February 20, 2025

A$AP Rocky Acquitted in Hollywood Shooting Trial

A jury’s acquittal of A$AP Rocky on Tuesday put to rest a case that has hung over the hip-hop star for years and threatened to derail his life and career. Rocky was charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, filed after a November 2021 incident in which a former friend said the rapper

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Why HBCUs Still Matter: Power, Legacy, and the Future

By Lynn Norment As we move through February – Black History Month – with colorful African garb, cultural traditions, and joyous celebrations, my thoughts repeatedly focus on the importance of Black colleges and universities to our culture, our country and our future. With political turbulence rolling through our government and our nation, Black colleges are

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Models of the Mecca: Redefining HBCU Fashion Culture

By Kennedi Bryant Smoke drifted through the air, shrouding the stage. Then, with a single toss of her hand, Zyaire Wingate, a sophomore psychology major, emerged—commanding the moment before the music started. The audience, breath hitched, scrambled to steady their phones, instinctively anticipating the moment ahead was worth documenting. As the stage lights tinted the

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Benedict College Joins Fight to End Period Poverty

By Johnny Jackson Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, has joined the national campaign to end period poverty. Many women and girls experience period poverty and are unable to purchase the menstrual products they need, causing some to stay home from school and work. The dilemma can have lasting consequences on their education, economic opportunities, mental

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Judge Halts Firing of CIA Officers Over DEIA Roles

By Dan De Luce and Raquel Coronell Uribe A federal judge Tuesday ordered spy agencies to put on hold for five days the firing of 11 CIA and other intelligence officers who had been told to resign or face imminent dismissal because of their temporary assignments working on diversity, equity, inclusion and access programs. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga’s

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Education Dept. Warns Schools: Drop Race-Based Programs

By Zach Montague The Education Department warned schools in a letter on Friday that they risked losing federal funding if they continued to take race into account when making scholarship or hiring decisions, or so much as nodded to race in “all other aspects of student, academic and campus life.” The announcement gave institutions 14 days

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Linda McMahon Grilled Over DOE Plans, HBCU Funding

Written By Pride David Last Thursday, Linda McMahon, nominee for secretary of education, was questioned during her Senate confirmation hearing about her plans to continue funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the Pell Grant, among other key issues. Earlier this month McMahon met with Howard University President Ben Vinson III, where she

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Civil Rights Groups Sue Trump Over Anti-DEI Orders

By Corky Siemaszko A trio of civil rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday charging that three of President Donald Trump’s executive orders attacking diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the federal government violate their free speech rights and hinder their ability to help marginalized communities. Through Trump’s orders barring references to transgender people or support of DEIA

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Trump Fires Dozens of EPA Workers in Chicago

By Brett Chase In her short time at the Environmental Protection Agency, Nyla McCranie helped a central Ohio woman who complained that someone was burning lithium batteries near her rural home, creating an air pollution hazard. A scientist who is part of an environmental justice team in Chicago, McCranie put the woman in touch with the agency’s

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