Courtesy of Spelman College In ESSENCE’s recent Fall/Winter 2025 issue, the magazine highlighted the recent emergence of HBCU alumni and students in markets like fashion, business and STEM markets. Contributor Rachel Ruff spoke with seven HBCU changemakers, including Spelman College student Reese Winston, C’2026, about what it means to pave the way and defy the
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Written By Lexx Thornton Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have ordered the Texas Rangers to investigate Texas Southern University on Monday after a new state audit found evidence of poor bookkeeping and financial mismanagement. Patrick said he will discuss with Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows a freeze on TSU’s state funding.
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Written By Lexx Thornton The Religious Sisters of the Holy Spirit from Mazabuka, Zambia, led by Sister Juunza Mwangani and Sister Rosalia Sakayombo, have been chosen as the 2025 Opus Prize Laureate, presented with a $1 million award at Xavier University of Louisiana on Thursday. Nov. 13. The Opus Prize is an annual humanitarian award
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Written By Lexx Thornton Rihanna, the global icon known for her chart-topping music, has officially cemented her status as a business titan, achieving a milestone that transcends entertainment: she is the first Black woman in history to own two companies each valued at over a billion dollars. This isn’t just a story about celebrity endorsements;
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The Division II Football Championship field has been announced and it features a historic five HBCU teams, including the two major Division II HBCU conference champions. This marks the most HBCU selections in the history of the Division II football tournament, having never surpassed three before this year. Here is every HBCU football team that
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The nation’s first private historically Black university is notching up another first. Wilberforce University is one of 11 Historically Black Colleges and Universities named to the Brilliance Initiative’s first cohort. The Brilliance Initiative is a program announced earlier this year by the Reinvestment Fund, a nationally focused Community Development Financial Institution. It aims to support the financial
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An Alabama historically Black college has settled its dispute with an accreditation organization, according to court documents. Tuskegee University asked to dismiss its lawsuit against the American Veterinary Medical Association in a Nov. 14 filing. The historically Black college sued the association on Nov. 10 after its veterinary accreditation was endangered. The complaint said that the AVMA
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During the third annual HBCU First Look Film Festival hosted on Howard University’s campus Nov. 7-8, the festival’s founder, alum Sheila Eldridge (B.A. ’75), announced a historic partnership with the streaming platform Tubi to launch its newest channel featuring films created by HBCU students and alumni. Destiny Stubbs after receiving second place in the HBCU First Look Film Festival
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The HBCU All-Star Game will celebrate its 5th anniversary on April 5, 2026, at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis, coinciding with the Final Four weekend. Founded by Travis L. Williams, HBCU All-Stars, LLC is a Black-owned sports marketing, events, and media company dedicated to celebrating the excellence of Historically Black Colleges and Universities through sports, culture, and education.
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By Minyvonne Burke The Rev. Jesse Jackson was hospitalized on Wednesday and is under observation for a neurodegenerative condition, his organization, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said in a statement. Jackson, 84, has been managing the condition, called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), for over a decade, according to the organization he founded. “He was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s
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