**From Left to Right: Guests from HBCU Early College Prep High School, Professor Rakim Jenkins; 9th graders Julia J., Sophia S., Founding Principal Dr. Asya Johnson; and 9th graders Louis D. & Giovanni B. UNCF New York hosted a spectacular Theater Reception and Benefit Performance on Wed., May 20, bringing together corporate partners, civic leaders
More
*One of the most consequential philanthropists of the modern era just got left off a major industry ranking, and the reason has nothing to do with how much she gave. The Chronicle of Philanthropy publishes an annual list recognizing the country’s most generous donors. MacKenzie Scott did not make the cut, not because her giving fell short,
More
By Jared Perlo The Illinois House of Representatives passed a landmark bill Wednesday that would set a new standard for regulating America’s leading AI companies if Gov. JB Pritzker signs it. The bill, SB 315, mirrors existing provisions in legislation in California and New York requiring frontier AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic to create, publish
More
The Atlanta Falcons are once again investing in the future of Black excellence, officially unveiling the 2026 HBCU Fellows Program in partnership with Wells Fargo — a career development initiative designed to create pathways for the next generation of leaders in sports, entertainment, business, and media. The program offers students from Atlanta-area HBCUs the opportunity to gain hands-on experience inside one
More
Courtesy of Talledega College An HBCU that has not fielded a football team since World War II is bringing the sport back to campus. Talladega College announced that it has entered into a partnership with Prep U. Collegiate, which will enroll the school’s students as Prep U. Collegiate students while they compete in a club football
More
At the 2026 National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR Annual Summit, hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and its Dr. N. Joyce Payne Research Center (Payne Center) released a landmark report: “Advancing America’s Research Enterprise: A National Assessment of Research Capacity and Future Readiness at
More
Numerous Black public figures took the stage this graduation season to restore hope in students. Key Takeaways Thirteen influential Black leaders and celebrities delivered or will deliver inspiring commencement speeches in 2026 across various HBCUs. Speakers like Queen Latifah, Ray Lewis, and Magic Johnson emphasized resilience, creativity, and community impact to graduates. Events highlighted renewed
More
Courtesy of Southern University BATON ROUGE — The Southern University Gospel Choir has been nominated for the Stellar Gospel Music Awards’ first-ever HBCU Choir of the Year. The category is the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities gospel choir award to be offered at the Stellar Awards. “This historic moment shines a national spotlight on
More
By Tyler Kingkade The head of one of the country’s largest teachers unions called for limits on technology in schools in a speech Wednesday, including blocking most students from using computers in class until they reach third grade, prohibiting student-facing AI in elementary schools and banning “social companion” chatbots until age 16. Randi Weingarten, president of the American
More
By Bridget Bowman and Matt Dixon President Donald Trump may be celebrating that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won Tuesday’s Senate primary, but some Republicans now worry that they have a Texas-sized problem on their hands. Paxton, with Trump’s endorsement, handily defeated four-term Sen. John Cornyn in the runoff. Democrats largely viewed Paxton as the weaker candidate because of his many
More
