Howard Alum to Play Jackie Robinson in Upcoming Movie “42”

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chadwickbosemanjackierobinson42Congratulations to Chadwick Boseman!

Chadwick Boseman, 30, is one of Hollywood’s up-and-coming actors. The South Carolina native is best known for his roles on the TV series Lincoln Heightsand Persons Unknown. Boseman is also a playwright and screenwriter who graduated from Howard University and attended the British American Dramatic Academy at Oxford.

Last year Boseman got what he calls “the opportunity of a lifetime” to star in the upcoming biopic 42, his first time on the big screen in a lead role.

On the Grio 100 list

Robinson, the first African American player to break Major League Baseball’s color line and play in what was once a whites-only game, was born on January 31, 1919. He faced racism and harassment during his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers and was a famous advocate for nonviolence. Robinson played for the Dodgers for a decade and led the way for more African Americans to take part in professional baseball in the U.S. In 1955, he helped led the Dodgers to its only World Series title before the team’s move to Los Angeles.

Robinson was an equal rights advocate for his entire life, and The Jackie Robinson Foundation continues his efforts to empower American minorities through scholarship programs. Posthumously, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2005.

Jackie Robinson’s life will be brought to the big screen this year in the new film ’42,’ directed by Brian Helgeland. The film is scheduled to be released in April 2013.

More info here

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Meet Jackson State’s New Head Men’s Basketball Coach

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Wayne Brent JSUWayne Brent – a championship winning coach – was introduced Monday as the new head men’s basketball coach for Jackson State University.

After welcoming Brent to JSU, Director of Athletics Dr. Vivian L. Fuller presented him with a jacket and shirt bearing the university’s logo. Brent thanked God, his family and the university administration before laying out his plans for JSU.

“There are certain goals that I have set for this program. I want to give guys a chance to dream,” Brent said during Monday’s news conference, adding that he’d like the team to reach the NCAA Tournament in the next few years.

Brent, who is one of the most successful basketball coaches in the history of the Jackson Public School system, brings more than 15 years of coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels to JSU. He comes to Jackson State after leading Jackson’s Callaway High School to the 2013 state championship.

Brent succeeds Tevester Anderson, who retired last week. Anderson was 149-170 in 10 years at JSU.

Brent had a highly successful tenure at the helm of the Callaway Chargers program. From 2007-2008 through 2012-2013, his teams have won five division championships and four state championships.

Continuing reading here

Bravo TV Strikes Again! Married to Medicine Has Some Howard Med Students Upset

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Married to MedicineBravo’s “Married To Medicine” premiered last night after “Real Housewives of Atlanta” and the show already has tongues wagging. The latest show in the network’s popular wives series, the program features women doctors, doctors’ wives and medical sales associates all behaving badly. The first episode features a blowout between doctors wives’ Quad and Toya in which Kari, incidentally the only white castmate reveals she was “scared.” Quad’s behavior is attributed to her Memphis upbringing by the other castmates but viewers worry that the fighting and back-stabbing will reflect on black women doctors and wives in general.

To that end, a few Howard University medical students have created a petition against the show, writing:

Black female physicians only compose 1% of the American workforce of physicians. Due to our small numbers, the depiction of Black female doctors in media, on any scale, highly affects the public’s view on the character of all future and current African American female doctors. Bravo’s “Married to Medicine” not only exploits the 6 lives of its Black female cast members, but, through its advertisements and commercials, heavily associates Black females in medicine with materialism, “cat fights”, and unprofessionalism.

The petition also brings to light how negative depictions of black women in medicine could adversely impact job opportunities for doctors of color:

Additionally, as residency positions are becoming increasingly more competitive (particularly for Black women) and contingent upon social behavior of graduating medical students, this depiction will only hinder black female physicians from attaining competitive residencies.

Even viewers who aren’t interested in the medical field were turned off by the castmates bickering and turning their noses up at each other, lamenting how their behavior reflects on black women as well as the city of Atlanta.

See article here

Prairie View wins second consecutive SWAC Bowling title

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The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers claims their second consecutive SWAC Bowling title over Alabama A&M.
The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers claims their second consecutive SWAC Bowling title over Alabama A&M.

The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers did it to Alabama A&M again. Not only did the defending champions battle their way back through the elimination bracket to earn the right to defend their title, they came from behind twice to beat Alabama A&M to claim their second consecutive SWAC Bowling title. A trimmed version of the 6 1/2 marathon will be aired tape delayed on ESPNU on April 2 at 8:30 p.m. CT.

PVAM came into the day in the same spot as they were in 2012, having to beat top-seeded A&M twice, after the Lady Bulldogs rolled through the rounds on Saturday. In the first match, PVAM started well, blowing past A&M 231-175. But, after the red-hot start, PVAM struggled in the next three games. The Lady Bulldogs capitalized, posting 154-150, 179-173 and 171-147 wins.

It was a battle of attrition as both teams struggled to close frames. But, the match came down to the final frame, with PVAM leading. However, A&M junior anchor Camille Collins was up with a chance to win the match. She needed a pair of strikes and a nine count. The first shot cleaned house, but the second missed the pocket and PVAM came away with a 151-143 win, forcing a deciding match.

Read more here.

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Watch: Alpha Chapter Iotas 7th Annual Stroll Competition

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TWMC0DanGSA

The Brothers of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. at Morgan State University recently hosted its 7th annual stroll competition.

Check out the video above, and ‘Ow Ow’ to the bruhs.

About Iota Phi Theta:

Founded September 19, 1963 on the steps of Hurt Gymnasium at Morgan State College, now known as Morgan State University, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. strives toward “Building A Tradition, Not Resting Upon One.”

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Phi Beta Sigma hosts ‘Sigma Week’ at Central State University

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Nu Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. is hosting their ‘Sigma Week’ this week, March 25-31 on the campus of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.

Check out some of their events by viewing the provided picture.

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Is your chapter’s week ‘worthy’ enough to be posted on the Buzz? Send us a link by commenting below.

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About Phi Beta Sigma:

Founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C., January 9, 1914, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity is dedicated to strong bonds of brotherhood, living with integrity, serving humanity, promoting quality education and developing leaders.

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President Bill Clinton to deliver Commencement address at Howard University

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Students at Howard University.
Students at Howard University.

Howard University President Sidney A. Ribeau announced today that President Bill Clinton will deliver the Commencement address at Howard University Saturday, May 11, on the Upper Quadrangle of the school’s main campus.

“We are thrilled that President Clinton has agreed to deliver this year’s Commencement address,” said Ribeau. “As a preeminent leader, humanitarian and advocate, his extraordinary global work and commitment to public service will inspire the class of 2013 as they prepare to make their mark on the world.”

Students and supporters of Howard seem to be in favor of the ‘Buzzing’ news too. Check out some of the reactions on Twitter below.

About Howard University:

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges that produces more on campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University’s Web site at www.howard.edu.

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Southern-Gonzaga: More Than an Upset Bid Was at Stake

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The Gonzaga Bulldogs survived a close call against the Southern Jaguars.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs survived a close call against the Southern Jaguars.

It looked like 1993 all over again.

There was Southern, the sixteenth-seeded SWAC champion, giving once Cinderella now Goliath Gonzaga all it could handle in the second-round of the NCAA Tournament.

These Jaguars, the same outfit that won just four times two years ago, were threatening to upset the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

Before the teams squared off Thursday, the only real discussion about the contest came in the form of could the Zags be only the second mid-major in the last five years to reach the Final Four as a top seed.  A win over Southern seemed so much a formality that The Advocate – a daily newspaper in Southern’s Baton Rouge backyard — didn’t even send a reporter out to Salt Lake City, Utah to cover the game.

But with 3:46 remaining in regulation, SU’s Derick Beltran, a junior college transfer and the team’s leading scorer, hit a jumper to tie the score at 56.

I bet the sports editor was sweating bullets that a local was missing what was unfolding inside Energy Solutions Arena.

Some 37 minutes of game-time earlier, Southern proved it would not be intimidated. After falling behind 7-0, the Jaguars went on an 8-0 run to take a surprising lead.  In fact, Southern led three times in the first half alone before trailing 34-31 at intermission.

Southern had established they were going to be the aggressor just like they did 20 years ago, when a spunky group of unknowns knocked off Final Four favorite Georgia Tech in the first-round.

While Gonzaga worked meticulously in the half court create open looks, Southern threw three-point haymakers, and counterpunched with an interior defensive presence that stonewalled Gonzaga’s bigs to the tune of eight blocked shots.

Center Kelly Olynyk, who scored 21 points and collected 10 rebounds to halt the upset bid, spent nearly as much time readjusting his long dark brown locks after shot attempts underneath the rim than he did on the scorers sheet in the first stanza.

“Coming into the game we thought we were going to make history,” senior guard Jameel Grace told the Associated Press. “No one comes into a game expecting to lose. We always expected to come in the game and win the game.”

Read more here at TSPN Sports.

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PVAMU loses to Baylor in NCAA First Round

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PVAMU's Kiara Etienne (32) attempts to get by Baylor guard.
PVAMU’s Kiara Etienne (32) attempts to get by Baylor guard.

Number 16 seeded Prairie View A&M University’s season ended after suffering an 82-40 loss to No. 1 seed Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday inside Ferrell Center.Gabrielle Scott led Prairie View with 14 points off the bench as PVAMU (17-15) earned the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s automatic bid for the third year in a row.

This was the second match-up against Baylor in Waco in three consecutive years in the tournament. The other was to Connecticut.

Latia Williams added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The Lady Panthers shot 25 percent from the floor.

Brittney Griner recorded a double-double with 33 points and 10 boards to complement six blocks. She shot 12-of-17 from the field while the Lady Bears connected 56 percent overall. Griner recorded her 61st career double-double.

BU (33-1), the No. 1 team in the AP and ESPN polls, won their 31st straight game since an early-season loss to Stanford, another top seed.

Odyssey Sims had 12 points and 10 assists, and Destiny Williams had nine points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

PVAMU trailed 22-15 midway through the first half when BU called a timeout after Gabrielle Scott hit a three pointer that gave PVAMU five points in just 35 seconds.

The Lady Bears scored the next five points coming out of the timeout to start a 17-4 run that put them ahead 39-19 late in the first half. Griner scored 10 in the spurt and had 20 in the first half.

”This one game doesn’t justify our season,” Prairie View head coach Toyelle Wilson said. ”Baylor was a lot bigger than us. They had a lot more ammo. They played like the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.”

The Lady Panthers managed a stellar start in the opening minutes. PVAMU got a steal and had three straight offensive rebounds before Kiara Etienne hit a three-pointer to give the Lady Panthers their only lead at 6-5.

Source.

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5 reasons to consider a career in higher education

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Picture of Howard University's campus.
Picture of Howard University’s campus.

Three years ago, I was a college senior grappling with what I was going to do when I graduated in two months. With little direction, I went through the motions of the job search, but never left an interview sincerely hoping I would receive an offer.

Then, I interviewed at my alma mater. The role combined my love for technology, communication and teaching in a way I had not seen before. It was a perfect fit. Time has flown since that first day on the job.

But, one thing’s for sure: When I was a senior, I never considered working in higher education. Here are five reasons you should consider what I initially ignored.

1. Higher education is not just for professors. You don’t need a Ph.D. to work at a college or university. In addition to faculty, institutions need staff for a variety of roles. From public relations to project management to human resources, there are opportunities in a number of fields. Universities have media offices, finance departments, and may be developing cutting-edge programs in an area of interest to you. You might be surprised by what sort of positions you find once you start looking.

2. Develop your skill set. A typical university position will involve working across numerous departments with all types of people. This exposure to new situations and responsibilities will hone abilities you might not have realized you had. Carmen Sauls is a recent graduate and admissions counselor at Salem College in Winston-Salem, N.C. Sauls says her new role in higher education is perfect for building a foundation needed as a young professional. “It’s exciting for me to help shape the future of this place, but it’s also a great stepping stone to other careers,” she says. “Whether or not that may be in higher education, I’m developing a variety of relevant skills from time management to presenting.”

Read more here at USA Today College.

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Support Black Business: $1 Million Campaign for Black Owned Businesses

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A coalition of activists is aspiring to reclaim and rejuvenate black economic power. The “Million Dollar Black Spending Power” campaign wants all African-American consumers to spend $20 a more a week at black-owned retailers. Bob Law, a radio personality and entrepreneur, estimates $1 million being spent in black American communities if we all support this effort.

Law penned an open letter to the Congressional Black Caucus urging the organization to see the impact of fiscal irresponsibility on the black community.

He wrote in a release, “From the corporate community to other ethnic groups, every community seems to benefit from Black spending except the Black community. We fully intend to renegotiate the Black community’s financial relationship with corporate America and others doing business in the African-American marketplace. We believe however that a significant starting point is for Black Americans to first take control of our own spending.”

Our spending has the potential to sustain black-owned businesses. In September 2012, the Nielsen Company released “The State of the African-American Consumer,” a report that projected that Black Americans’ buying power could exceed $1 trillion by 2015. The report confirmed the economic clout of the black dollar, but the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) found only 2 cents of every dollar a Black American spends is given to black-owned businesses.

Law and other campaign organizers plan to combat this by establishing nationwide programs, including Recycle Black Dollars shopping tours, Buy Black Meetup Groups, and community forums. Consumers can also use the “Around the Way” phone application to locate black-owned establishments within a five-mile radius.

Read full article here

HBCU’s May Look To Sue Obama Administration

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HBCUs are considering taking legal action over new federal aid policy rules by the Obama administration.
HBCUs are considering taking legal action over new federal aid policy rules by the Obama administration.

Historically black colleges and universities are not ruling out a lawsuit against the Obama administration over new federal financial aid policies that disproportionately affect their students, the Washington Times reports.

New underwriting standards enacted in October 2011 to PLUS loans made it tougher for parents with lackluster credit to borrow money from the federal government for their child’s college expenses. Families of students at HBCUs were twice as likely to use the program, according to the Associated Press, but previous borrowers were not grandfathered in with the old standards.

The change meant borrowers who currently hold loans would have their credit evaluated retroactively to cover the previous five years, rather than the previous 90 days, Inside Higher Ed reports.

With the policies now in effect and forcing some students out of college, HBCUs are considering legal action over the new rules.

“We’re going to continue to pursue the legislative process to find a better solution,” Johnny C. Taylor, president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, told the Washington Times. “[But] if at some point we determine that there is no agreement, then we may have to consider going to the courts.”

HBCUs typically don’t have sufficiently robust endowment funds to offer their own financial aid to replace loans. The combined endowments of all HBCUs is $1.6 billion, which is less than Ohio State University’s $2 billion fund and far below Harvard’s $19 billion, according to The Grio.

At the same time, the Pell Grant currently covers the smallest portion of college costs in the program’s history. A 2011 FastWeb analysis found that Pell Grant recipients are more likely to be minorities [PDF], making every other source of financial aid even more critical.

Read full article here

Talladega College Joins 48 HBCU’s Heading to California in April

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Talladega, Alabama—Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) is the first-ever academic competition between students at America’s Historically Black Colleges & Universities.

HCASC brings together the whole campus community — students, faculty, administration
and alumni. Now in its 24th season, nearly 100,000 HCASC players have demonstrated their
incredible intellects and fast recall, and for their efforts, have earned over $7 million in grants
from Honda for their institutions.

Presently, teams are gearing up for the National Championship to take place at American Honda
headquarters in Torrance, California.

Talladega College will be represented at the HCASC Nationals and our academic team is
comprised of: Luke J. Harris, a sophomore student majoring in Public Administration from
St. Louis, Missouri; Joshua McFee, a junior student majoring in Math from Helena, Alabama;
Alexis Tardy, a sophomore student majoring in Pre-Law and History from Indianapolis, Indiana;
and Devin Sonia, a sophomore student majoring in Music Education from New Orleans,
Louisiana. The team’s advisor and coach is Dr. Sim C. Pettway, Jr., the Director of Continuing
Education. Dr. Pettway remarks, “I am both proud and excited for our team being selected
to compete against other HBCU’s at the Honda Campus All-Star National Championship
Tournament. Their hard work, discipline, focus and commitment to the game paid off. This
year’s team is a very talented group of individuals who play the game well—we are in it to win.”

Talladega College has competed in 23 seasons of the HCASC since 1990 and has earned over
$30,000 cumulatively in grant assistance from Honda for the institution. The College’s team
recently competed along with 8 other institutions in the Pre-NCT tournament in Montgomery,
Alabama in February. The National Championship Tournament is scheduled for April 6-10, 2013
in California.

Contact: Talladega College
Office of Public Relations/Mrs. Nicola Lawler
Telephone: 256-761-6207
E-mail: nllawler@talladega.edu

To see a full list of all 48 HBCU’s selected and to get more info on the HCASC go to: http://www.hcasc.com/

Howard U is Tom Joyner’s School of the Month!

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The Tom Joyner Foundation is recognizing Howard University in Washington, DC, as the March 2013 School of the Month.

The foundation, formed by the nationally syndicated radio personality, chose Howard as part of its on-going effort to assist these institutions in broadening and strengthening their efforts to raise money to help keep students attending HBCUs.

As one of the Tom Joyner Foundation ‘Schools of the Month’, each school will be promoted by the Tom Joyner Morning Show and receive those funds raised from listeners, alumni and other interested parties that month.  The show, aired in 115 markets around the country, reaches nearly eight million listeners every week.

On March 2, 1867, Howard University was designated as “a University for the education of youth in the liberal arts and sciences.” Howard was named for General Oliver O. Howard, a Civil War hero who was both a founder of the University and, at the same time, commissioner of the Freedman’s Bureau.

Howard is one of only 48 U.S. private, Doctoral/Research-Extensive universities. The university is comprised of 12 schools and colleges with students enjoying academic pursuits in more than 120 areas of study.

The university’s tradtion of providing a quality education has laid the foundation for an experienced, dynamic, and diverse experience while preparing students with a succesful education to lead them in their chosen career paths.

Today, Howard University continues to attract the nation’s top students and produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D.s than any other university in the world. Howard has produced a Rhodes Scholar, A Truman Scholar, six Fulbright Scholars and nine Pickering Fellows since 1998.

The Foundation’s ‘Schools of the Month’ for the rest of the year are as follows:  April – Florida Memorial University, Miami, Fl.; May – Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY.; June –University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, AR; July – Dillard University, New Orleans, LA;August – Savannah State University, Savannah, GA; September – Grambling State University, Grambling, LA; October – North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, NC; November – Alcorn State University, Lorman, MS.

See article and video here

Valeisha Butterfield-Jones on The HBCU Buzz Show 3/19!

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Glamorous, educated, successful… Valeisha Butterfield-Jones truly is the total package! We are honored to have Mrs. Jones open up The HBCU Buzz Show on 3/19! Tune in LIVE at 6p EST at blis.fm/hbcubuzz

Valeisha Butterfield-Jones is a political/communications strategist and the co-founder and chair of the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN), a global non-profit dedicated to promoting positive images of women in entertainment and media, and providing mentoring, scholarships and support to women seeking careers in media.

The daughter of North Carolina Congressman G.K. Butterfield and State Representative Jean Farmer Butterfield, and a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, Valeisha spent six years as Executive Director of Russell Simmons’ voter education and youth empowerment organization Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. Before that, she was the Director of Diversity and Inclusiveness for the Alzheimer’s Association.

After becoming a campaign volunteer for presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008, Valeisha went on to work in the Obama administration from 2009-2011 as Deputy Director of Public Affairs for International Trade. In 2012, she served as National Youth Vote Director for the Obama for America re-election campaign.

She was recognized by ESSENCE Magazine as one of its top 40 executives under 40 in 2010, and by the D.C.-based emerging legislative leaders organization IMPACT. And she’s no stranger to the spotlight, drawing lots of attention for her 2011 marriage to Dahntay Jones, who currently plays for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. Read more

The Dream Project: Taking You To The Next Level

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Are  you looking to take you and your business to the next level? Join some of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time in Atlanta for The Dream Project, co-sponsored by WEEN (Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network).  Details are below. Don’t miss out!

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