In a resolution passed at a special meeting on Friday evening, the University of the Virgin Islands board of trustees authorized the university to enter into a loan not to exceed $21 million to help fund the construction of its planned medical school, slated to open in the fall of 2016. The loan will be provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program, which primarily offers loans to fund renovation and repairs of the nation’s HBCUs, but also occasionally helps to fund the construction of new facilities.
The development phase of UVI’s Medical School, which proposes new buildings on both St. Thomas and St. Croix, was announced in April of last year around the time of a $30 million donation to the project by New Generation Power and its Chairman, Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria. The university has since named Dr. Benjamin Sachs, former dean of Tulane Medical School, as the school’s interim dean. In December, an accreditation application was submitted to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. read more…
The existence of intuitions of higher education for Black people can be traced back to the mid-1830s, about three decades before the end of slavery, when Quakers in Philadelphia established the Institute for Colored Youth, which was created to educate free Blacks in their quest to become teachers. Many Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were founded by the American Missionary Association, which included such historic institutions as Atlanta University (1865), Fisk University (1866), Howard University (1867), Hampton Institute (1868), Tugaloo College (1869), and more. In 1871, Alcorn State College, now Alcorn State University, was founded. It was the first Black “land grant” college in America.
Today, there are 108 HBCUs. The state of Alabama has the most with 15. For several decades, there have been questions by some people – Black and White – whether there is still a need for Black colleges and universities in America. After all, segregation of the nation’s colleges and universities has been abolished – to a certain extent – for decades where African Americans can attend predominately White institutions of higher learning where they were once barred. read more…
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, politics aside, it’s that love transcends all. In celebration of Valentine’s Day, msnbc.com’s “Love is Love” series will profile a variety of couples and their stories in the week leading up to February 14 to show that “love is love,” no matter your race, nationality, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity.
W. Kamau Bell is a comedian who has become famous for his no-holds-barred approach to tackling race, politics, and social issues in his comedy. He also hosted the late night comedy show “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell,” which aired on FX. Kamau has frequently spoken out about the role race and racism play in American society, entertainment, media, and politics. Here, he and his wife, Melissa Hudson Bell, talk to msnbc about race, love, interracial relationships, marriage, and raising a family. read more…
FBI Director James Comey’s pointed critique of law enforcement’s rocky dealings with African American communities indirectly called attention to an uncomfortable fact: the percentage of black FBI agents has actually fallen over the past two decades.
The most recent statistics posted on the website of the nation’s premier law enforcement agency show African Americans accounted for 4.7% of the bureau’s special agents in 2012, down from 5.6% in 1997.
Law enforcement critics have cited racial disparities on police forces as one of the reasons for strained relationships with black communities nationwide.
The FBI’s numbers dipped despite a flurry of high-profile discrimination lawsuits filed against the agency in the 1980s and 1990s. Those cases led to an admission of disparities in the treatment of minorities at the bureau, as well as to a slew of reforms intended to remedy those recurring problems.
Comey did not mention the specific personnel figures during his widely-publicized address Thursday at Georgetown University, but in a question-and-answer period he said the bureau’s recruitment of minority agents is inadequate. read more…
NEW YORK, Feb 13, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The Blackstone Charitable Foundation today announced that it has awarded grants totaling $3 million to twenty non-profit organizations that strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems and support high growth entrepreneurs. Now in its third year, the Blackstone Innovation Grants program targets organizations that focus on fostering entrepreneurship and innovation.
Through these grants, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation is helping innovative organizations pilot, expand or replicate programs that will catalyze the growth of successful businesses, industries, and communities in their regions. As part of this program, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation is working to create a global network of entrepreneurship-focused programs in which participants can share best practices, methodologies and intellectual capital. read more…
Among the greatest obstacles to the establishment of collective success in the black community are sound financial planning/debt prevention and creating inter-generational wealth.
The AARP Georgia invited celebrities, dignitaries, educators and legislators to the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel to discuss this most important matter during the HBCU “Fix the Debt” event that included the luminaries Dr. Julianne Malveaux, Dr. Dennis Kimbro, Operation HOPE founder John Hope Bryant and radio-TV personality Rashan Ali. read more…
Not too long ago, a Texas man was jailed on a first-degree murder complaint related to the shooting death of a transgender woman.
Texas College student Carlton Champion was arrested Jan. 29. The Tyler Police department arrested him 3 days after 24-year-old Ty Underwood was killed. At that time, it was reported that the young man was a member of the Texas College football team. According to a coach at the institution, Champion is not one of the teams players.
Originally, the Tyler Police Department reported Champion was a member of the team, citing a friend of Underwood’s as its reference. According to an article published in Tyler Morning Telegraph, “It was at that point that investigators connected the dots and confirmed that Champion, in fact, played football for the school.”
According to HBCU Sports, Leonard Smith, football coach at Texas College, debunked the report that mentioned Champion had been a member of the team.
“We provide(d) a roster to the police and showed them that he was not on our team this past fall,” Smith told HBCU Sports. “He (Champion) was trying out this semester just like other kids but he has not played in a game for us.”
Smith provided the roster with hopes of dispelling any faulty information and to avoid the “bad reputation in Tyler” the school seems unable to escape.
Smith said he wanted to correct any misinformation to preserve the schools image that has historically had “a bad reputation in Tyler.”
On Thursday Feb. 19 students and faculty members from Howard University plan to teach Wikipedia a lesson on black history. All of Wikipedia’s pages, topics and entries related to African-American history will be fixed in the “edit-a-thon” as a part of Black History Month, according to reports.
According to The Root, Howard Dodson, the director of Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, a research center and also one of the country’s oldest produced within the African Diaspora, says, “Howard University is the ideal place to hold an edit-a-thon on this broad and undeserved subject area. Eligible content rangers from entries about influential people in African American history to legislation fought for by black Americans, as well as the mass protests and pop-culture moments that have affected African Americans.”
The “edit-a-thon” will be held at the school’s MSRC. Community members are free to attend and watch.
President Raymond M. Burse was recently featured on CNN for helping his staff and some of his students. President Burse gave up $90,000 of his salary so that the university’s lowest paid workers could have a 40% pay increase.
“I don’t mind giving up on some what I have been able to obtain through life in order to be able to be a small help to them in their own lives, Burse told CNN.
Burse’s acts of kindness didn’t stop with his staff. He also surprised KSU football player Deshon Floyd by awarding him the remaining $2,000 he need to do an internship abroad in New England. The 63-year-old also offered high school shooting victim Javangntay Burroughs of Louisville a full scholarship.
“With all the things they had to deal with, one of the things they shouldn’t have to deal with is whether this young man was going to be able to go to college, “ said Burse.
The president’s actions incited a pay-it-forward movement around the university.
C-SPAN is hosting a historically black college and university tour, where they will visit several HBCUs in honor of Black History Month. Wednesday, Morehouse College President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. sat down with C-SPAN host, Pedro Echevarria.
Wilson Jr., John Silvanus Interviewed by Pedro Echevarria. Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Washington Journal, 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
South Carolina State University President Thomas Elzey addresses the State’s House Ways and Means subcommittee to close the university for one year. Few resent article here.
Police of Charlotte-Mecklenburg have arrested six members from JCSU’s undergraduate chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. On January 29.
Police received information from Novant Presbyterian Hospital, on an unidentified patient whose injuries were consistent with hazing. All six members have been detained and charged with hazing.
The patient told police that he had met with all five members of the Rho chapter, over a period of 3 months, at different locations on and off of JCSU campus.
Suspects Edward Droshon, Clifton Kyle Gregg, Nickolas Duran Hayden, Touangaheofa J.Langi, and Patrick Joseph Philogene have all been taken into custody, The sixth suspect Carlton Richardson turned himself in that Thursday night. He is now out on bail according to WCCB Charlotte.
The patient alleges that he was hit with paddles during those three months and has suffered severe injuries as a result.
Johnson C Smith University has suspended the organization from its campus and released this statement:
“Johnson C. Smith University is committed to ensuring the safety, health and well-being of our students. We take all allegations of hazing very seriously, and we have been conducting an internal investigation in addition to cooperating with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in its investigation. Hazing is not aligned with the ideals and principles of higher education or Johnson C. Smith University. Therefore, it has no place on our campus, and the University has a zero tolerance for hazing in academic life, student life or athletics.
The University sent a cease and desist order to Rho Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., for all activities, and the organization has been suspended from campus. Additionally, the Sixth District of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. has issued a notice of interim suspension to Rho Chapter of the fraternity. We will continue our internal investigation, and all students involved will face the University’s judicial process.
JCSU will remain steadfast in our lack of tolerance for hazing, and we will continue to emphasize our campus-wide education efforts to ensure that all students are aware of and abide by the anti-hazing policy in our Student Handbook.”
Several students at Texas Southern University, overheard the suspect a non student at the university making claims about an explosive device near the business and law schools at about 11 am according to KHOU Local
Houston police arrested a person who allegedly claimed to have placed a bomb at the business school building on Texas Southern University campus.
According to Chron.com “Police said a person reported to police that he saw a man running out of the building, saying a bomb was inside. When officers arrived, the man who ran from the building was detained. Police said it is unclear if a bomb or anything else was discovered in the building. However, TSU officials said no injuries were reported and activities continue as normal on campus.”
North Carolina Central University, North Carolina A&T, South Carolina State University among the top teams named by Boxtorow ranking the top 10 HBCU FCS recruiting classes.
(Gianina Thompson, University Relations,) Hampton, Va.– Hampton University freshman, Chental-Song Bembry, attended the 2015 BET Honors Award Show in the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C., and was recognized as an “Early Riser” for her accomplishments and community service as a young author. Bembry is the author of the book series, “The Honey Bunch Kids.”
The BET Honors Award Show will air on Monday, Feb. 23 at 9 p.m. EST and will show Bembry being recognized by SAG-award winning actress Aunjanue Ellis, star of the new BET miniseries The Book of Negroes, after Kanye West accepts the Visionary Award.
Bembry, a broadcast journalism major and leadership studies minor from Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, described the experience as “simply a blessing from God.”
Elizabeth City State University Concert Choir is fresh off of their yearly tour.
For 2015 the choral group took their talents to the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Under the direction of Dr. Walter Swan the choir performed at the likes of Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, Clef Jazz Club, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts; and many others.
Choir Member Jerome Burwell, An East Orange NJ Native, stated that he joined the concert choir because he had a passion for music and singing. When asked what he felt set their choir apart from other HBCU choirs, Burwell said “Besides our hard work, the dedication and the connection we have with one another sets us apart from other HBCU choirs. When we perform, we are able to feel each other and our director. Through this connection, God’s anointing is able to flow and reach others.”
Dr. Swan who has directed the choir for five years constructed the tour along with help of alumni, the tour is based on what they consider to be the best venues to perform at. “Each venue was an amazing experience from the historical perspective.” Swan said.
A moment students of the choir took away from the tour was meeting Civil Rights Activist Edith Savage-Jennings. Savage-Jennings, a Congressional Medal Honor Recipient, and First President of the Urban League Guild, sat down with the students for a personal conversation. Burwell stated “I felt that if she has made it this far and made such an impact there is nothing stopping me from making a positive impact as well.”
When asked what he felt his students would take away from the tour experience as performers and individuals, Dr. Swan said, “I would hope that they can a. Be inspired to become stronger informed individuals, b. Better understand of who they are and how they fit into the greater scheme of life within this world, c. Respect the opportunities presented to them and learn from each so as to pay it forward, d. And attract positive and self-motivated students to join the ranks at ECSU.”
