Obama reacts to George Zimmerman verdict

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President Barack Obama released a statement on the George Zimmerman verdict in the death of Trayvon Martin, urging Americans to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in their communities.

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President Obama:

“The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America. I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son. And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities. We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that’s a job for all of us. That’s the way to honor Trayvon Martin.”

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It was the first time Obama made a public reaction to the killing of Trayvon Martin since early 2012, saying “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”

What happens if George Zimmerman walks free?

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Checking up on Twitter, Facebook and other popular social media first thing in the morning is something that is routine now for many people throughout the modern world.  

If you are following/friends with the right amount of people, the George Zimmerman trial is probably up and down your timeline with news updates on the man charged with second degree murder for killing Trayvon Martin.

While prosecutors are making their final preparations for their closing statement some people are observing what impact this will have on race relations in America.

Russell Simmons said, whether guilty verdict or acquittal, people will never stop fighting for justice for Trayvon.

“Whatever decision they make, is a decision that we must live with, whether we like it or not,” said Simmons. “Whether George Zimmerman is found innocent or guilty by the jury, I am firm believer that all of us live by karmic law, and he will ultimately be punished for the death of Trayvon, no matter what.”

“However, if he walks free out of that courtroom, I understand that some people will be very sad, but we must remember the mission we are on. As I have heard Trayvon’s parents say time and time again, they are not only fighting for justice for their son, they are fighting for all of us, especially those parents who have to live through the misery of burying their child and the sadness that comes after.”

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All-star running back Paul Robertson possible impact freshman at HU

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Hampton University’s three returning tailbacks rushed for a combined 307 yards on 69 carries last season. Paul Robertson ran 32 times for 426 yards in one game.

Now there’s no overstating the jump from high school to college football, but those jarring numbers illustrate the impact Robertson could have as a true freshman at Hampton this year after a breakout 2012 at L.C. Bird High School near Richmond.

“Paul has a great opportunity,” Pirates coach Donovan Rose said. “It’s a matter of who comes in and is ready to go. We don’t start practice until July 31. I can tell you a little more once I see him in a Hampton uniform.”

Fans can catch Robertson in uniform Friday night, when he plays for the East in the Virginia High School Coaches Association all-star game at Darling Stadium. His soon-to-be Pirates teammate Johnny Cruz III, an offensive lineman from York High, also made the East roster.

Robertson did not start at tailback for L.C. Bird until his final season, previously backing up Yahkee Johnson, the MVP of last year’s all-star game. That limited his exposure and subsequent recruiting interest.

But as a senior, Robertson posted extraordinary statistics that trumped even Derrick Green, the acclaimed Hermitage High back who signed with Michigan.

Robertson is attending summer school at HU and, according to Bird coach David Bedwell, was unavailable for an interview. But when the Richmond Times-Dispatch named Robertson its player of the year, he told the paper, “I’m definitely astonished. I didn’t know anything like this was possible.”

“This” was 1,791 yards in 10 regular-season games. “This” was 1,144 yards in four playoff games, bringing his season total to 2,935, as the Skyhawks completed an undefeated season and won their first state championship — in Virginia’s highest classification, Division 6, by the way. Read Full

Neufville Named Coppin State University President

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CoppinMortimer2520NeufvilleDr. Mortimer Neufville, a veteran higher education administrator, was named president of Coppin State University president July 9 by William E. Kirwan, chancellor of University System of Maryland.

Neufville has been serving as interim president of the historically Black institution since Jan. 23 following the resignation of Reginald Avery. Previously he served as executive vice president of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU).

Neufville’s background includes 13 years at University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), where he was vice president for academic affairs, dean of agricultural science and research director before serving as UMES interim president from 2011 to 2012.

“We are very fortunate that Dr. Newville has accepted this appointment,” Kirwan said in a statement. “With a history of serving higher education with distinction and effectiveness, he is well positioned to serve Coppin well during this critical transition period.”

Neufville earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Tuskegee University and master’s and doctoral degrees in animal science from the University of Florida. In 2001, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Tuskegee University. AFRO

FAMU Business pitch competition designed to help Latino Entrepreneurs

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SBDCSlideFAMU’s Small Business Development Center will host a July 17 presentation on the La Idea Business Pitch Competition.

An initiative of the U.S. State Department and USAID, La Idea provides Latino entrepreneurs with the resources they need to promote, create and cultivate collaborative small businesses in the U.S. and Latin America.

Winners can receive up to $50,000 to help get their ventures started.

Scheduled to speak during the teleconference is Lindsey Navarro, La Idea outreach director. She will brief entrepreneurs on the competition and the business support services and mentorship opportunities available. Read More

13 Telltale Signs You’re a Delta

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Starting this weekend, the streets of Washington, D.C., will be flooded by a sea of red. With letters on their sleeves and immeasurable pride in their hearts, the women of Delta Sigma Theta SororityInc. will flock to the city that birthed their organization 100 years ago. While every Delta woman is different, there are some habits and happenstances that none of us can deny about our sisterhood.

1. The Shrine

Somewhere in your home is a shrinelike collection of all your gifts, trinkets and pledging memorabilia.

2. ‘Nalia Galore

You have a piece of paraphernalia for every and any occasion and weather condition. Windbreakers, umbrellas, hats, sweatshirts, cardigans, tees, tote bags, travel kits and socks are all stashed in the back of your closet.

3. Trunks Up

There may be more elephant figurines and jewelry in your possession than space to store them.

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Rand Paul is right, “Republicans haven’t changed”

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Remember the lecture ‘Professor’ Rand Paul gave at Howard University, when the Republican senator explained black history to students in the School of Business Auditorium?

Paul devoted the majority of his time on the history of the Republican as it relates to civil rights, as an alternative to discussing existing concerns in the black community—like intra-racial discrimination, children out of wedlock and education.

Some gave Paul props for being the first Republican to visit Howard in more than 20 years. Others suspected his every move.

If anything, the audience most likely agreed with Paul’s argument that “Republicans haven’t changed.”

MSNBC host Chris Hayes recently said the senator has three “white supremacist strikes” against him now after the discovery that a close aide to Paul worked as a pro-secessionist radio pundit and neo-Confederate activist.

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Huffington Post:

“Strike one was in 2009 when Rand Paul’s Senate campaign spokesperson was forced to resign over a horribly racist comment and historical image of a lynching — I’m not making that up — posted by a friend of his on his MySpace wall on Martin Luther King weekend, then allowed to remain for almost two years,” Hayes said.

 Strike two, Hayes added, was when Paul expressed reservations about the Civil Rights Act in an interview on the Rachel Maddow Show. (Paul later said in a statement that he supports the Civil Rights Act “because I overwhelmingly agree with the intent of the legislation, which was to stop discrimination in the public sphere and halt the abhorrent practice of segregation and Jim Crow laws.”)

 “And now this. Southern Avenger on the Senator’s staff,” Hayes said. “Well, I’m sorry, Rand Paul. That’s three racist strikes. You’re out.”

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Howard students were not suddenly ‘enlightened’ after Paul’s Grand Old Party speech. They knew what was up all alone. 

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Five HBCU players taken in Major League Baseball draft

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36-Cory-JordanLed by Savannah State pitcher Kyle McGowin, five HBCU baseball players were selected in the 2013 Major League Baseball three day Draft.

McGowin, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Pitcher of the Year, was selected in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.

He finished the regular season with an ERA of 1.49 in 96.1 innings pitched and a 12-1 record. He led the MEAC in strikeouts (111) and wins, and was ranked sixth nationally after the end of the regular season while leading the Tigers to their first MEAC Championship and the programs first Division I NCAA Playoff bid.

     Alcorn State shortstop Angel Rosa was also picked by the Angels. The 2013 Pre-Season SWAC Player of the Year, was selected in the 13th round with the 397th overall pick. He finished the last year with a .294 batting average and led the Braves in stolen bases (17), on base percentage (.372) recording 50 hits and 26 runs scored.

North Carolina A&T first baseman Kelvin Freeman was picked by the Chicago Cubs in the 17th round and was the 498th overall selection. Southern University pitcher Jose De Leon was picked in the 24th round with the 724th pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished with a 4-3 overall record and in the top ten in the league in ERA (3.28) and innings pitched (81.2). He led the Jaguars with 73 strikeouts including 25 strikeouts looking. Both marks were ranked second in the conference.

The final HBCU pick of the draft was Grambling State pitcher Cory Jordan was taken by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 35th round with the 1,058th overall selection. Last year as a relief pitcher, Jordan finished with a 2-3 overall record, two saves and a 4.22 ERA. He recorded 27 strikeouts while appearing in 14 games in relief. Referenced from Journal

What change will 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington bring?

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History always repeats itself because of past lessons unlearned. We just keep doing that ‘dance’ until we get it right. – The Crisis Magazine

Time magazine recently called millennials the “Me, Me, Me Generation,” and said we are lazy, entitled narcissists who still live at our parent’s house.

Touché. Although I think I love my Windows phone 8x by HTC far more than I love myself.

But Time has a point. I could have saved the world twice over had I not spent hours taking that unorthodox Facebook selfie.

Even so, to improve my excessive love of self I picked up on the many benefits of running.

(Summer/Fall body tip: running is one of the best forms of exercise for losing or maintaining a consistent weight.)

After carrying out my goal to run five miles to Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio from nearby Xenia, Ohio, I felt a great amount of accomplishment.

Before I could do so however I had to build my endurance. This meant waking up at 5 a.m. every week day before work and telling myself “just do it” when I psyched myself out from the challenge.

Once capable, I confronted the test head on with my running partner.

It is a straight shot to Central State when you arrive on US-42 North. You pass farmland and a few small creeks while listening to the songs of birds on the route.

Three quarters into the run I imagined how blacks felt when walking several miles to school throughout the Civil Rights era.

I remembered reading how Frederick Douglass mother walked 12 miles at night to spend half an hour with him, only to walk back to avoid a whipping from her slave master for missing field labor in the morning.

“Man, we take a lot for granted nowadays,” I said to myself. “We’re in need of a revolution…”

50 years ago on August 28, 1963 some 250,000 people joined hands to march on Washington for jobs and freedom.

Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech and the rest is history:

“And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”

I ask, with the 50th anniversary of the largest demonstration ever seen in the nation’s capital fast approaching, what change will the March on Washington bring to my generation?

Will we use our voices and take action like those before us, or will we sit out-of-the-way with our eyes glued to social media–allowing another generation to slip through the cracks?

This is why it is a great time to be an American. Because we have to consistently fight to create the change that we wish to see.

Hope springs eternal, even in an instant gratification society such as ours.

After running, working and sweating, and fighting off thoughts of quitting too soon, I reached Central State in good time.

I never been happier to see Central State’s motto on a flag waving high into the wind: “Change is Central”.

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Central State investing $20M to become more energy efficient

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Central State University will undergo $20 million in renovations to make the campus more energy efficient.

The university looks to add interior and exterior lighting, building automation, mechanical upgrades, roof improvements and implement water conservation. The end result is expected to cut energy consumption 41 percent for utility savings of $1 million a year.

The renovation costs will be paid for through financing from the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority.

Among the major renovations will be a conversion of the steam plant — which provides heat to 23 buildings — to run on 14 hot water boilers tied into an automated system for climate control across campus. Automated climate control with sensors to detect room occupancy and adjust room temperature will be installed, and major energy or water-reducing equipment replacements will be made in buildings serving the Center for Education and Natural Sciences, Smith College of Business and Natatorium.

Other upgrades include LED lights, as well as repairs and replacements of window and door sealant and roofing.

The university is aiming for a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, as mandated by Ohio House Bill 251. It also says there will be a total guaranteed savings of $14.5 million over the 15 years the improvements will take place.

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TSU Receives $600,000 Scholarship Donation from Late Alumna’s Estate

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Tennessee State University graduate Vernice Marie Taylor Gray died nearly nine years ago, but not before makings plans to ensure that students in need get the opportunity for a quality education.

The estate of Vernice and her late husband, Elbert Gray Jr., has donated $600,000 for scholarships for students attending TSU.

The fund, established under the Elbert Gray Jr. and Vernice Taylor Gray Memorial Scholarship, will be used at the discretion of the University to fund two “financially disadvantaged” male and female students from Tennessee each year.

“This is certainly great news for Tennessee State University,” said President Glenda Glover. “We are pleased to announce this donation, which provides not only money but makes it possible for less fortunate students to get an education. We commend the Elbert Gray Jr. and Vernice Taylor Gray Trust for this scholarship program.”

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Wiley College Honor Student Inexplicably Beaten by Police “I Awoke Spitting My Teeth Out On the Ground”

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s1-224x300On June 29th 2013, Gabriella Calhoun’s life changed forever.  The night was warm and clear, and after partying with friends, Gabriella and her friends decided to go to their local neighborhood Denny’s to get a late night meal.  Gabby is an honor student at Wiley College.  She finished high school a year early and went to college a year before the rest of her cohort.

Sitting on the left side of Denny’s so they can have a view of the parking lot, her crew of 17, all high school graduates, witnessed a fight between two girls.  As the group of college bound students were ordering their drinks, the cops were called.

When officers arrived on the scene, they entered the Denny’s and approached Gabriella’s table and asked if they had anything to do with the fight.   A friend, who shall remain nameless, told the officers that they were not involved with the fight at all at which the cops left and went back outside.

The two girls who were fighting outside were allowed to go into the Denny’s to “clean themselves up.”  One girl was previously maced by a police officer in the parking lot for acting unruly.  When the two girls saw each other inside of Denny’s, they started to fight again.  The cops rushed into the restaurant to break the fight up.

As the cops tried to clear Denny’s, they again approached Gabriella’s table, at which a close friend of hers told the cops they were not involved with the party that was fighting.  The cops grabbed the nameless young man, (he wants his name protected out of fear of retaliation), and escorted him out of Denny’s.  Gabriella followed them and grabbed his side.  As she exited the Denny’s she felt a grip on her neck and arm and says that out of reaction, she tried to pull away.

What happened next was unimaginable.  According to her friends, Gabriella was hit in the face with a night stick by a female officer and was knocked unconscious.   When Gabriella finally gained consciousness, the Wiley College Student said, “I awoke spitting my teeth out on the ground.”

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Disrespectful ‘Angry Trayvon’ App Sparks Outrage

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If you find George Zimmerman’s defense team’s grotesque framing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin as a violent, weed-smoking teen who caused his own untimely death repulsive, then prepare yourself for the ‘Angry Trayvon’ app.

Available in the Google play store, and for Apple operating systems and Android devices, the app isdescribed as follows:

Trayvon is angry and nobody can stop him from completing his world tour of revenge on the bad guys who terrorize cities everyday.
Use a variety of weapons to demolish Trayvon’s attackers in various cities around the world.
As you complete a level, you will notice more bad guys coming at Trayvon at a faster pace and a deadlier attack.
If you like to attack from far, then purchase the ‘dagger’ as you will be able to throw it at your enemies for the kill.
If you want to dominate the leaderboards across the world, then make sure you collect the money that the bad guys will drop once you kill them to increase your score.

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Optimism prevails as Alabama A&M touts financial recovery

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12968281-mmmainAll that was missing from Thursday’s upbeat committee meetings of the Alabama A&M University Board of Trustees was a win in the Magic City Classic.

Fighting to overcome chronic financial problems, the trustees:

  • Celebrated turning a $9 million deficit from 2008 into a $3 million surplus.
  • Voted, on the committee level, to approve a 2014 fiscal year budget that includes the first pay raise for employees in six years and doesn’t include a bump in tuition.
  • Received an audit report with no issues for 2012 with an “unqualified” opinion, which is the “best possible opinion an independent auditor can issue,” according to a presentation from auditors Banks, Finley, White & Co.

And this all came on the heels of a Wednesday night presentation of a four-year evaluation of President Andrew Hugine, which was described as “very, very positive” by Alvin Schexnider, a consultant from the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges who worked with the evaluation committee.

“If you’ve got the naysayers talking about the fiscal health of the institution, the fiscal health – we have a long way to go – the fiscal health has been improved because it’s being reflected in our financial statements,” said Odysseus Lanier, president pro tem of the trustees.