September 03, 2026

Florida’s first HBCU hits enrollment milestone with largest fall class in two decades

Edward Waters University, Florida’s first historically Black college and university, has reached its highest fall enrollment in more than 20 years. The Jacksonville institution welcomed 1,281 students for Fall 2026, continuing a period of sustained growth in enrollment, academics and institutional finances. The achievement comes at a time when American higher education is navigating financial

More

Benedict College honors legacy of Willie Washington after decades of service to HBCU athletics

Benedict College is mourning longtime athletic director and former men’s basketball coach Willie Washington, who died Monday at age 79 after more than 38 years of service to the Columbia, South Carolina, HBCU. Benedict College announced Washington’s death Tuesday, calling him a legendary leader, coach and mentor whose work helped shape Tiger Athletics. The school did not

More

Florida A&M University Repeats as No. 1 HBCU in the Nation by Niche

For the second consecutive year, Florida A&M University (FAMU) has been ranked the No. 1 Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the nation by Niche in its 2027 Best HBCU Schools in America rankings. FAMU earned the highest ranking among 73 HBCUs evaluated by Niche, receiving an overall grade of A-. Niche’s rankings are based on an analysis of

More

Gospel star Pastor Mike Jr. gives HBCU women’s basketball MacBooks

Gospel artists and minister Pastor Mike Jr. supported his local HBCU with a special gift, donating MacBooks to the Alabama A&M women’s basketball program. The Birmingham-based pastor and award-winning Gospel artist donated the MacBooks to members of the Bulldogs program, giving the student-athletes a tool that can benefit them well beyond basketball. A video of

More

Black Tech Initiative builds career pathways in Charlotte

By Matthew Memrick Brandon Barnes knows what it feels like to have the skills, the idea and the determination and still not get the opportunity. That experience forms the basis of his work in Charlotte, where he established the Black Tech Initiative (BTI), a nonprofit creating pathways into the technology field for Black professionals and

More

Key Texas county votes to cut polling sites ahead of the midterms

By Jane C. Timm Officials in Texas’ third-largest county voted Tuesday to significantly reduce the number of polling sites for this fall’s midterm elections, drawing protests from Democrats and voting rights advocates. Commissioners in Tarrant County, a fast-growing and politically competitive area that includes Fort Worth, approved a plan that results in 92 fewer Election Day polling

More

Colin Kaepernick believes Jay-Z has a ‘guilty conscience’ over deals with NFL and Target

By Rohan Nadkarni Colin Kaepernick said he believes that Jay-Z’s recent comments about him speak to a “guilty conscience,” as the fallout between the former quarterback and the rapper deepens. Kaepernick responded as part of an extensive interview with NBC News after Jay-Z dissed the athlete during a recent concert. In July, Jay-Z took aim at Kaepernick, the

More

Cassandra Wilson, Grammy Award winner and HBCU grad passes away

Cassandra Wilson, a Jackson State alumna whose voice carried an HBCU connection into the highest levels of jazz, has died. She was 70. The two-time Grammy-winning vocalist died September 2 at her home in Jackson, Mississippi. Her longtime manager, Robert Torre, confirmed the news to WBGO. “Cassandra Wilson transitioned peacefully at home, surrounded by family, close

More
Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem State enrollment climbs as HBCU welcomes 5,200

Winston-Salem State is seeing enrollment climb, with the HBCU welcoming 5,210 students for fall 2026, its largest total since 2021. The university announced a 9.1% enrollment increase compared with 2023. Growth includes gains among first-time freshmen and graduate students, alongside a decade-high academic benchmark for its incoming class. WSSU welcomed 1,120 first-time freshmen this fall,

More

Gloria Steinem, groundbreaking feminist campaigner, dies aged 92

By Sian Cain Gloria Steinem, the American feminist and journalist whose activism helped push through greater rights for women around the world has died, aged 92. Steinem “passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her”, a statement shared to her Instagram page said. “Gloria’s near-century on

More

Never Miss A Story

Covering HBCUS
and The African American Community

Error: Contact form not found.