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.
WASHINGTON, April 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is proud to announce today the continued partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE) Thurgood Marshall College Fund-USDA Internship Program totaling $2.5 million.
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) (PRNewsfoto/Thurgood Marshall College Fund)
Secretary Sonny Perdue established the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement to rapidly expand outreach to America’s agricultural community and facilitate greater access to USDA programs and serve as the lead agent for USDA partnership and outreach activities. The partnership was originally created with USDA’s Office of Advocacy and Outreach, whose programs are now a component of the OPPE.
TMCF will continue to help assist the USDA achieve its goal in attracting a cross section of candidates into careers in agriculture and other related disciplines, while offering TMCF member-school students opportunities to develop their professional goals and build practical work experience. The TMCF Internship Program includes 10-week summer sessions, 15-week spring sessions and 15-week fall sessions designed to employ selected internship recipients and diverse candidates from TMCF member-schools.
Breanna Guinyard, a 2018 TMCF-USDA intern, stated, “During the internship, I have developed better problem-solving skills and networking techniques. I can now advance in my field and have insight into how the USDA operates. I’m very confident that this experience has granted me the tools I need to be successful as a full-time USDA employee in the future.”
This unique paid internship program affords Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students the opportunity to intern in USDA offices around the country, expanding their geographic worldview by living and working in locations that have included: Washington, DC; Ames, IA; Miami, FL; Idaho Falls, ID; Harlingen, TX; Ft. Collins, CO; Burlington, VT; Wells, ME; St. Paul, MN; Lewisburg, WV; Columbia, SC; Okemos, MI; Pittstown, NJ; Nashville, TN; Greenville, NC; Amherst MA; Harrisburg, PA, and, Port Allen, LA.
“The USDA has proven to be one of TMCF’s strongest Federal Government partners, and the TMCF-USDA internship program has been one of our most popular offerings for our students,” said Harry L. Williams, TMCF president & CEO. “In 2018, we had over 1,400 applicants for this competitive program where we selected 66 scholars to intern.”
For more information on TMCF programs, please visit: www.tmcf.org.
ABOUT THE THURGOOD MARSHALL COLLEGE FUND (TMCF) Established in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. TMCF member-schools include the publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Black Institutions, enrolling nearly 80% of all students attending black colleges and universities. Through scholarships, capacity building and research initiatives, innovative programs and strategic partnerships, TMCF is a vital resource in the K-12 and higher education space. The organization is also the source of top employers seeking top talent for competitive internships and good jobs.
TMCF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization. For more information about TMCF, visit: www.tmcf.org.
Beyonce’s new Netflix movie about her Coachella performance exposes the audience to the culture of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). HBCUs appeal to people because of their history and tradition.
These colleges continue to provide an education to black students, although all races are welcome to attend, that emphasizes being positive members of our community. While people like Beyonce and billionaire Robert Smith shining the spotlight on HBCUs can benefit the institutions, I fear mainstream culture has began to corrode the mission of some of these colleges. That includes my alma mater, Morehouse College, which has been an all-male institution — until now.
Despite the dress code, the shifting culture around gender identity brought many young men who consider themselves gender non-conforming. I attended Morehouse with several non-conforming students who are biologically male, and I consider them just as much my Morehouse brothers as any other alumnus.
When Morehouse hired last year its first non-alumni president in five decades, I feared he would bring the sort of corrosive liberal policies that define predominantly white colleges and universities. This fear may have been founded, since the men’s college has recently changed its admissions policy to include the acceptance of transgender people who are biologically female.
When I was a student at Morehouse, we were able to celebrate our differences and learn from one another. This was, in large part, due to the fact that the majority of us were black men. That common understanding is what makes Morehouse different from other colleges. This is undermined by stretching the definition of “black man.” If anyone can be a black man, this cheapens the experience of students currently on campus.
It is unsettling that a bureaucrat will get to determine what it means for a student to “live” as a man in order to determine whether someone with two X chromosomes should be allowed to attend an all-male college. Accepting students who are biologically female undermines the fact that the campus is historically all-male.
Morehouse was founded in 1867 to provide black men a college education. This tradition has stood more than 150 years, only to be undermined by people who don’t care about the history of the college. Spelman College, an all women’s HBCU located next to Morehouse, has instituted a similar policy to allow transgender males to attend. They celebrated when a trans man graduated from campus, even though this person was biologically female.
Gender Ideology Undermines the Unique Value of Each Sex
This redefinition of biological “sex” is merely the tool of destructive identity politics, and it does not belong at HBCUs. These sorts of policies are especially out of place at single-sex campuses that don’t even allow students to have overnight visitors of the opposite sex.
HBCU traditions are under threat thanks to outside influences that promote a western universalism based on faulty leftist ideology. Just like feminism has been used to manipulate women, identity politics continues to be used to manipulate minorities. The fact that Morehouse and Spelman have accepted these policies points out how dangerous it is to be beholden to external parties. Accepting this foolishness is little more than a cash grab. HBCUs will quickly find out that chasing liberal validation will only result in fool’s gold.
Paying lip service to the liberal elite plays on people’s emotions to gain political power. Statements like this from the current president of Morehouse: “I think Morehouse having the courage to speak to issues of masculinity in today’s environment is important,” diverts attention from the real issues facing America’s black communities. A positive black masculinity is best used to address the issues we have building strong family structures. Accepting a belief system that views traditional masculinity as toxic diverts this mission.
HBCUs have remained a beacon of hope in promoting traditional values, but they are clearly not impervious to the constant threat of liberal thinking.
Identity politics foster “a spirit of resentment” that pits the sexes against one another. The worst aspect of identity politics is that it makes citizens easier to control. This agenda conveniently makes all struggles the same.
A white man once proclaimed to me it was okay for him to refer to himself as a “pink n—er” because he is gay. Intersectional thought like this compels people to compare struggles and assume they are equal. Predominantly white colleges have disavowed their own traditions in order to keep up with the times, causing much of the value in American higher education to be watered down. HBCUs should not follow suit.
HBCUs are going down that same path because out-of-touch bureaucrats believe that is in the best interest of these institutions’ future. Yet these campuses are too precious a resource to water down in a time where all forms of tradition stand against the agenda of America’s corrupt elite.
In April 2018, the Alpha Beta chapter of Fort Valley State University was thrust into the spotlight over allegations of a prostitution ring led by a member of the chapter. Participants included prominent men near the central Georgia where the campus stands. Among them were a principal, attorney, and even a local pastor.
Rumors circulated that the ringleader was a graduate advisor of the Alpha Beta undergraduate chapter. However, the AKA organization is adamant this can’t be further from the truth. The woman is described as someone who hasn’t had a supervisory role in the chapter since 2014.
Recently, the Macon Judicial District Attorney’s Office indicted the woman in question along with several men on prostitution and other charges.
Alpha Beta’s status within Alpha Kappa Alpha was restored in 2018 following the sorority’s internal investigation. Based on the results of an in-depth review of the facts, they found no wrongdoing and Alpha Beta was fully exonerated. The indictments line up with that conclusion as well. Furthermore, the chapter continues to remain in good standing with Fort Valley State University.
Now that the indictments have been issued, the hope is that unsubstantiated innuendos and misinformation related to Alpha Beta will end. AKA commends the chapter members who were subjected to degradation and humiliation as a result of the false claims, for their ongoing decorum over the past year.
Now in it’s 111th year, the organization plans to continue its committment to cultivating unity, health, education and human rights among women and confronting issues concerning more than 300,000 members in 1,021 chapters around the globe.
UNCF President Dr. Lomax talks the 75 year impact and plan for the next 25 years at UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) today celebrated its 75th anniversary with a special event at the organization’s headquarters in Washington, DC. What began as an urgent call to action from Frederick Douglass, the president of Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), to fellow presidents of historically black colleges and universities, has grown into the nation’s largest minority education organization supporting 37 member institutions and students’ dreams of a college degree.
President and CEO Dr. Michael Lomax spoke to the crowd of member HBCU representatives, corporate partners, staff and UNCF supporters about the organization’s rich history, the innovation of HBCUs and UNCF’s path toward the next 25 years.
“Today is UNCF’s 75th anniversary. We are celebrating this milestone and kicking off the next 25 years with the launch of the first UNCF Online National Day of Giving. UNCF’s 75 years testify to the power of partnerships to build better futures for our youth and for our nation.”
Lomax continued to say,
“Since our founding in 1944, UNCF has had two major foci—our HBCUs and our students. We remain laser focused on both. We are more committed and more determined than ever to call on Congress, the Administration and our nation to act in behalf of HBCUs and the students we serve, believing as we do in the power of our cause and our shared belief that “a mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in.”
Following Dr. Lomax, the crowd heard from president of the oldest HBCU in Alabama, Talladega College, Dr. Billy Hawkins, who reiterated that HBCUs are still very relevant and have “been around for as long as most institutions of higher education.” Hawkins commended UNCF on its pursuit of helping students, particularly from Talladega College, who cannot afford college tuition, and for UNCF’s commitment for providing HBCUs “a national platform to stand on”.
