At 85 years old, Charles Whitman Dabbs just delivered one of the most inspiring moments of graduation season. The Tennessee State University scholar officially earned his doctorate degree, proving that determination, discipline, and purpose do not come with an age limit. While many graduates were celebrating the beginning of a new chapter, Dabbs was celebrating the completion
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Fort Valley State University’s history stretches back to a time when formerly enslaved African Americans sought new opportunities through education just decades after the Civil War. “I’ve always been impressed by the founders of this institution,” said Dr. Issac Crumbly, associate vice president of career and collaborative programs. “If you really think about it, 1895
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By Jane C. Timm South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster called a special session Thursday for state lawmakers to tackle redistricting ahead of the midterm elections. A new map is expected to eliminate the state’s only majority-minority district, which is held by Rep. James Clyburn, a key Democratic power broker. “I have issued an Executive Order calling the General
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Fisk University President Agenia Clark on Thursday announced a $900 million plan to remake the historically Black university’s North Nashville campus, complete with a 100,000-square-foot data and technology center. Details remain limited as the 160-year-old university, once home to civil rights luminaries like John Lewis and Ida B. Wells, embarks on the project, dubbed Quantum Leap. Fisk
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Courtesy of Spelman College Spelman College just made history in a major way. In a moment sending pride across the entire HBCU community, seven graduating seniors from the Class of 2026 have been named valedictorians after finishing with perfect 4.0 GPAs. The groundbreaking achievement highlights not only the academic excellence thriving at the prestigious Atlanta HBCU but
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By Mike Hixenbaugh PARKVILLE, Md. — Melissa Gonce used to cry when her son came home from his day program soaked in urine, dehydrated and distressed. Jason, 28, is nonverbal and profoundly disabled, with significant cognitive limitations and little awareness of danger — vulnerabilities that require constant, watchful care. Some nights, the van that was supposed
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By Jamaal Abdul-Alim The charitable foundation for South Carolina State University is accusing interim university president Alexander Conyers of launching a “retaliatory campaign” against the foundation for refusing to “blindly” supplement his six-figure salary with an extra $75,000, according to a lawsuit filed in Orangeburg County Monday. The lawsuit says the university wrongly kicked the foundation out
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By Bill Barrow Same fight. New generation. That’s the mantra of a multiracial group of civil rights leaders and activists organizing opposition to a mostly white conservative alliance dismantling the Voting Rights Act and political districts that allowed Black and other nonwhite voters to choose more of their elected leaders for the last half-century. “We have to respond as
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Less than a year into the 10-year program, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation grant is helping students overcome financial barriers. The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation today announced early milestones from its $50 million, 10-year scholarship initiative supporting students at Atlanta’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as some of the program’s first scholarship recipients prepare
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By Jurnee Taylor Members of the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus joined historically Black college and university leaders Thursday to introduce new legislation aimed at investing in HBCU campuses across the country, including Arkansas institutions. Co-chairs of the caucus, French Hill and Alma Adams, introduced H.R. 8791, the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act, during a press conference on
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