Earlier this month Jackson State University freshman, Leilani Armenta went viral on social media for being the first woman to ever play in a D1 HBCU football game.
According to the Jackson Advocate, Armenta joined the team only 4 days before the season began, and was chosen for the game’s opening kick that sent the ball 25 yards to the other team’s 40-yard line.
Her pooch kick was the longest for Jackson State in the game according to Jackson, Mississippi ABC affiliate WAPT.
She started her football journey during her freshman year of high school when a coach approached her about her interest in kicking.
“He said, ‘You’re interested in kicking?’ And I was like, ‘Well, I mean, I guess.’ And he’s like, ‘OK, well, we’ll see you tomorrow,'” Armenta said.
In her high school career, she made 98 out of 105 extra points, a perfect 5 out of 5 on-field goal attempts, 3,552 kickoff yards, two touchbacks, and three onside recoveries. She even played her entire senior football season with her torn ACL on her kicking leg.
Armenta stepped up to kick the ball at the Jackson State versus Bethune Cookman game fresh off ACL surgery and nine months of no kicking.
However, her action on the field didn’t go without online criticism. BlackNews.com, reports that many suggested that JSU was playing her just for publicity or that she was just chosen for a viral moment.
Armenta told WAPT that she is not phased by such comments.
“I saw, I read them,” Armenta said. “For me personally, if they want to go out and do it, they can go do it. I worked very hard. My motivation is nine months ago, I wasn’t walking. It doesn’t really faze me what people think about it. And if it really was that easy, or if it wasn’t a great kick, by all means, go and do it. There’s a reason that I got called. There’s a reason that I’m practicing.”
Armenta is currently in rehab for her ACL and hopes to return to the football field soon.
The Washington Commanders have signed former Bowie State University defensive lineman, Joshua Pryor to its practice squad.
The team signed him as a free agent following the draft and invited him to a minicamp but he was released at roster cutdowns before the season started.
According to HBCU Gameday, Pryor played in 49 games during his four seasons and recorded 34 solo tackles (55 total) and 9.5 sacks in his debut season at Bowie State. “At the end of his illustrious career with the Bulldogs Pryor compiled 245 total stops, 77 tackles for loss, 32 sacks, three pass breakups, five recovered fumbles, and four forced fumbles,” the news source said.
In 2018 Pryor was named CIAA Rookie of the Year and All-CIAA First Team and in 2019m he was named Bowie State Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Protect Your Skull Division II Defensive Plater of the Year.
Fisk University has named alumna Valencia Jordan as its new Director of Athletics.
The new position is a homecoming for Jordan as she is a former volleyball star at the HBCU, playing from 1981 to 1982.
“Being an AD is a dream come true for me,” said Jordan. “Coming full circle to Fisk is an honor. So much rich tradition here. Now it is time to make some new history. There are some great people here. I look forward to getting to work and making Fisk school athletes want to attend.”
Valencia Jordan is the new Fisk Director of Athletics. Credit: Scott Wallace / Wallace Media Group
Jordan replaces Corrinne Tarver, who had served as AD since March. Tarver was serving in a dual role as the Bulldogs gymnastics coach and the AD.
Jordan is no stranger to serving in leadership roles in athletics. At Tennessee State University (TSU), Jordan worked in various roles from 1989 to 2021. She was the volleyball coach from 1992 to 1994, assistant women’s basketball coach in 2000, and was promoted to head coach in 2001. She later went on to become the associate athletic director/senior woman administrator at TSU.
Last November, Jordan was named special programs coordinator at Metropolitan Davidson County Parks Department before taking her new position as AD at Fisk.
“I have heard nothing but good things about her,” said Head Men’s Basketball Coach Kenny Anderson of Jordan. “She knows a lot of people, so it will be great for her to be our leader. The team is excited to have her on.”
Morgan State University leaders have announced plans to build a wall around the campus after a mass shooting during homecoming week left five people, including four students, injured.
The wall will encircle 90 percent of the HBCU campus and “eliminate unfettered access,” university President David Wilson said during a campus town hall on Tuesday.
“We’re doing this, let me be clear, not to keep out our neighbors and our community writ large; we are doing it to keep out the bad actors,” Wilson said.
In addition to the wall, other possible security upgrades include installing more metal detectors in campus buildings, exploring weapons detection technology, increasing police patrols, and building additional security guard booths. Wilson said that the anticipated cost is more than $22 million and that a proposal will be sent to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
During the town hall, Wilson also said that he spoke with injured students earlier that day and delivered a message one of them had for the university community: “Today may look grim but tomorrow is bright.”
According to the Associated Press, Baltimore Police said that they believe the violence stemmed from a dispute and involved two shooters and that the five victims likely were not intended targets. All the victims were released from local hospitals last week.
No arrests have been made, but Baltimore police have released surveillance images of two men believed to be in connection with the Oct. 3 shooting and asked the public for help identifying them.
Metro Crime Stoppers and ATF are offering a reward of up to $9,000 for a tip leading to an arrest and charges filed. Anyone with information is urged to contact Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
LeBron James’ talk show, “The Shop UNINTERRUPTED,” is hitting the road and visiting three HBCUs this homecoming season.
“The Shop UNINTERRUPTED,” is an unfiltered discussion featuring some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment. LeBron James and a variety of special guests gather in various barber shops to speak honestly on sports, music, pop culture, and more.
‘The Shop’ co-creator Paul Rivera revealed to Andscape, that those universities were chosen for a specific reason.
“We selected these three schools for various reasons, including their impact and how they empower their students,” Rivera explained.
“From Tennessee State being the first HBCU to launch a hockey program, North Carolina A&T being the largest HBCU that graduates the most Black engineers in America, and Hampton’s rich history with housing the oldest museum of the African diaspora in the U.S., these schools are trailblazers in their own right.”
The show is stopping at Tennessee State on Oct. 13, Hampton on Oct. 27, and North Carolina A&T on Nov. 2.
In addition to the live taping of “The Shop UNINTERRUPTED”, there will be interactive elements that foster connections among students, alumni, and members of the local community.
NEW ORLEANS – Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Commissioner Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes has announced the addition of Voorhees University into the conference, effective July 1, 2024. The unanimous approval by the GCAC Council of Presidents marks a historic moment for Voorhees and the entire conference, as the addition of Voorhees extends the GCAC’s footprint into the Atlantic states.
“The landscape of athletics is changing, and we are working hard to stay ahead of the curve,” said GCAC Commissioner Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes. “I want to thank President Hopkins for his visionary leadership and desire to join hands to create a greater impact within the HBCU space. We are just scratching the surface of what our conference is doing to grow and expand, and I’m elated to have Voorhees as one of our members.”
Founded in 1897, Voorhees University has a rich history of academic excellence and a proud tradition of athletics. The decision to join the GCAC underscores Voorhees’ commitment to providing its student-athletes with a competitive and enriching collegiate experience within the realm of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Dr. Ronnie Hopkins, President of Voorhees University, says his institution has taken a step to advance the nation’s first HBCU founded by an African-American woman, Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, to the next level of excellence. “Voorhees University is honored and thrilled to join the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, recognized as one of the most progressive conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). We believe this move not only enhances the conference’s geographic diversity but also creates new avenues for collaboration and competition. We look forward to fostering meaningful relationships with our fellow member institutions and furthering the GCAC’s mission of developing student-athletes academically, athletically, and personally.”
The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, recognized as one of the most progressive conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), is comprised solely of HBCUs. This expansion comes shortly after the recent approval of Wilberforce University (Ohio) as another distinguished member of the GCAC, further solidifying the conference’s commitment to growth and excellence.
Voorhees University’s addition to the GCAC not only enhances the conference’s geographic diversity but also brings new opportunities for collaboration and competition. The move will foster meaningful relationships between Voorhees and the existing member institutions while promoting the GCAC’s mission of advancing the development of student-athletes academically, athletically, and personally.
Charlene Johnson, Voorhees University Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Athletics has been intentional about engaging Voorhees with other HBCUs, athletically and academically. “The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference has a long-standing commitment to nurturing well-rounded student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. Voorhees University shares these core values, making this partnership a natural fit. We are excited about the opportunities this membership brings and the chance to contribute to the GCAC’s tradition of excellence. Voorhees University is poised to embrace the exciting opportunities that lie ahead and continue our journey of excellence.”
The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference takes pride in its dedication to nurturing well-rounded student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. Voorhees University’s core values align seamlessly with those of the GCAC, making this partnership a natural fit.
The addition of Voorhees University, and the recent announcement of Wilberforce University, to the GCAC signifies a bold step toward shaping the future of HBCU athletics within the NAIA. The GCAC is poised to continue its tradition of excellence while embracing the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.
About the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The GCAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith College (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas) and Wiley College (TX). GCAC sponsors championships in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track and field, women’s volleyball, and baseball. In 2022, the GCAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. Through this partnership, the GCAC garnered nearly 1.5 million views of its championship live broadcasts. For more information visitwww.gcaconf.com.
NBA star, Ja Morant is gifting multiple colleges with his Nike Ja 1 signature sneakers, including HBCU, Mississippi Valley State University.
Mississippi Valley State is one of four schools receiving the Nike Ja 1 signature sneakers this season. Murray State, Memphis, and Radford will also be gifted the sneakers.
NBA superstar Ja Morant has gifted his signature "Ja 1" shoes to the Valley basketball teams with their own unique colorway that officially releasing on Halloween
It appears the selected schools have a special meaning to the Memphis Grizzlies star point guard. Murray State is his alma mater, Shane Nichols, one of his former assistant coaches is now at Radford, and his younger sister, Niya Morant, plays on the women’s basketball team at Mississippi Valley State.
While Murray State, Memphis, and Radford will also receive the same ember colorway of Morant’s signature sneaker, Mississippi Valley State got a special delivery with an unreleased colorway that’s not expected to debut until near Halloween.
Jamie Foxx Portrays NCCU And Shaw University Alum Willie E. Gary In New Film “The Burial”
Academy-award-winning actor Jamie Foxx is stepping into the shoes of two-time HBCU graduate and accomplished attorney, Wille E. Gary for the upcoming Prime Video film “The Burial.”
The legal drama follows personal injury lawyer Willie E. Gary and his mission to protect funeral home owner Jeremiah Joseph O’Keefe’s Mississippi funeral home from a corporate giant.
According to the official synopsis, “inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tom Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensue as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.”
After premiering at TIFF, “The Burial”hits theaters for a one-week run starting October 6 and begins streaming October 13 on Prime Video.
HBCU students and communities got to see the movie at select theaters thanks to special screenings presented by Amazon Studios.
Foxx’s portrayal of Gary is sure to be inspiring for all viewers, especially those who are students and alumni of HBCUs.
In an interview with People, film director Maggie Betts spoke highly of both Foxx and Gary, saying, “The real Willie Gary has a huge, larger-than-life personality, and I knew Jamie had the talent, charisma, and range to bring this complex and multi-faceted persona to the screen.”
The attorney attended Shaw on an athletic scholarship and was the co-captain of the football team during the 1969, 1970, and 1971 seasons.
After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Gary went on to NCCU where he earned a Juris Doctorate in 1974.
Attorney Willie E. Gary has since earned the reputation as “The Giant Killer” by taking down some of America’s most well-known corporate giants on behalf of his clients. He has won some of the largest jury awards and settlements in U.S. history, including cases valued in excess of $30 billion
Watch “The Burial” on Prime Video, streaming Friday, October 13.
On Saturday night, two teenagers were injured in a shooting during homecoming festivities at Bowie State University.
School officials said Bowie State University police first received reports of shots fired around 11:45 p.m.
The gunshot victims were two 19-year-old males, neither were students. They were found with gunshot wounds at Bowie’s Center for Business and Graduate Studies and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland Butler said at a news conference Sunday.
Police said that a firearm was recovered from the scene and that they believed there was more than one shooter.
“We also believe this shooting was an isolated incident,” Butler said. “Again, there is no threat to the public at this time.”
Baltimore police are still searching for the two suspects responsible.
The shooting comes just days after five people were shot at another Maryland HBCU, Morgan State University during its homecoming week. Bowie State officials said they enhanced security after the shooting at Morgan State, and invited its students to Bowie for homecoming after theirs were canceled.
Police said they believe the shooting at Bowie State to be unrelated to the shooting at Morgan State.
“There was much joy for the celebrations. We had a wonderful turnout at the game and across this campus,” Bowie State President Aminta Breaux said of the events that preceded the shooting. “Our campus community is very much a peaceful community, so this is not normal for Bowie State University.”
Breaux said all classes are canceled Monday and the university will be providing students with 24-hour counseling services.
Maryland State Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Bowie State Police tips line at 301-860-4688.
Morgan State University has canceled all homecoming activities, events, and classes for the week following a mass shooting on campus Tuesday night that left five injured.
President Dr. David Wilson addressed safety concerns in a letter, announcing that all on-campus activities, including the Lady Bear Volleyball match, the homecoming concert, the silent headphones party, the homecoming pep rally and the homecoming parade have been canceled.
The events that have been postponed include the homecoming football game and the 39th annual gala.
“We unfortunately find ourselves navigating this tragic event during a time at which we should be celebrating our National Treasure during Homecoming,” the letter reads. “Please understand that the safety of our campus is of the utmost importance and our resolve in ensuring that we have a secure campus is paramount. In response to last evening’s events, we are aggressively increasing security measures on campus, further amplifying additional security measures that have been implemented in recent years.”
“Regarding Homecoming, regrettably for the very first time in Morgan’s history, all activities planned around Homecoming will be either canceled or postponed until the perpetrator(s) of this atrocity have been found and brought to justice,” the letter continues.
The shooting victims included four Morgan State University students. Shots were fired shortly after the crowning of Mr. and Ms. Morgan State University as students made their way to the coronation ball.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said that the gunfire was likely the result of a dispute between two groups and that at least three people are believed to have been armed.
A search for suspects is ongoing, and no arrests have been made yet.
Five people, including four Morgan State University students, were injured Tuesday night in a shooting during a homecoming week celebration at the HBCU.
Five people, including four Morgan State University students, were injured Tuesday night in a shooting during a homecoming week celebration at the HBCU.
The shooting prompted an hours-long lockdown of the school and the cancellation of classes on Wednesday.
The police have yet to locate a gunman or make any arrests.
The shooting happened shortly after the coronation of Mister & Miss Morgan State at the Murphy Fine Arts Center, as students were heading to a coronation ball at the University Student Center.
Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the victims — four men and a woman, ages 18-22, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting. He would not say whether police believe there was one shooter or multiple shooters.
Worley and Morgan State University Police Chief Lance Hatcher said university police officers who were on patrol heard gunshots at about 9:25 p.m.
The police found multiple windows shattered, leading them to believe that there was an active shooter and activated the active shooter response protocols, said Worley. Police issued a shelter-in-place order and cleared buildings in the search for the suspect, who remains at large.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted early Wednesday, a decision that was made after it was determined that there was no longer an active shooter situation, Worley said.
“We didn’t open the campus up until our SWAT team had cleared the building where we thought the suspect may have ran or where we thought the shot came from,” Worley said. “They cleared every single floor twice.” He added that the police believe that the shooting had taken place outdoors.
Morgan State University President David Wilson said he plans to hold an emergency meeting Wednesday morning to decide whether or not to go forward with the remaining homecoming events.
“It is unfortunate that this tragedy happened here tonight,” Wilson said. “By no means will it define who we are as a university.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 410-396-2444 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP.
On Monday, Clark Atlanta University (CAU) announced that head football coach Willie Slater has been dismissed from his duties “effective immediately.”
The school said that the decision came after an evaluation of unresolved challenges that the CAU football team has experienced during the 2023 season. Many opportunities to make significant changes were explored but were met with minimal success, according to the university.
Slater’s firing comes after a slow start to the season with The Panthers are heading into the sixth week of the season without a victory.
“This decision was not made lightly, a great deal of time was spent in thought and in discussions with people who love our university, students, faculty, alumni, leadership, and Coach Slater,” CAU officials said. “We appreciate Coach Slater for his dedication and contributions to CAU’s football program. There is no doubt that Coach Slater has had a tremendous impact on our institution, and we are grateful to him for his support and hard work during his tenure.”
Slater was named CAU’s head football coach in February 2022. Prior to coaching at CAU, Slater spent 16 years coaching at Tuskegee University where his teams were 123-47, winning multiple Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles.
The university will announce a “strategy for the remainder of this football season,” according to a press release.
“The university encourages the CAU family to rally around our scholar athletes in our football program as well as the leadership team as they strategically plan for the remainder of the season,” the university said. “As always, the welfare of our students is paramount, and we will move forward expeditiously to make the necessary reforms.”
Jackson State University alum Laphonza Butler has been selected to fill the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office confirmed Sunday evening.
Butler will become the only Black female senator serving in the Senate and the third in US history. She will also be the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent California in the chamber.
“I am honored to accept Gov. Newsom’s nomination to be a U.S. Senator for a state I have long called home,” Butler said in a statement Monday. “I am humbled by the Governor’s trust. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s leadership and legacy are immeasurable. I will do my best to honor her by devoting my time and energy to serving the people of California and the people of this great nation.”
Butler has served as the president of EMILY’s List, which works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights, since 2021, when she became the first Black woman to lead the organization.
Prior to her role at EMILY’s List, Butler worked at Airbnb as a director of public policy and was a senior campaign adviser to Vice-President Kamala Harris during her 2020 presidential campaign. She has also been heavily involved in the labor movement, serving as a union leader at the largest union in California.
In appointing Butler, Gov. Newsom is following through on a pledge he made more than two years ago that he would appoint a Black woman if either of California’s Senate seats opened up.
“As we mourn the enormous loss of Sen. Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for – reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence – have never been under greater assault. Laphonza has spent her entire career fighting for women and girls and has been a fierce advocate for working people,” Newsom said in a statement on X.
In California, the governor has the power to appoint a senator to serve until the next regularly scheduled statewide general election, meaning Butler will serve until the next senator, whom voters will choose in the November 2024 election, is sworn in.
Meet Julian Thedford, a 2022 Howard University graduate who is a part of the next generation of filmmakers. A Chicago native, Thedford’s work is committed to uplifting the voices and experiences of his community.
He was recently named one of the HBCU filmmakers of the year by the National Black Movie Association as his debut project “When I Wake” premiered at Amazon Studios last summer and has gone on to receive eight festival selections. Thedford also launched his own production company earlier this year called Lucid Village Productions.
A Chicago native, Thedford’s work is committed to uplifting the voices and experiences of his community.
Credit: (IG: @photosbyjordanj)
Thedford has been interested in filmmaking since he was very young and recalls his first experience on a set when he was in eighth grade. He was invited by a filmmaker to visit the behind-the-scenes of a show and remembers the experience as “just the most amazing thing” he’d ever seen.”
From there, Thedford continued to take an interest in filmmaking and decided to study it at Howard University.
Although the young filmmaker originally didn’t have any intentions of going to Howard, he fell in love the second he stepped on the campus. “It was the first time I got to see a diverse group of black people and for me, that was the most appealing thing about it,” Thedford said. He described it as a “love at first sight type of moment.”
Thedford also highlighted how the curriculum at Howard was one of the selling points when it came to deciding what school he was going to attend. “A lot of the classes centered around social justice, or just kind of social change, especially in the scope of film and television, and that’s something that none of the other film schools I was looking at offered.”
Creating meaningful art is extremely important to Thedford. He credits his Howard professor, Denise Hart, as one of his biggest influences when it comes to powerful storytelling. “There’s so much power in the stories that we tell and the media that we consume and so really kind of understanding that while I was in school was what shaped my perception of the industry as well as just giving me a guide of how I would conduct my life and my career.”
Using what he learned at Howard, Thedford has gone on to produce a powerful piece of media with his debut film “When I Wake.”
“When I Wake” is centered around a teenage boy who begins to have recurring dreams taking him through the stages of grief after witnessing the death of a friend. The short film was inspired by Thedford’s real-world experience of witnessing a shooting on Chicago’s South Side while out walking his dog with his 9-year-old brother.
While processing over what could’ve happened to him or his brother, Thedford turned to poetry to express his emotions. A couple of months later, he reached out to a writer and close friend, Brianna Mottey, to help expand his experience into a story.
Serious about his craft, Thedford shot the movie three times over the span of three years, from 2019 to 2021, proving that the third time’s a charm. What started as a 5-minute film turned into a 40-minute film, captured entirely by a two-person crew, with Thedford some days directing, while operating the camera and audio equipment simultaneously.
Credit: (IG: @photosbyjordanj)
The film premiered at Amazon Studios in LA in the summer of 2022, which Thedford says is the proudest moment of his career so far. “That was by far, kind of I guess the mountain top if you will. The month prior to that I was editing every single day, I was staying up for 14 hours a day, just working. And so, then to finally put it on screen, and then for it to be received the way it was received, was just a dream come true for me.”
After the success of “When I Wake,” Thedford launched his own production company, Lucid Village Productions. The company is based between Chicago, LA, and Philidelphia and specializes in healing narratives says Thedford. “Our whole production company is kind of centered around creating narratives that get you thinking and thinking about how can we move on from situations. How can we heal from situations? Because a lot of times I feel like we don’t publicly display, a guideline or answers for questions like those.”
The future is bright for Thedford as his long-term goal is to have a major feature film completed by 2030 — for right now, his next project is in the works. “I can’t say too much about what it’s about but it explores black masculinity as well as family dynamics,” said Thedford. “It’s like a 20-minute thriller that takes place in the woods, and so, I really think we have something special with this film. I’m hoping that we can hit a major festival once it’s complete.”
Bowie State University has unveiled its newly renovated basketball facility following Kevin Durant and the Durant Family Foundation’s $500,000 donation made in December 2022.
Kevin Durant and the Durant Family Foundation’s $500,000 pledge to Bowie State University (BSU) last year has come to fruition as the university unveiled the newly renovated basketball facility last week.
BSU held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new court in the A.C. Jordan Arena and it was attended by Kevin’s mother and head of the foundation, Wanda Durant.
“When I walked into the gym I wasn’t expecting this,” Wanda said. “It was so bright, revived, refreshed. It brought back memories of when my sons played here in the early years.”
The donation provided upgrades to the Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex, including a new basketball court, expanded seating capacity, upgraded bleachers, and a refurbished press box.
BSU President Aminta Breaux spoke about the significance of the donation, noting that the university does not receive state funding for its athletics program.
“Bowie State’s partnership with the Durant Family Foundation has made our vision of an upgraded gymnasium a reality with improvements to the court and seating,” Breaux said. “This half-a-million-dollar gift by the Durant Family Foundation to Bowie State’s athletic department transformed basketball and it will energize the students behind me to get some wins. ”
Breaux also spoke about how the new basketball court will improve the student experience. “But it’s also about the overall student experience, and making sure that the students have the quality of facilities that they need… The Durant Foundation has stepped up in a unique and wonderful way to make this possible,” said Breaux.
The donation also is going toward establishing a scholarship for Durant Center College Track students who attend Bowie State University.
Wanda spoke about the importance of donating to HBCUs and that she hopes other athletes will follow her son’s lead.
“I am grateful to my son for his generous heart,” Wanda said. “I am grateful that he realized that it’s important for him to give back to an HBCU, and maybe he will be a catalyst for other athletes in the area and throughout the country to give back to HBCUs.”
Morris Brown College has received approval from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program to enroll international students with the F-1 visa for the first time in over 20 years.
Morris Brown College has received approval from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program to enroll international students with the F-1 visa for the first time in over 20 years.
“International students can now pursue their education at Morris Brown College, which happens to be one of the most affordable colleges in the entire state of Georgia, and the most affordable HBCU in Atlanta with a tuition fee of $4,250.00 per semester,” said Morris Brown President Dr. Kevin James. “We will promptly begin recruiting students from the Bahamas, the continent of Africa, and various other locations worldwide.”
When the school lost its accreditation in 2002, Morris Brown students could not get federal financial aid or international student visas. The school regained full accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) in April 2022.
The F-1 Visa (Academic Student) allows international students to enter the United States as full-time students at an accredited college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, or other academic institution or in a language training program.
Per the F-1 visa, international students must enroll as full-time students at the college, demonstrate proficiency in English or be enrolled in courses designed to improve English skills, provide proof of financial resources to support their studies in the United States, and possess ties to their home country that indicate their intention to return after completing their education in the United States.
“We are thrilled by the reinstatement of the F-1 Visa at Morris Brown College – this is a historic occasion! I would like to express my gratitude to the team for their hard work and dedication in making this possible,” Dr. James said.
