Grambling State Couldn’t Recover In The Tigers’ 43-14 Loss To Tulane

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NEW ORLEANS, La. — Martez Carter scored a pair of second-half touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough as Grambling State fell behind early and couldn’t recover in the Tigers’ 43-14 loss to Tulane on Saturday night at Yulman Stadium.

“At the end of the day, I thought they played better up front than we did,” Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs said. “We could never get anything going and we were always starting behind the chains. We didn’t execute like we needed to. They were the better team tonight. I thought they did an extremely great job running the football, but also mixing in man and zone screens. My hats off to them, they’re a good team.”

Tulane (1-0) scored on its first two drives to begin the game and quickly jumped out to a 14-0 lead.

After the Tigers were forced to punt on their first possession, the Green Wave marched 56 yards in five plays and took 2:45 off the clock as Jonathan Banks scored on a seven-yard touchdown scamper down the right side to give Tulane a 7-0 lead.

Grambling State (0-1) went three-and-out on its second possession and Tulane capitalized on good field position as the Green Wave went 51 yards in five plays, capped by Banks’ 30-yard touchdown pass to Terren Encalade, giving Tulane a 14-0 advantage with 7:06 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Green Wave added to the lead in the second quarter as the Tigers defense held Tulane to a field goal. A Coby Neenan 21-yard field goal with 5:15 left in the first half, capped 12-play, 61-yard drive, giving the Green Wave a 17-0 lead.

Tulane put the game away with 3:16 remaining in the second quarter as Banks connected with Dontrell Hillard for a 62-yard touchdown as the Green Wave extended the advantage to 24-0.

The Green Wave began the third quarter with excellent starting position as Sherman Badie returned the opening kickoff 52 yards to the GSU 46. Tulane punched in its fourth touchdown of the night six plays later as Darnell Mooney caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Banks, giving the Green Wave a 31-0 lead with 12:06 left in the quarter.

Grambling State answered on the ensuing drive to get its first points of the season.

The Tigers took advantage of a penalty and converted on fourth-and-10 as Martez Carter, who had 11 rushing touchdowns last season, scored on a five-yard run, capping a 15-play, 82-yard drive, as Grambling State cut the deficit to 31-7 with 5:25 left in the third quarter.

The Green Wave answered on its next drive as Encalade rushed 58 yards down the right sideline to extend the lead to 37-7 with 14:49 remaining. But those points were quickly erased as Carter found the end zone for the second time as he rushed 51 yards past the Tulane defense to trim the margin to 37-14 with 14:27 left.

Tulane capped the scoring with 8:13 remaining as Darius Bradwell scored on a 27-yard run, which capped a 10-play, 77-yard drive to give the Green Wave a 43-14 lead.

Norfolk State Falls Short to Virginia State 14-10 in Labor Day Classic

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NORFOLK, Va. – Trenton Cannon rushed for 145 yards and Virginia State quarterback Cordelral Cook ran for two short touchdowns to lead the Trojans to a 14-10 win over Norfolk State on Saturday night at the ABNB Labor Day Classic at Dick Price Stadium.

In the teams’ first clash in five years, VSU (1-0) beat NSU (0-1) on the field for the first time since 2005.

Cook scored on a 2-yard run with 5:40 remaining in the third quarter to give the Trojans a 14-10 lead. The VSU defense made that lead stand up, holding the Spartans without a point on three fourth-quarter drives, all of which reached Trojan territory.

The Spartans punted on their first possession of the fourth, then reached the Trojan 35 on their next possession. Juwan Carter’s 4th-and-5 pass to Marcus Taylor fell incomplete to turn the ball over on downs back to VSU with 2:54 left to play.

The Trojans tried to run out the clock, but NSU used its final three timeouts to force VSU to punt. NSU took over at its own 37 with 1:12 left and Carter completed passes of 11 yards to Isaiah Winstead and 18 yards to Taylor to march NSU down to the Trojan 34. But on 3rd-and-10, Carter’s pass was intercepted by Kurtis Brooks to seal the win for the Trojans.

VSU scored on the first drive of the game. Cook capped an 11-play, 55-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run at the 10:41 mark of the first quarter. But the Spartans scored the next 10 points. NSU safety Bobby Price’s interception in VSU territory set up a 28-yard field goal by Josh Nardone with 3:46 left in the first quarter.

The Spartans then took the lead thanks to their special teams and defense in the second quarter. Punter Taylor Goettie’s 32-yard punt pinned the Trojans at their own 1-yard line as a steady rain began falling. One play later, Cook fumbled a snap in the end zone and NSU defensive end Nigel Chavis fell on it for a touchdown to give the Spartans a 10-7 lead, which they took into halftime.

For the night, VSU outgained the Spartans 275-214, including a 190-98 edge on the ground. Carter led NSU with 39 yards rushing on four carries and 67 yards on 7-of-19 passing. Tripp Harrington, who started the game and split time with Carter, was 6-of-12 for 49 yards and also rushed for 17 yards.

Taylor led all players with seven receptions for 84 yards. Defensively, Price (game-high 10) and nose guard Deshaywn Middleton (nine) both posted career highs in tackles.

The Spartans are home again next Saturday when they welcome William & Mary to Dick Price Stadium for a 6 p.m. game at Dick Price Stadium.

Bowie State Bulldogs Beat Seton Hill 48-7 in Season Opener

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GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Bowie State University football team opened the 2017 season with a 48-7 road victory at Seton Hill University on Saturday afternoon at Offutt Field.

The victory broke a two-game series skid for the Bulldogs (1-0) who had lost the previous two matchups with Griffins heading into Saturday.

Junior Amir Hall threw for 361 yards and five touchdowns on 23-of-26 passing. Hall, the 2016 CIAA Offensive Player of the Year also accounted for 50 rushing yards, second best on the team.

Junior co-captain Derrick Tate tallied a team-best five solo tackles (six total) while junior teammate John Johnson, IV (Washington, D.C.) and redshirt sophomore Tommar Phillips (Lanham, Md.) added five total tackles each for Bowie State.

Redshirt senior Robert Chesson (Annapolis, Md.) rushed for 77 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries to carry most of the load for the Bulldogs, while junior transfer Lansana Sesay (Bowie, Md.) caught seven passes for a game-high 148 yards in his Bulldogs debut.

As a team, Bowie State amassed 599 total yards of offense (382 passing and 217 rushing) and the Bulldogs defense held Seton Hill to just 151 yards of total (39 passing and 112 rushing). The one glaring negative statistic for Bowie State was penalties as the Bulldogs were penalized 17 times for 175 yards.

“We’re very happy to start the season 1-0 but extremely disappointed in the number of penalties we had today”, said Bowie State head coach Damon Wilson. When asked what was the most impressive part about the teams play, Wilson said “Our overall effort was outstanding!”

Seton Hill scored the first points of the season as Evan Byrd rumbled 66-yards for the touchdown. Santiago Henao added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead at the 13:55 mark of the first quarter.

Bowie State responded when Hall connected with Clark from 16 yards out with 6:45 to go in the opening quarter. Sophomore Gene Carson (Accokeek, Md.) added the extra point to tie the game at 7-all. The Hall and Clark duo teamed up again at the 3:55 mark, this time for a 62-yard pass, catch and score. Carson’s extra point gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 advantage.

The Bulldogs pushed its lead to 21-7, this time on the legs of Hall, as he rushed down the sideline for a 15-yard score with 8:13 remaining in the second quarter. Hall goes deep again, connecting with Sesay for a 57-yard touchdown, pushing the Bulldogs lead to 28-7 over Seton Hill.

Bowie State accumulated 339 yards in total offense in the first half compared to 140 yards for Seton Hill. Penalties were a sore spot for the Bulldogs in the first 30 minutes as Bowie State was flagged 10 times for 95 yards.

Bowie State added six more points early in the third quarter (11:56) when Hall found redshirt senior Kerrick Pollock (Miami, Fla.) wide open in the back corner of the Griffins end zone, extending the Bulldogs lead to 34-7.

Chesson punched it in from 1-yard out and Carson converted the extra point at the 7:29 mark of the third quarter, to give Bowie State a comfortable 41-7 cushion. Redshirt junior Adam Gillis, Jr. scored his first points of the new year, strolling in for a 9-yard rushing touchdown, padding the Bulldogs at 48-7 at the 2:49 mark.

Other top statistical players for Bowie State include redshirt sophomore Geordan Clark (White Plains, Md.) with 85 reception yards and Pollock added 68 reception yards. Redshirt junior Brandon Abrams (Bowie, Md.) finished with 55 rushing yards.

Seton Hill’s Byrd was his teams’ top offensive player with 67 rushing yards. Noah Davis and Fadan Allen were the Griffins’ leading tacklers with seven apiece.

The Bulldogs will hit the road next week when they head to the defending CIAA Champions of Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University to battle the Rams in Bowman-Gray Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. and will be carried live on the ESPN3 app. Winston-Salem State defeated #19 UNC Pembroke 34-31 on Thursday (8/31) afternoon.

Alabama A&M Bulldogs Falls 38-7 To UAB

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BIRMINGHAM — It wasn’t quite the outcome the Bulldogs were looking for, but they proved to be competitive Saturday despite a 38-7 loss to UAB.

It was the season opener for both teams and the first game in two seasons for UAB, which had its program dropped after the 2014 season.

“The result was obviously not what we wanted,” said Alabama A&M Head Coach James Spady. “But we are going to build … and this game will help us going forward.”

Nonetheless, Alabama A&M went toe-to-toe with the C-USA Blazers for the better of three quarters before UAB pulled away.

The Bulldogs and Blazers each were basically even in passing yards (A&M had 138 yards, UAB had 165) and time of possession (A&M — 29:44; UAB — 30:16) but the Blazers outrushed A&M 259-45 in the game.

“I felt we had a pretty good first half performance,” Spady said. “I thought things were pretty even there in the first half (UAB lead 10-7 at halftime).

“Some things happened to us in the second half that led to a little breakdown here and there, however it wasn’t a complete breakdown. Our guys still fought and were competitive.”

The Blazers scored on their first possession of the game, moving downfield on a 14-play, 76-yard drive.

But, after that, the A&M defense adjusted to UAB and kept them out of the end zone again until about 6:37 left in the third quarter.

Since this was UAB’s first game in three years, the Bulldogs didn’t have any film or scouting reports so, basically, they were going into the game blind.

“I want to give (UAB) Coach (Bill) Clark and his guys credit,” Spady said. “That was a better game than I thought they would be and I’m really proud of our guys for competing.”

The Bulldogs got on the board early in the second half when freshman quarterback Aqeel Glass connected with Roderick Randolph on a 46-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass. Nick Carden kicked the point-after and the game was tied 7-7 with 2:24 left in the first half.

However, UAB answered back with a field goal about a minute later for the 10-7 halftime lead.

Glass and Damion May split quarterback duties in the game. Glass was 7 of 17 for 101 yards. He had an interception and the TD pass to Randolph. May was 6-for-12 for 37 yards.

“I played the two guys I planned to play all along,” Spady said. “Aqeel started, which I said would happen, and Damion played, which I also said would happen.”

The Bulldogs continue their nonconference schedule next weekend with a trip to Vanderbilt on Saturday. Kickoff is 3 p.m.

Spady said the Bulldogs will be ready for the date in the Music City.

“We’re playing an SEC opponent,” he said. “Our guys will have no trouble getting motivated — not only because it’s another football game but it’s the chance to play an SEC opponent that made a bowl game last year.”

Meet Morehouse Alumnus & Filmmaker Terrance Daye

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This summer, Morehouse 2017 Alumnus, Terrance Daye was recognized as a finalist in the 44th Student Academy Awards for his film, The Colored Hospital.

The awe-inspiring film came to Daye within a span of a few mere hours. “[The Colored Hospital] was the direct result of months and months of thinking and research. I had a number of images circulating in my head, photographs that I had seen or ideas that I jotted down.” Daye tells HBCU Buzz.

All of these mental images became the premise for the film. Terrance Daye expresses that he had an interest in mental health, particularly depression within black men. Confessing to having dealt with depression during his time at Morehouse, the intent of his film was to create a film that spoke directly to the narratives of depression within the black community.

“So often we lack the words or the vocabulary to articulate our feelings. This film was my attempt at that.”

The Colored Hospital serves as a Capstone Film Project under Morehouse College’s Cinema, Television & Emerging Media Studies Program. Terrance says that through this program, he truly found his passion for visual storytelling. As ironic it seems, Terrance actually did not anticipate going to Morehouse.  

 

“Morehouse turned out to be the only school that accepted me. I took those rejections really hard at first…When I look back at how God used those closed doors to re-position me on the amazing journey that I am on now, I am speechless! I will always embrace rejection as another opportunity to trust God for that reason. The AUC was also a perfect hub to develop as a person and an artist.”

Terrance ended up graduating from Morehouse in May, earlier this year. Through hard work and dedication, he graduated as the top scholar in his department with Latin Honors.

This Fall Terrance will begin studying at NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts in their graduate film program. He plans to finish his studies at the prestigious film school within three years.

When asked what he aspires to do as a filmmaker he states that he wants, “to make people uncomfortable.”

Daye is looking to spark conversations in a realm of different areas. He identifies as not just a filmmaker, but a poet and playwright.

“I want to create content that engages people, that invites us to think deeply on topics and subject matter that are difficult and, yes, uncomfortable. I think discomfort has the potential to heal. I was uncomfortable the first time I stepped into a therapist’s office, but the experience changed my life and opened my eyes to a form of self-care that I didn’t know I needed. Film definitely has the potential to do that: change our way of seeing and thinking about a thing. So you can always expect that from my films: discomfort, but behind that will always be a well of love and behind that, a deep desire to participate.”

We look forward to witnessing the work that Terrance Daye will produce. He is an HBCU artist that the Buzz Team is deeply proud of.

To view his film, The Colored Hospital, click here.

 

Howard University Beats UNLV for the Largest Point-Spread Upset in College Football History

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The end of a busy college football Saturday provided a historic result. Entering its game against UNLV as 45-point underdogs, Howard stunned its FBS opponents defeated the Rebels 43–40 in their own stadium.

According to renowned sports bettor RJ Bell, it’s the biggest upset in college football history based on the betting line. He noted a $100 bet on the Bison beating UNLV would have netted $55,000.

Caylin Newton, the younger brother of Cam Newton, threw for 140 yards and a touchdown while under center for Howard. He really shined with room to run, totaling two rushing touchdowns and 190 yards on the ground. Newton led the Bison to the game-winning score with 7:34 still to go in the game, following a 42-yard pass to Anthony Philyaw with a four-yard dash into the end zone to put Howard up 43–40.

In UNLV’s three subsequent drives, the team punted, fumbled and failed to score in their final play with 13 seconds remaining. That secured the first-ever win at Howard for head coach Mike London, who formerly served as Virginia head coach from 2010 to ’15, and more

 

NCAT Enrolls Largest Student Body Ever

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North Carolina A&T State University announced yesterday a fall enrollment total of 111,877 in the fall term that just began, expanding the student body to its largest size ever and adding significantly to a growth trend that began in 2013.

The growth rate this fall of 6.3 percent means that over the past five years, N.C. A&T has added more than 1,300 students in direct response to A&T Preeminence 2020, the institution’s strategic plan, which A&T began implementing in 2011. That document calls for the Land Grant university to expand to an overall enrollment of 13,500 over the next three years.

This fall alone adds 700 students to A&T’s overall headcount – one of the single biggest increases in A&T history – and almost certainly cements the university’s status as America’s largest historically black college or university, a status it has held since 2014.

“The growth we’re experiencing this fall illustrates how much students, parents and families want to be part of the North Carolina A&T experience,” said Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. “We deliver an education that not only prepares our students for rewarding careers in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, we deeply value each and every individual who entrusts us with that responsibility. Our students know that their success matters here.”

The university’s growth was driven in large part by 2,309 new freshmen, the largest first-year class in N.C. A&T history, as well as its most academically accomplished, with an average GPA of 3.51, average SAT score of 1,023 and average ACT of 20.

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Inside The Tense, Unusual HBCU-White House Relationship

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Last year, Omarosa Manigault-Newman wanted Howard University — the historically black school known as “The Mecca” — to welcome Donald J. Trump.

The prospect of Trump visiting Howard turned into a persistent rumor on campus last year, and the source of quiet activity. Howard’s student newspaper strongly opposed the idea. The RNC donated $2,000 to start a College Republican chapter at the school — but students couldn’t gather enough signatures. One source briefed on talks told BuzzFeed News that someone had proposed a town hall event in which Trump would answer questions, maybe with TV personality A.J. Calloway.

By September, though, time was running out: As a last ditch effort, Manigault-Newman invited a handful of Howard students to Trump International, the D.C. hotel where the candidate planned to speak that day, according to a senior campaign staffer at the time and others familiar with the event.

She introduced the students to a series of Trump-world figures like Katrina Pierson — and Steve Bannon, who looked “super stoked,” one person familiar with the meeting said, as Manigault-Newman explained that she was trying to bring Trump to Howard’s campus. The students also got the chance to shake the hand of Donald Trump himself.

This all happened on the day Trump said, without apologizing, after years of his birther crusade, that President Obama was born in the United States.

The plan for a Howard visit never got off the ground.

The ill-fated efforts to bring Trump to the school, though, were just the beginning in the the complicated — and increasingly tense — relationship between this White House and the country’s historically black colleges and universities. The most pressing issue: a conference scheduled for September, just weeks after Trump seemed to defend a group of white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville by saying they had “very fine people” in their ranks.

After Trump’s response to Charlottesville, two prominent groups — the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the United Negro College Fund — have joined a black Democratic lawmaker in calling on the White House to postpone the annual conference put on every year by the White House Initiative on HBCUs.

The White House has refused to postpone the event. The conference is just one part of the traditional infrastructure between a White House and the schools. In recent days Manigault-Newman has “pushed hard” to name members to the president’s board of advisers on HBCUs, according to a person familiar with the planning.

Manigault-Newman in particular wants to serve as an organized, front-facing liaison between Trump and HBCU leaders. Historically black colleges and universities face a much more delicate and difficult balance: The schools depend on federal funding, while serving students and alumni who largely can’t stand the president. And that tension keeps intensifying.

School presidents reached for this story referred BuzzFeed News to a statement by Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund. “At a critical time in our nation, and in the spirit of unity among our HBCUs, we believe this postponement would allow us to work together to develop a common agenda that will serve the best interests of our HBCUs, and especially our students.”

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“Snake Bit in the Snake Pit” The Culture at the Jake Gaither Classic

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Whenever I’m asked what separates an HBCU from the typical collegiate gridiron experience, I always respond with two words… The atmosphere.

Be it the local vendors lined along the stadium selling everything from BBQ ribs to Shea Butter or the echo of the school band playing their way through campus on the dewy morn before a noon kickoff, the HBCU football experience is markedly unique from anything else we see in amateur athletics.

DSU Welcomes 2nd Cohort of Undocumented Immigrant Students

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The latest class of Dreamers – undocumented immigrant students who are recipients of the Opportunity Scholarship Program – have excitedly started their academic journey at DSU.

There are 47 students in the second class of Dreamers, following the successful group of Opportunity Scholarship students who finished the 2016-2017 school with group cumulative GPA of 3.7; that inaugural class has now begun their sophomore year at DSU.

The scholarship recipients are undocumented immigrants who as children came with their parents into the United States and attended public schools, excelling academically.

Through no fault of their own, they found themselves locked out of state institutions of higher education – either by being declared out-of-state students (with unaffordable out-of-state tuition costs) or by laws in certain states that prohibit the enrollment of undocumented students at state colleges and universities.

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Grambling Names Brian Howard New Sports Information Director

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GRAMBLING, La. – Grambling State University director of athletics Paul Bryant announced Monday the hiring of Brian Howard who will serve as the sports information director for the Tigers.

“I am truly excited to welcome Brian Howard to Grambling State University,” said Bryant. “He is recognized as a leader in his field and we are fortunate to have him at GSU. His ability to connect with the national media will be a valuable asset to the athletics department.”

“I am extremely excited to join the athletics department at Grambling State University,” Howard said. “I am very thankful to director of athletics Paul Bryant, as well as assistant athletics director of marketing and communications Karen Carty for this opportunity. From the moment I stepped onto campus, I felt right at home. I am honored to join the Grambling family and can’t wait to get started.”

Prior to coming to Grambling State, Howard spent eight months at Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) member institution, Alabama State University, as the director of athletic strategic communications. He was the primary sports contact for football, men’s basketball, bowling, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s golf and baseball.

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Tuskegee Athletics Donates Shirts To Hurricane Harvey Victims

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The Tuskegee University men’s and women’s basketball teams have joined college basketball coaches across the country to help support victims from the devastating floods of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

After a massive hurricane ripped through the city of Houston and left much of the area submerged underwater, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reports that University of Houston men’s basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson has a challenge for his coaching counterparts: Donate 10 pairs of shoes and 20 shirts to the victims who lost everything. Wednesday morning the Tuskegee Athletics department accepted that challenge.

There are 351 Division I men’s basketball teams in the NCAA, according to the 2016 Pomeroy College Ball Ratings. Full cooperation with Sampson’s challenge would provide more than 3,500 pairs of shoes and 7,000 shirts to those whose homes were damaged in the hurricane.

Tuskegee head men’s basketball coach Jerry Dunn wanted his team to join in despite being a Division II school that is a part of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).

“I just think it is really a blessing to be able to assist those that are in need,” Dunn stated. “Coach Sampson came up with this brilliant idea and I am just pleased that Tuskegee’s athletic department is able to lend a helping hand to those suffering through this catastrophic and life threatening event.”

Coach Dunn has also asked his players to donate a pair of sneakers while he has committed to donating two pairs of his own.

It didn’t stop there with TU. The women’s basketball team also elected to join in. Head coach Quacy Barnes-Timmons has pledged shirts and other items. “It is difficult to watch families suffer like this, “Barnes-Timmons said. “This isn’t a lot, but when I saw the request from coach Sampson, I just knew we needed to do something”, Barnes-Timmons noted.

Men’s basketball opens the season November 14 hosting Johnson C. Smith.

 

Why Did Betsy DeVos Meet Privately With HBCU Leaders?

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Education Secretary Betsy DeVos met with leaders of several historically black colleges and universities in Florida on Wednesday.

The roundtable event was not listed on DeVos’ public schedule, which did not include any events for Wednesday. Her office told the Miami Herald the event was deemed “private.”

According to the readout of the event, which was released Wednesday afternoon following the event, those invited included a board member at Bethune-Cookman University, numerous officials at Florida A&M University, as well as a number of African-American church leaders and Rep. Al Lawson, D-Fla.

The event was held at the Bethel Family Life Center in Tallahassee, Fla. DeVos’ spokesperson did not confirm to the Miami Herald who attended the roundtable.

According to the release, the event consisted of two 45-minute sessions, the first titled “Saving, Sustaining and Strengthening Public Education and Schools of Choice” and the second titled “Saving, Sustaining and Strengthening HBCUs and Higher Education.”

On Tuesday, DeVos visited a private school and a public charter school in Tallahassee.

In May, DeVos was notably “booed” while delivering the commencement at Bethune-Cookman University.

The Washington Examiner has reached out to DeVos’ office for comment.

Issa Rae to Speak at Dillard University

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Issa Rae is best known as the star and co-creator of the Golden Globe series, INSECURE, which premiered this past October on HBO. Coming off her second straight year on the Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 List, she was named by The Rolling Stone as “one of the 23 funniest people in America.”  Between her digital following and her presence as a strong African American female role model, Issa has been profiled by The New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR), The Washington Post and CNN. She released a book of essays entitled THE MISADVENTURES OF AWKWARD BLACK GIRL.

Issa will speak at Dillard University Lecture Series “Brain Food” on September 6th at 7pm EST in Georges Auditorium.

Image result for issa rae school

The lecture series is an integral part of history of Dillard University. Our first official president, William Stuart Nelson launched what he called the aesthetic spirit of Dillard in the late 1930s, designed to build a closer relationship between the students and the community, and elevating awareness of the university throughout the nation.

He was followed by Albert Dent who organized the Edwin R. Embree Memorial Lecture Series in the 1950s, to help students achieve a high sense of personal and social values in their thinking and learning. Guests included Eleanor Roosevelt, Thurgood Marshall, Mary McLeod Bethune, Martin Luther King Jr., and Jackie Robinson. Broadus Butler followed Dent, and established the Scholars-Statesmen Lecture Series in the late 1960s, to bring to students and the community distinguished people who modeled excellence to which students aspired and the community respected.logo

Samuel DuBois Cook not only established a lyceum series, but built a fine arts center to provide a new venue for lectures, theater and music. Michael Lomax followed Cook, and expanded the lyceum series to achieve his goal to “make Dillard the nation’s leading center for discussion of African-American culture, history, direction and aspirations.” Finally, Marvalene Hughes led the post-Katrina renovation of facilities so they would be better for events, created new space, like the Georges Auditorium, and launched the annual Justice Revius Ortique lecture on Law and Society.

In 2013 Walter M. Kimbrough continued the Dillard tradition of lectures with Brain Food. He launched the nationally recognized “Bless the Mic” series at Philander Smith College in 2005, a series that continues today. This time, he sought a name that would highlight the unique culture of New Orleans with this educational activity.Image result for dillard university

New Orleans is known for so many unique characteristics: Jazz, Mardi Gras, festivals, and major sporting events to name a few. But many think about food: King Cakes, beignets, crawfish, gumbo, red beans ‘n rice, jambalaya, pralines, po boys, ettoufee, & bread pudding. Many call the city the culinary capital of the world.

But a university should want to feed minds, so this series serves “brain food,” hence the name. Brain Food is intellectual sustenance; it’s information that feeds intellectual craving. And just as many Americans suffer from obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure due to poor diets, our intellectual diets are deficient, making us mentally malnourished and academically anemic. This series hopes to ensure this community has the proper intellectual diet to remain healthy and happy.

A Kenya proverb says it best: A wise man fills his brains before emptying his mouth. Brain Food aims to fill brains before mouths are emptied.

National HBCU Pre-Law Summit Provides Pivotal Opportunity for HBCU Students & Alumni

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GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Fourth Annual National HBCU Pre-Law Summit & Law Expo 2017 Sponsored by AccessLex Institute is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 15, 2017 at Bennett College and Saturday, September 16, 2017 at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. This groundbreaking summit is the exclusive national event of its kind in the entire country focused on empowering HBCU students and graduates interested in attending law school, and addressing the unique issues, concerns and challenges facing them on the road to becoming lawyers.

Students and graduates from all HBCUs are invited to meet and come together in Greensboro to take part in two intensive and power-packed days which will expose them to game-changing information, resources, and connections designed to help them achieve success in a demanding educational endeavor and tough field in great need of diversity.

The summit will provide inspirational keynote sessions featuring prominent and dynamic speakers. Keynote speakers include Juan R. Thomas, Esq., President, National Bar Association, Emily M. Dickens, Esq., Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Relationship Officer, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Dr. Aaron N. Taylor, Esq., Senior Vice President and Executive Director, AccessLex Center for Legal Education Excellence, Demetra L. Liggins, Esq., Partner, Thompson & Knight and Co-Founder, Corporate Homie, Jalene Mack, Esq., Attorney, Actress, Writer, Producer and Non-Profit Founder, and Dr. Christina R. Kirk, Esq., Municipal Court Judge, Teacher and Founder & Dean, Prep “U”niversity.

In addition to outstanding keynote speakers, special guest speakers, and Black lawyer and law student organizational leaders, there will also be an unprecedented conversation featuring all six HBCU law school deans from Southern University Law Center, North Carolina Central University School of Law, Thurgood Marshall School of Law Texas Southern University, Howard University School of Law, the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, and Florida A&M University School of Law. This panel will be moderated by Dr. Jamal Watson, Executive Editor, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.

The event will also include the National HBCU Pre-Law Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. This year’s honorees include The Honorable Craig Washington Sr., former Texas State Senator and U.S. Congressman, The Honorable Henry Frye, the first Black North Carolina Supreme Court Justice and Chief Justice, Juanita Jackson, Esq., Criminal Attorney and Creator, Producer and Cast Member of the WETV Reality Show “Sisters in Law”, and The Honorable Dr. Alma S. Adams, U.S. Congresswoman and Founder of the first-ever Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus.

In addition, the event will showcase informative panel discussions on critical topics for aspiring lawyers including law school admission, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the law student experience, the different career paths for those with a law degree, and Black lawyers and entrepreneurship. Also planned are sessions on financing legal education and writing the law school personal statement and diversity statement.

Further, a law school expo will take place where students will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from up to 100 law schools and law-related organizations. Networking breaks and social receptions are scheduled to take place where attendees will have the opportunity to participate in both structured and informal networking activities and are required to connect with new accountability partners and mentors. A one-on-one consulting and practical assistance session will also be offered so that participants can ask any admissions, preparation or career planning questions. Complimentary resources, professional headshots and free food will also be provided.

The event will end on a high note with the Aspiring Lawyers Pinning Ceremony where all pre-law students will be pinned by licensed attorneys, encouraged to move forward in their endeavors and commit to giving back to others.

Admission to the entire event is completely free of charge, open to the public, and seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Aspiring lawyers, their pre-law and career advisors, professors, parents and supporters are all welcomed to register and attend. For more information, please visit the summit’s official website at http://www.hbcuprelawsummit.org/.

Media Contact:
Evangeline M. Mitchell, Esq., Ed.M.
Founder, National HBCU Pre-Law Summit
281-944-5294
info@hbcuprelawsummit.org

Photos:
https://www.prlog.org/12661287

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE National HBCU Pre-Law Summit

Related Links

http://www.hbcuprelawsummit.org

FAMU Alumni Mic-Lo Releases Song About Undergrad Life

Posted by Brittany Ireland
Posted on
After graduating from a historically black college or university, it is very easy to miss the campus, living steps away from new lifelong friends, the entertaining events, and being in a purely progressive, youthful environment.

One Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) alum, Mic-Lo, reminisces on his college days, capturing his sentiments in song “F.A.M.U.”

Check out this video the former student athlete, released.