes highlighted in these interviews with Centennials is valuable. Consider these four takeaways:
First, the college search experiences shared by the students highlighted that culture was one of the most critical components of their decision as each student noted the need to visit each campus they considered to understand their “fit.” Second, cultural fit may also explain the uptick in enrollment at many institutions as potential students likely see themselves in the current students, as well as alumni and faculty and staff. Third, these student stories underscore an opportunity for HBCUs to forge partnerships with nontraditional educational organizations to ensure students are aware of the breadth of opportunities at the institutions, or even their existence.
Lastly, while HBCUs have long been dependent on the success of their alumni bases, the dearth in useful information imparted by alumni is important to understand. While students learned of the existence of these institutions, conversations with some alumni did not yield information they felt useful in their decision-making process. HBCUs have an opportunity to ensure that their alumni are aware of how the institution is developing yearly.
LaToya Russell Owens is the director of Learning and Evaluation for the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute at the United Negro College Fund.
Tytus Howard (1) of Alabama State to Houston Texans
The Houston Texans chose offensive tackle Tytus Howard of Alabama State Universitywith the 23rd overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, hoping he can help protect banged-up quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson was sacked an NFL-leading 62 times as Houston won the AFC South but lost to the Colts in the wild-card round. Watson played every game in his second year after having season-ending knee surgery as a rookie, but was hurt for a chunk of the season while dealing with a partially collapsed lung and broken ribs from taking hit after hit. General manager Brian Gaine said they became more impressed with Howard as the scouting process progressed.
"We have to have guys that can be bodyguards for Deshaun Watson man, and you're going to be that guy."
“I felt like with each interval he was able to pass each segment with flying colors,” Gaine said. “He made a very favorable impression as far the intangible profile, the person, the character that matched with the physical ability and the physical traits. We felt like he checked all the boxes.”
It was the just the second time Houston had selected an offensive lineman in the first round. The last was left tackle Duane Brown with the 26th pick in 2008. Howard was a quarterback in high school before growing into his 6-foot-5, 322-pound frame. He said working with the strength staff at Alabama State helped him transform his body, and he got a little help in that area from his fiancée’s cooking.
Darryl Johnson (7) of North Carolina A&T to Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills took a shot on a developmental edge rusher with the first of two picks in the seventh round of the NFL Draft Saturday. Buffalo drafted 6-foot-6, 253-pound defensive end Darryl Johnson of North Carolina A&T with pick No. 225.Johnson had 10.5 sacks as a senior last season for his team, which plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Johnson was Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference defensive player of the year and he was one of four finalists for the Black College Player of the Year Award. He played at about 230 pounds last season but bulked up some in preparation for the NFL. Like every team, the Bills can use some young defensive end prospects. Most teams like to have a rookie edge rusher or two on their practice squad. Johnson is the third NC A&T player drafted in the past three years, joining Bears running back Tarik Cohen (2017) and Raiders offensive tackle Brandon Parker (2018). Johnson had 6.5 sacks in 2017.
We’ve drafted DE Darryl Johnson with the 225th overall pick.
Played wide receiver from 2015-17 before switching to defensive end as a senior in 2018…Competed in track and field at Prairie View A&M University as a junior, running in the 60-, 100-, and 200-meter.
2018: Earned second-team All-SWAC honors…Sixth on team in tackles (46), first in sacks (7.5), and second in tackles for loss (10.0). He made a career-high eight tackles twice (at UNLV, vs. Alabama St. with 1.0 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss). Bell made three tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss at Sam Houston.
2017: Caught eight passes for 97 yards…had career-high three receptions for 29 yards vs. Bacone (10/28). 2016 (10G/3S): Caught 9 passes for 138 yards and one touchdown…caught 47-yard touchdown pass at Rice (10/22)…caught two passes for 28 yards at Jackson St. (10/29) 2015 (6G/0S) Caught two passes for 24 yards…caught one pass each in games vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (10/31; 16 yards) and at Texas State (9/12; 8 yards).
Joshua Miles (7) of Morgan State to Arizona Cardinals
With the 248th overall selection, the Arizona Cardinals select offensive tackle Joshua Miles of Morgan State University. Miles is a 6’5, 314 lbs. Senior where he played 31 games as an offensive tackle. He was also a Third team All-MEAC selection and team captain in his final year.
With 35 5/8” inch arms (92 percentile), a 36” vertical jump (99 percentile) and a broad jump of 109 inches (84 percentile), Miles has the potential to be a intriguing late round project for Sean Kugler to work with. What brought Miles onto the scene was his work at the Shrine Game, according to the Director of the game Harold Richardson:
“Just looking at his film, I could see him getting drafted or signed as a priority free agent,” said Richardson, who was the Atlanta Falcons’ general manager from 1998 to 2001. “Seeing him at the practices and game among the bigger competition, he looked comfortable and he deserved to be there.”
He was actually one player who created a buzz at the game.
Chasing the ghost of slavery to gain reparations for atrocities, Jim Crow, inequality and countless other crimes committed against blacks in the dark history of this nation, has lofty moral implications, but in truth is unattainable and unrealistic. (“Reparations are an opportunity to turn a corner on race relations,” Opinion, April 23)
I am a black man who has always thought reparations for African Americans was like looking for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Still, there is a practical solution to solving our national dilemma.ADVERTISEMENT
The U.S. government should fully fund historically black colleges; it should provide full scholarships to all students in those schools and to eligible incarcerated black inmates; and it should provide training in the trades for black youth whose aptitude indicates a certain skill set.
The history of slavery in this country should not be forgotten. Let’s make sure it’s never repeated.
Since childhood, Kyla Harris has been passionate about agriculture. Growing up in Canton, Mississippi, she found joy in growing vegetables, discerning different types of trees, and observing land types.
An agriculture economics major, Kyla is making use of every opportunity presented to her. She was named the 2018 Mr. James E. Tatum Scholarship recipient. The scholarship is a $1,000 award provided by the National Organization of Professional Black NRCS Employees. The organization provides college scholarships to deserving students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences or related fields.
“My aspiration is to broaden my education in order to have a successful career,” said Kyla. “I have always enjoyed the aspect of farming and growing. I like to know where my food comes from.”
Kyla learned about this scholarship through Michael Trusclair, USDA 1890 Program Liaison. Trusclair frequently provides students in the School of Agriculture with scholarship and internship opportunities.
Kyla feels confident that her time spent at Alcorn will prepare her for a bright future. Although it is her first year at the University, she took dual enrollment credit hours in high school, qualifying her as a sophomore.
“Alcorn has always had a special place in my heart,” she said. “In order for me to achieve my goals, I know that this was the best college for me to attend.”
Her future plans involve becoming a soil conservationist and finding ways to better assist farmers, ranchers, and other interested groups in developing a resource management system conservation plan. She encourages other students to constantly check their emails for scholarship opportunities and to take advantage of them.
The $500,000 Foundation grant will provide participating HBCUs with:
Scholarships and internships for students who win “pitch competitions,” to be judged by university leadership and members of Vulcan Materials’ Diversity & Inclusion Council;
Opportunities for eligible students, nominated by their colleges, to design and recommend ways to make improvements in the arenas of innovation and infrastructure that businesses, higher education and government can support;
Internships with Vulcan that may lead to full-time employment upon graduation;
Enhanced facility spaces that turn traditional college work spaces into tech-friendly study halls.
Vulcan announced its new HBCU initiative at the close of the April 24th Houston meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Conference President Stephen Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, has focused on innovation, inclusion and infrastructure as hallmark issues for the Conference. Vulcan executives began discussions with Mayor Benjamin and other U.S. mayors and educators on these issues over the last year, which led to the development of this initiative.
“We are delighted and honored to begin this partnership with these key institutions of higher learning,” said Vulcan Materials Company Chairman and CEO Tom Hill. “Historically Black Colleges and Universities have been leadership laboratories in America for more than 150 years and their value as part of the fabric of American life has never been more important. Our Company is committed to creating new opportunities for rising young leaders, further building on our long-term diversity and inclusion and workforce development initiatives. This is vitally important to us, as is our commitment to superior safety and environmental performance and to supplying essential infrastructure materials used throughout the U.S. economy.”
Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a member of the S&P 500 Index with headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. Vulcan is the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates – primarily crushed stone, sand and gravel – and a major producer of aggregates-based construction materials, including asphalt mix and ready-mixed concrete
The Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight, and Regulations will meet for a hearing titled, “Lost Opportunities? SBA’s Engagement with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.” The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 in Room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
The hearing will examine whether Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are receiving adequate support from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to help develop successful entrepreneurs.
To view the livestream of the hearing, click here.
A 53-year-old white man has been charged with first and second-degree murder along with a slew of other indictments in the fatal shooting of his 22-year-old neighbor.
ABC 11 reports Tyrique Hudson was gunned down in the stairwell of his apartment in Glen Burnie, Maryland as he was leaving for work on April 15. A neighbor’s husband recalls he exited their unit to see what occurred and found Hudson’s body lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. The North Carolina A&T graduate had just moved to the area after starting a job as a software engineer at Northrop Grumman. ADVERTISING
“He’s never had any confrontations or any fights,” Hudson’s mother Tonya Burch said. “Nobody has ever has to come say, ‘Oh your son did this to me or your son did that to me.’ He was just overall a very gifted, unique child.”
The victim’s assailant, James Verombeck, locked himself inside his apartment for 10 hours before a SWAT team finally broke in and detained him, according to The Capital Gazette.
The Ravens hosted 65 students from seven HBCUs for an all-day HBCU Career Combine, the first event of its kind. Ozzie Newsome, Head Coach John Harbaugh and numerous sports professionals spoke to the students.
ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — California Sen. Kamala Harris has described her experience as a student at a historically Black college as “one of the most important aspects” of her life. Now, her Democratic presidential campaign is using that experience to connect with voters.
Not only is she one of only two Black candidates in a field that’s expected to grow to more than 20 candidates, she’s also the only candidate who attended a historically Black college or university, commonly called an HBCU. And she’s the first major-party candidate to have graduated from an HBCU — Washington’s Howard University — since Jesse Jackson ran for president in the 1980s.
To be sure, she is not the only candidate focusing on such institutions.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority South Central Regional Conference in New Orleans, Friday, April 19, 2019. Harris is tapping into a network of historically black colleges and universities to mobilize her supporters (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke have campaigned at historically Black colleges. So has the other Black candidate in the 2020 race, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.
At a CNN town hall last month in Orangeburg, home to two of South Carolina’s HBCUs, Booker noted that his parents and grandparents were educated at historically Black institutions and that “the majority of Black doctors, Black lawyers, Black generals are produced by HBCUs.”
But Harris’s campaign has visited more historically Black colleges than any candidate, and she is burnishing her personal ties to this community, and not just to current students.
“Presidential candidates are recognizing HBCUs as a political and cultural center for the broader Black community,” said Aimee Allison, the founder of the political network She The People, which plans a candidate forum Wednesday at Texas Southern University, a historically Black college.
Allison said that holding events at these schools is an “essential part of a long-term strategy to build trust and relationships” with Black voters.
Harris’s focus on historically Black colleges could be particularly important in South Carolina, home to eight HBCUs. Black voters are vital to success for Democratic primary candidates anxious to win the South’s first primary.
In Orangeburg, Harris’s town hall Saturday night was moderated by Bakari Sellers, a former South Carolina state representative who recently endorsed her campaign.
Turning to a group of South Carolina State students seated on bleachers, Harris talked briefly about the value of attending a historically black institution.
“At an HBCU, everything you are told is that you can be whatever you want to be, and there will be no barriers to that success,” she said. “And you are told as a young black student that you do not need to make choices and fit into anyone’s narrow definition of what it means to be a young black person in America.”
Harris added later that historically black colleges “teach us that there will always be a community that will support us, whatever we will decide to do,”
Including, perhaps, running for president.
Joann Berry, a 66-year-old who worked at South Carolina State for more than two decades, said that historically black colleges don’t just give diplomas, “they’re more like family.” She said that the fact that Harris had attended an HBCU could give her an advantage with connecting here.
While Berry has yet to decide who to support in South Carolina’s primary, she said Harris is among the candidates she’s considering.
“I’m proud of her. I have faith in her just like I had faith in Barack Obama,” said Berry. “A lot of people said he couldn’t do it — and he won.”
Harris’ campaign has made a number of overt appeals, in South Carolina and elsewhere, to the network of HBCUs.
One of Harris’s early congressional backers, California Rep. Barbara Lee, held events at Benedict College in Columbia on her behalf.
Harris also waded into the local issue of Denmark Technical College, which primarily serves residents of rural Allendale, Bamberg and Barnwell counties, and has been battling declining enrollment.
Her first significant policy rollout, aimed at increasing teacher pay nationwide, specifically calls for the federal government to support programs dedicated to teacher recruitment, training and professional development, particularly at HBCUs.
Harris’s first news conference as a presidential candidate was held at her alma mater, with the leaders of the Howard University Student Association on hand. She recalled that she had run her first political campaign as freshman class representative.
“This is where it all began,” she said.
On Twitter, her campaign even took note of Beyonce’s “Homecoming,” which was released this past week and paid homage to the musical legacy of historically black colleges. Harris said “Homecoming” ”exemplifies and rightly celebrates the spirit and legacy of HBCUs.”
“She brought our culture and tradition to the world stage and as a proud Howard graduate, I can’t wait to watch,” Harris wrote.
Other times, the exchanges come unprompted.
On an earlier trip to South Carolina, Harris was addressing a gathering of more than a dozen female leaders in Columbia when 83-year-old Marjorie Hammock arrived. Hammock, wearing a crew-neck Howard University sweat shirt, slowly made her way through a throng of reporters and onlookers.
When Harris noticed her, she immediately called to her.
“Hey, Bison, I know you,” Harris said, referencing Howard’s mascot, as the women laughed.
“We both went to Howard,” said Harris, 54, and joked, “I was there before her.”
Hammock, who attended Howard in the 1950s, said later that Harris’s campaign “gives me also hope for this country” and that seeing a Howard graduate run for president “reinforces the fact that the legacy continues.”
Billionaire businessman Robert F. Smith and award-winning actress Angela Basset will be recognized with honorary degrees at the Morehouse College commencement ceremony next month. Smith, who donated $1.5 million to the HBCU earlier this year, will also deliver the keynote address at the annual event.
“As Morehouse College celebrates its 152nd year of serving students, we are honored to welcome our community partner Robert F. Smith, one of the greatest business minds of our time, back to campus to share in the ceremony that is the highlight of the year,” said David A. Thomas, President of Morehouse College, in a press release. “His words of inspiration, and the presence of our other honorary degree recipients, will give the Class of 2019 a memorable experience that will challenge them to take the lessons that they learned as Men of Morehouse and become game-changers in their future endeavors.”
Smith, the founder and CEO of Vista Equity, donated $1.5 million to Morehouse in January, which will primarily be used to fund their new Robert Frederick Smith Scholars Program for underserved students who lack the resources to attend the prestigious Atlanta-based college. About $500,000 of his donation will go towards the creation of a new park and outdoor study area for students.
Smith and Bassett are just two of the more than 300 scholars who will receive honorary degrees for their dedication to leadership, service, and excellence at the 2019 Commencement. Smith will receive the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, which will also be bestowed to Edmund W. Gordon, a leading psychologist and a professor emeritus at Yale and Columbia universities.
Smith’s company currently has $46 billion of assets under management and was recognized last year as the top private equity firm on the BE100s — BLACK ENTERPRISE’s annual list of top black-owned companies in the nation. With a $5 billion net worth, Smith also tops the list of wealthiest African American billionaires in the country.
Morehouse College’s 135th annual commencement will be held May 19.
This post was written by Selena Hill, a writer at Black Enterprise, where it was originally published. It is published here with permission.
When we heard buzz that Beyoncé booked Grambling State University’s dance team and marching band for a private event during Coachella 2019 last weekend, it seemed like the appropriate second coming of Homecoming, the star’s triumphant Netflix special chronicling her history-making HBCU-inspired 2018 performance.
As it turned out, Bey was once again looking forward, not back. On Thursday night, she dropped a short fashion film titled Homecoming Weekend, featuring designs from the upcoming Adidas-backed relaunch of Ivy Park, her first major project in partnership with the sportswear giant. The iconic Adidas stripes made the perfect runway for the icon, who teased some very fashion-forward athleisure in more of the popping pink-and-gold scheme Balmain helped her serve up last year. And once again, it was an all-black affair.
As participating Grambling students told ABC Louisiana affiliate WBRZ 2, their brush with stardom was equally a surprise to them.
“We practiced for a few hours and didn’t perform until 1 a.m.,” said dance team member Alana Arvie. “Right before the performance, Beyoncé came back to where we got dressed and introduced herself and took pictures with us.”
“This is by far one of the hardest secrets I’ve had to keep,” Jalin Ford, Grambling State’s dance captain, captioned a post on Instagram. “Now to be able to say I performed 5 feet from Queen Bey herself as she cheered me on is only an opportunity put together by the lord and it only made me even more hungry to officially #tour with her one day.”
“The experience was nothing but an incredible feeling,” Arvie told WBRZ. “To be able to hug her and interact with her was priceless.”
Also feeling the Beyoncé love this week? Friend and “Sorry” video co-star Serena Williams, who staged a spontaneous and joyful performance of “Love on Top” while on set for her April cover shoot for Business of Fashion. Wearing a voluminous black taffeta gown by Valentino and singing the song Beyoncé performed while making the big reveal of her pregnancy with Blue Ivy at the 2011 VMAs, the tennis star inevitably caused some to wonder if she was making a big announcement of her own. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because no such statement has been made (and the star looks pretty svelte on the cover). From all appearances, “Love on Top” is just Serena’s jam. (Who are we kidding? It’s ours, too.)
Saying that the interment will take place on Thursday, May 2, 2019, the official Instagram account for Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. announced that Lt. Col. John D. Slade will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. ”Those attending the burial should arrive at 8:15 AM (eastern) in front of the Administration Building,” the fraternity says. The fraternity is still mourning the death of Slade but celebrates his life and legacy, too. ”The preferred fraternal attire for the interment of Slade is black suit, black tie, white shirt, black shoes, and yellow rose.” The fraternity went on to mention that those who are veterans or active members of the United States Armed Services may wear their ceremonial uniforms.
In a unanimous decision, the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees named Felecia M. Nave the next president of Alcorn State University on Wednesday.
Nave, a 1996 graduate of Alcorn State with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, is currently Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C. She received her master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Toledo in Ohio.
Nave will take the reins at Alcorn State on July 1.
“Dr. Nave has many years of experience as a leader in higher education,” said Trustee Shane Hooper, in a news release.
“Through positions of progressive responsibility, Dr. Nave has provided leadership in every facet of the university, including academic program offerings, research activity, budget management, fundraising activities and student services, including recruitment, financial aid and student success. We are very pleased to welcome her back to Alcorn,” added Hooper, also chair of the Board Search Committee for the Alcorn State University Presidential Search.
Prior to joining North Carolina Central University, Nave served in various academic and administrative roles at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas from 2003 until 2018.
As historically Black colleges and universities make LGBTQ-positive inroads, a sorority is committed to sticking with the past.
Zeta Phi Beta, which has more than 100,000 members and over 800 chapters around the globe, enacted a policy earlier this year that states an “individual must be a cisgender woman” to join, according to the Washington Blade.
A copy of the sorority’s “diversity statement” was obtained by the Blade, which tried unsuccessfully to reach sorority officials for comment.
Zeta Phi Beta has a long history; it was founded in 1920 at Washington, D.C.’s Howard University and quickly established itself among the nation’s HBCUs. The sorority maintains a mission to effect “positive change” and “foster a greater sense of unity among its members,” according the its website.
While few sororities and fraternities have established policies welcoming trans members, there are also few that specifically bar such individuals. Meanwhile, Atlanta’s Morehouse University, a prominent all-male HBCU, announced this month that it is now admitting openly transgender students.
