The 2011-2012 Daktronics Men’s and Women’s Basketball All-South Region Teams were recently announced with three players from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) receiving honors. Benedict College center Marcus Goode made the men’s second team while Albany State University guard April Thomas and Clark Atlanta University guard Conisha Hicks both made the women’s second team.
Goode, the SIAC Player of the Year the last two seasons, led the SIAC in both scoring and rebounding this season with 18.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, making his second Daktronics All-Region team in as many years. The 6-foot-10, 260-pound junior from Chapin, SC also led the conference with 2.7 blocks per game and was seventh with a .513 field goal percentage while helping lead the Tigers to the 2012 SIAC Tournament title and a second consecutive post-season berth. Goode and the #8 seed Tigers will play in the first round of the NCAA South Regional this Saturday at 6 p.m. CST (7 p.m. EST) against #1 seed Alabama-Huntsville.
Hicks, a native of Lithonia, GA, garners all-region honors for the second consecutive season after averaging a team-high 16.3 points per game this season, which ranked fourth in the SIAC. The 5-foot-3 sophomore, who is a two-time All-SIAC selection, also averaged a team-high three assists and 2.6 steals per game, which ranked seventh and sixth in the conference respectively. Hicks helped lead the Lady Panthers to a 14-13 record (13-9 in the SIAC) this season.
Thomas, a native of Bainbridge, GA, was the SIAC’s second-leading scorer this season at 18.1 points per game. The 5-foot-1 freshman, who was named SIAC Freshman of the Year this season, was among the league leaders with a .750 free throw percentage and a .353 three-point field goal percentage while averaging three three-point field goals made per game, which ranked second in the SIAC. Thomas, an All-SIAC selection this season as well, was the only freshman to receive Daktronics All-South Region honors this season.
The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition. The team is voted on by the members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The online nomination and voting processes are powered by ATHLETICSITE.COM. Headquartered in Charleston, S.C., ATHLETICSITE.COM is the official provider for college athletic websites for over 30 sports organizations, including 26 colleges, universities and conferences primarily at the NCAA Division II level. To receive more information on how your institution can partner with ATHLETICSITE.COM for a customized website solution, visit www.athleticsite.com.
Daktronics Men’s Basketball All-South Region First Team
Scott Dennis, Christian Brothers, G, 6-6, 190, Senior, Cincinnati, Ohio
Josh Magette, UAH, G, 6-1, 160, Senior, Birmingham, Ala.
Jamar Moore, West Florida, F, 6-6, 215, Senior, Coolidge, Ga.
Da’Ron Sims, West Georgia, F, 6-6, 215, Senior, Oakland, Calif.
Jaime Smith, UAH, G, 6-3, 185, Junior, Birmingham, Ala.
South Region Player of the Year – Josh Magette, UAH
Daktronics Men’s Basketball All-South Region Second Team
Beaumont Beasley, North Alabama, G, 6-0, 180, Senior, Kansas City, Mo.
Simon Cummings, Florida Tech, G, 6-1, 205, Senior, Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Marcus Goode, Benedict, C, 6-10, 270, Junior, Chapin, S.C.
Marquis Mathis, West Florida, F, 6-7, 215, Senior, Columbus, Ohio
Zack Warner, Christian Brothers, F, 6-10, 215, Senior, St. Louis, Mo.
Daktronics Women’s Basketball All-South Region First Team Veronica Walker – Delta State University – F – 6-2 – Senior – Indianola, Miss. Michaela Hawley – Florida Southern College – F – 6-1 – Senior – Naples, Fla. Brittany Ferguson – Valdosta State University – F – 5-10 – Senior – Macon, Ga. Jasmine Hammon – University of Alabama-Huntsville – G – 5-9 – Sophomore – Muscle Shoals, Ala. Briauna Hagins – Florida Institute of Technology – F – 5-11 – Senior – Ocala, Fla. Player of the Year: Veronica Walker, Delta State University Daktronics Women’s Basketball All-South Region Second Team
Conisha Hicks – Clark Atlanta University – G – 5-3 – Sophomore – Lithonia, Ga. Sczeny Hartry – Valdosta State University – G – 5-7 – Senior – Lilburn, Ga. Brooke Rhodes – Delta State University – G – 5-8 – Sophomore – Pelahatchie, Miss. Meixandra Porter – Nova Southeastern University – G – 5-6 – Junior – Chantilly, Va. April Thomas – Albany State University – G – 5-1 – Freshman – Bainbridge, Ga.
After watching this performance at the 2012 Honda Battle of the Bands, it’s easy to see why Albany State has one of the best bands in the country. Check them out.
Kyria Buford, Aslea Williams and Brittany Ransom combined for 70 points to send Shaw past West Virginia Wesleyan, 92-78, in the first round of the NCAA Division II women’s tournament.
The Lady Bears (24-6) will face Gannon, which defeated Johnson C. Smith 61-50, in the second round, Saturday at 5 p.m. in Edinboro, Pennsylvania.
Buford led all scorers with 28 points and 14 rebounds, while Williams added 22 points and Ransom finished with 20 points.
Despite those performances, Shaw needed a strong second half defense to put away the Bobcats (24-7), who scored 49 points in the first half, but only 29 in the second half.
“It’s always good to advance,” said Shaw head coach Jacques Curtis. “Everyone here has a good team. What we saw on tape is pretty much the game we got.”
The first half featured tons of scoring and very little defense. For Shaw, it was the Buford-Williams-Ransom tandem.
For West Virginia Wesleyan, Lydia Bridenbaugh and Jamie Kaufman shouldered the load, combining for 55 points. Daria Abros’kina and Brittany Mayer each added 11 points, but the rest of the Bobcats contributed just a single point.
DeWayne Wickham, a founder and past president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), will receive the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the organization’s highest honors. Wickham was selected by the NABJ Board of Directors at their winter meeting.
In addition to being a founding member of NABJ, the current USA Today columnist also founded the Association of Black Media Workers, the NABJ chapter in Baltimore. He assisted in the creation of professional chapters in both Greensboro, N.C., and Norfolk, Va. Wickham also founded NABJ student chapters at Delaware State University and North Carolina A&T State University, the latter at which he currently serves as distinguished professor of journalism and interim chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication.
“DeWayne has had an impressive career in journalism and he has achieved distinction at the highest levels. He is a true giant in our profession,” said NABJ President Gregory Lee Jr. “Founder Wickham has touched our organization on so many levels, and we have all benefited from his commitment and dedication. He is most deserving of this honor.”
Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of what is now Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, is one of the first three inductees into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was established by the state legislature to honor Floridians who have made significant contributions in the fight for equality and social justice.
Mary McLeod Bethune was a native of South Carolina and the daughter of former slaves. She was educated at Barber-Scotia College and the Moody Bible Institute. In 1904, she made a down payment on land that served as the city dump in Daytona. On that site she founded the Daytona Literary and Industrial School for Training Negro Girls, which has now become Bethune-Cookman University. Bethune later founded the National Council of Negro Women. She was a friend and adviser to Eleanor Roosevelt. Mary McLeod Bethune died in 1955.
The other two inductees are Claude Pepper, a U.S. Senator who was a strong advocate for the nation’s elderly, and Charles Kenzie Steele, a civil rights activist and minister who organized the Tallahassee bus boycott. Each inductee will be honored with a plaque on the first floor of the State Capitol.
NAACP leaders will go to the United Nation’s Human Rights Council in Geneva next week in hopes of winning support in its fight against voter suppression in the United States, NAACP President Benjamin T. Jealous said on Thursday.
The delegation’s goal is to ask the U.N. to investigate multiple incursions into minority voting rights by certain states, Jealous told reporters during a conference call on Thursday afternoon.
The civil rights group also hopes that members of the U.N. will come to the U.S. “to look at the impact of the laws, look at the intent, render an opinion and make some recommendations about what actions we should take,” Jealous said.
It is unknown how binding a U.N. recommendation would be, Jealous acknowledged. But a negative ruling would help shame state officials into doing the right thing, he said. Such a ruling could hurt states in the pocketbook because many leaders seek investments overseas, he said. “It’s not good business to be seen as an active abuser of human rights,” he said.
The NAACP is scheduled to make an oral presentation on March 14 and afterward will present its report titled “Defending Democracy: Confronting Modern Barriers to Voting Rights in America” (pdf), which was released in December. The report found that 11 percent of Americans do not have government-issued identification. Among African Americans, 25 percent do not have the documents required to vote.
The report also noted that 14 states, mostly Republican-led, have enacted 25 restrictive voting measures. Legislators in states that have passed the measures say the laws are important because they help prevent identity fraud at the ballot box.
“This will be the first time in decades that we as an organization are before the council with a specific complaint about actions being taken here in the U.S.,” Jealous said. “The first time was in 1947, when W.E.B. Du Bois delivered his speech and appealed to the world.
“Now, like then, the principal concern is voting rights,” Jealous continued. “In the past year, more states have passed more laws, pushing more voters out of the ballot box, than at any point since the rise of Jim Crow. We have seen at least 5 million voters have their votes blocked by specific states like South Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, Wisconsin and so forth during the past 12 months. These include strict voter-ID bills, so-called registration-ID bills, bans on formerly incarcerated people voting and a range of other mechanisms that diminish access to the polls among minority populations.”
In addition to Jealous, other members of the delegation will include NAACP Chairwoman Roslyn M. Brock; Hilary O. Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington bureau and senior vice president for advocacy and policy; Kemba Smith, an activist and advocate for the rights of formerly incarcerated people, who will be unable to vote in the November election because of a law in Virginia that bans ex-felons from voting; and Trevor Brandon, a student at Texas Southern University and membership chairman of the school’s NAACP chapter. Brandon recently lost his voting rights because of new photo-ID requirements in Texas, Jealous said.
“The U.N. is the world’s forum for both promoting and defending democracy,” Jealous said. “In these hyper-partisan times in the U.S., we believe it is important for them to weigh in on what is happening here in our democracy. Our democracy is precious, not just to the citizens of this country but to the world.”
A North Carolina Central University basketball player was arrested Thursday after Durham County deputies found marijuana and thousands of dollars of cash in his apartment.
Deputies searched 5308 Penrith Drive, Apt. F, and found 84 grams of marijuana, $12,008 in cash and drug paraphernalia, authorities said.
Landon Christopher Clement, 23, and Kalifa Fletcher, 20, were each charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, maintaining a dwelling for drug distribution and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Clement, a senior guard from Raleigh, hasn’t played for the Eagles since Dec. 6 because of an injury, N.C. Central Associate Athletics Director Kyle Serba said.
Basketball coach LeVelle Moton said he was disappointed that the welfare one of his players was compromised.
“As coaches, we try to nurture and provide the necessary resources for these young men to be successful. We constantly talk about the impact of making positive decisions; then we hope and pray they make positive decisions when faced with daily temptations,” Moton said in a statement.
Clement and Fletcher were being held in the Durham County jail under $10,000 bonds.
Distinguished list includes employers engaged in developing, recruiting and hiring talented students pursuing technical careers at the nation’s minority-serving institutions
For the second consecutive year, the Chrysler Group has been selected to the list
The deans of 14 accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), in conjunction with the Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE) alliance, have again selected the Chrysler Group as a Top Supporter of engineering programs at the nation’s HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions.
Our relationships with the nation’s minority-serving institutions are an invaluable asset in our ability to secure the diverse talent we need to sustain our success and compete in the global marketplace.”
The deans invited to participate in the survey represented institutions such as: Alabama A&M University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, Jackson State University, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University A&M, Tennessee State University, Tuskegee University and Virginia State University.
The Super Tuesday edition of Washington Watch with Roland Martin was hosted at Howard University on March 6, 2012. Check out the pictures from the event.
All photos (except for featured image) courtesy of Anna-Lysa Gayle. To see more, visit her flickr page. And to see more from Anna-Lysa Gayle visit her blog.
Howard University students and WHUR FM 96.3 were trying to find the best words to thank the residents of the Washington area, Omega Psi Phi fraternity and Sun Trust Bank for their overwhelming support of the station’s radiothon for Alternative Spring Break (ASB), the student service program to help the underserved across America and in Haiti.
As they do every year, more than 300 Howard students will skip the beaches, other vacation hot spots and even a trip home to help others.
During the annual 12-hour radiothon, March 4, the station and students raised $80,000, more than double the amount collected last year.
Howard University First Lady Paula Whetsel Ribeau collecting donations. (Courtesy Image)
“I think WHUR and the Howard University radio network has the best listeners on the planet,” said Jim Watkins, general manager for WHUR and its sister stations. “When we put out a call that we need the community to step up, the community always steps up in a big way.
“It’s an indication of the community understanding the tremendous work that these Howard University students do every year, whether its tackling gun violence in Chicago, tutoring elementary students in Atlanta or Washington, D.C., working on illiteracy in Detroit, feeding the needy or helping in Haiti.”
The largest single donor was Omega Psi Phi, which contributed $25,000. District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Herbert Dixon delivered the last of the donation on WHUR during the radiothon.
On Sunday, scores of Howard University students took to the streets from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. to raise money to fund their service missions to Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, Washington and Haiti, which is still reeling from the 2010 earthquake that has left thousands still homeless and in need of services. They carried donation buckets and waived Helping Hands signs along Georgia Avenue at Bryant Street as they asked passersby for help.
Meanwhile, WHUR took to the airwaves with testimonies from around the nation from those the students aid each year as the station asked the community for help.
And help it did.
“As soon as we opened the phones, we had a call from Trinidad and Tobago with a donation,” said Muriel Garr, vice president for Community Affairs for Sun Trust Bank, which annually provides the accounting as well as online and call-in collection services for ASB. “Right after that, we got a call from a family that donated $500.
“People were very generous in their giving, from $1 through our social media to $1,000. Sun Trust is just happy to be here to help support Howard and the community in this effort.”
This is the 17th year of ASB at Howard University, which expanded dramatically in 2006 following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Lindsay Howard, 20, a junior biology major from Chicago, is going to New Orleans this year, her first ASB trip. She was bundled against the cold as she held her Helping Hands sign and asked for donations.
“I really want to make a difference,” said Howard, who also tutors homeless children as part of Project Dream Big, a transitional housing program in Washington.
Micah Holmes, 19, of Jacksonville, Fla., is heading to Detroit, where he and dozens of other students will work on illiteracy and tutoring and mentoring elementary and high school students.
“There are so many people who are only concerned about themselves,” said Holmes, who is majoring in architecture. “Unfortunately, not enough people take the time to do something extra. That’s what we are doing, that something extra. It improves others’ lives and our lives too.”
Natasha Graves, 21, one of two student directors of ASB, thanked the local and global community for making their mission possible.
“This allows us to make an impact in the lives of people who need our help,” said Graves, a senior majoring in community health. “Without this help, we couldn’t help others.”
To see the work that Howard Students have done for ASB in Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans and other cities, visit the links below.
Social prejudice and individual determination were the focus of conversation for Col. Herbert Carter, an original member of the 99th Squadron and the Tuskegee Airmen, on Wednesday in the Ferguson Center Theatre.
The Black Faculty and Staff Association of the University of Alabama hosted the event “An Evening with a Red Tail” that addressed the physical, psychological and social obstacles the Tuskegee Airmen faced during the 1940s.
Retired USAF Lt. Col. Herbert E. Carter worked directly with Red Tails movie producer, George Lucas, to make sure the story of the 99th Fighter Squadron was told acurately. / CW | Margo Smith
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of 18- to 26-year-olds who served as the nation’s first black military airmen during World War II. Before and after successfully serving in the United States Air Force, these pilots had to overcome racial segregation and prejudice.
“These men were the foundation of the Civil Rights Movement,” said Col. Roosevelt Lewis, a 26-year veteran of the United States Air Force, Tuskegee University graduate and guest speaker for the night. “Before Martin Luther King, before Rosa Parks, there were the Tuskegee Airmen that excelled in what they never thought they’d do before.”
Carter left his rural hometown in Mississippi to play football for the former Tuskegee Institute. He became interested in flying after the Civilian Pilot Training Act was instated by President Franklin Roosevelt, encouraging universities to train qualified students to receive their pilot’s license.
Tuskegee, a historic black university, was among the several universities included in the program. However, the military was not prepared to include black members among its ranks.
“No commander from Burma to England wanted an all-black fighter squadron,” Carter said. “They said it would cause problems. No one wanted to take orders from a black commander.”
The men were finally accepted into the war as close tactical ground support for the allied forces in North Africa and Italy. Carter’s 99th Squadron flew in air-to-air combat for the first time against the German Luftwaffe over Anzio Beach, Italy in 1944. They shot down 18 German planes, transforming the racial boundaries within the United States military.
“They could no longer use the myth that the black man couldn’t fly or fight,” Carter said. “They said the black man was lazy, lackadaisical and had neither the physical or psychological qualities of a leader. But what a great day that was.”
The Tuskegee Airmen ultimately achieved their goal of the desegregation of the armed forces with President Harry Truman’s Executive Order 9981. However, America continued segregation years after the men returned from war.
“It was interesting to see how large of an effect Col. Carter and the Tuskegee Airmen had on the military,” said Connor King, a sophomore in the UA Air Force ROTC program. “They really influenced the whole system.”
Today, Carter can see the progress from the changes his squadron encouraged.
“Now, the armed forces are the most diversified group of people you’ve ever seen in your life,” Carter said. “The pigmentation of your skin or the coarseness of your hair doesn’t matter. If you’re human, if you’re alive and breathing, if you pass the test, you can join the military.”
However, he promotes determination and hard work to become successful.
“If you don’t take opportunities and capitalize on them, your life will be no better than the preparation it took you to get there,” Carter said.
While this was done before the passing of Whitney Houston, this serves as a fantastic way to celebrate the life of a legend. North Carolina A&T State University honors the career of the Queen of Pop below.
Edward Hill was named dean of the College of Education at Fort Valley State University in Georgia. Previously, Dr. Hill was an assistant professor of special education and educational leadership at the John H. Lounsbury College of Education at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville. He previously served as a teacher and principal in the public schools and as program director of the Call Me Mister program at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina.
Dr. Hill is a graduate of Morehouse College where he majored in elementary education. He holds a master’s degree from Columbia College in South Carolina and an educational doctorate from South Carolina State University.
Goode, the SIAC Player of the Year the last two seasons, led the SIAC in both scoring and rebounding this season with 18.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, making his second Daktronics All-Region team in as many years. The 6-foot-10, 260-pound junior from Chapin, SC also led the conference with 2.7 blocks per game and was seventh with a .513 field goal percentage while helping lead the Tigers to the 2012 SIAC Tournament title and a second consecutive post-season berth. Goode and the #8 seed Tigers will play in the first round of the NCAA South Regional this Saturday at 6 p.m. CST (7 p.m. EST) against #1 seed Alabama-Huntsville.
Kyria Buford, Aslea Williams and Brittany Ransom combined for 70 points to send Shaw past West Virginia Wesleyan, 92-78, in the first round of the NCAA Division II women’s tournament.
In addition to being a founding member of NABJ, the current USA Today columnist also founded the Association of Black Media Workers, the NABJ chapter in Baltimore. He assisted in the creation of professional chapters in both Greensboro, N.C., and Norfolk, Va. Wickham also founded NABJ student chapters at Delaware State University and North Carolina A&T State University, the latter at which he currently serves as distinguished professor of journalism and interim chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Mary McLeod Bethune was a native of South Carolina and the daughter of former slaves. She was educated at Barber-Scotia College and the Moody Bible Institute. In 1904, she made a down payment on land that served as the city dump in Daytona. On that site she founded the Daytona Literary and Industrial School for Training Negro Girls, which has now become Bethune-Cookman University. Bethune later founded the National Council of Negro Women. She was a friend and adviser to Eleanor Roosevelt. Mary McLeod Bethune died in 1955.
The civil rights group also hopes that members of the U.N. will come to the U.S. “to look at the impact of the laws, look at the intent, render an opinion and make some recommendations about what actions we should take,” Jealous said.
Deputies searched 5308 Penrith Drive, Apt. F, and found 84 grams of marijuana, $12,008 in cash and drug paraphernalia, authorities said.
For the second consecutive year, the Chrysler Group has been selected to the list
