Campus News - Page 454

HBCUs plan for 2021 commencement ceremonies

With increased vaccinations, mutating variants and shutdown fatigue creating a Covid-19 limbo, HBCUs are reacting in a variety of ways in preparing this spring’s graduations. Howard University president Wayne A. I. Frederick’s letter regarding the May 5-8 celebration sees a fluid approach. As of now they’re planning an in-person ceremony for both the 2020 and 2021 graduates, but not if Covid-19 risks escalate. “If we cannot receive approval or further guidance from D.C. government, or if local conditions deteriorate to the point that we do not believe in-person exercises can be held safely, then we will commit to a 100

Meharry receives $1.1 million grant to trace spread of Covid-19

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Meharry Medical College recently announced it received a $1.1 million grant from the Truist Foundation. This grant will help develop a national model for Covid-19 contact tracing. The goal is to help limit the spread of the virus, particularly among minority populations who have been most impacted by Covid-19. The project aims to trace the spread of the virus through social media and Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping as a way to identify hotspots throughout the nation. This work will be in conjunction with local health departments and their efforts to combat Covid-19. “My team and I are delighted to

Howard University launches Colombian initiative to strengthen African Diaspora ties

HBCUs are increasing outreach to other countries of the African Diaspora. On March 26th, Howard University launched HU/COL Avanza with the country of Colombia. Five years in the making, this will be a reciprocal effort to form networks and boost both HBCU and Colombian students economically and culturally. “In 2018, I traveled to Colombia to gain a better understanding of the education and community landscape, and was impressed by the students and peoples I met,” said Howard University president Wayne A.I. Frederick. “The HU/COL Avanza initiative will seek to create opportunities in an interdisciplinary way. Howard will be working with

Phylicia Rashād on the legacy of the AKAs highlighted in the ‘Twenty Pearls’ documentary

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By Lisa Respers France Phylicia Rashād pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Howard University in Washington, DC in 1968, yet it took narrating a new documentary about the organization before she learned some of its earliest history. “When you pledge a fraternity or a sorority, you learn the names of the founders and the year in which it was founded,” she told CNN. “But the detailed history that’s in this documentary, we did not learn that as pledgees.” “Twenty Pearls” tells the story of the first Black sorority, which was founded in 1908 by nine women enrolled at Howard University.

Weight Watchers panel addresses mental wellness for HBCU students

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Weight Watchers International, Inc. (WW) has joined The Female Quotient (TFQ) and Tai Life Media Agency for a free wellness and self-love masterclass series for HBCU students. Premised on the well-being of students of color, the series started on Feb. 25 in conjunction with the WW Wellness Club’s launch. A second event, Thriving Like Me, was held on March 31. Hosted by Howard University student Taylor Crawford, the event stressed the importance of mental health care for Black college students. The keynote was given by Spelman alumna Tai Beauchamp, Co-Founder of Brown Girl Jane. Other participating HBCU alumna included Dr.

HBCUs to receive $1.6 billion in debt relief, new funding

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As part of pandemic relief the U.S. Department of Education discharged roughly $1.6 billion of HBCU debt. Only institutions participating in the HBCU Capital Financing Program qualify. 45 HBCUs in total will be relieved: 32 private institutions, 13 public. The HBCU Capital Finance Program has provided participants low-cost infrastructure loans since 1994. Shedding that debt is momentous, allowing HBCUs to redirect attention to student education and well-being. The latter is particularly crucial given the emotional toll Covid-19 has taken on isolated, often bereaved young people. Efforts spanned administrations. The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) authorized the discharge of

WCU’s digital Black history collection preserves oral history of local African-Americans

By Rex Hodge CULLOWHEE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Recordings of local African-Americans made in the 1980s have been upgraded at Western Carolina University. University leaders want the collection preserved so they can better teach race relations. The recordings at Hunter Library at WCU have now been transferred from analog to digital to preserve them, keeping the memories of African-Americans mainly in the early part of the 20th century. Recordings include information about everything from serving in word wars to sharecropping to the importance of church and family. “They talked about racial things that happened to them, both positive and negative,”

Southern University partners with Goldman Sachs to assist Deep South

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In an effort to invigorate the Black business community, Southern University will launch the Deep South Economic Mobility Collaborative (DSMEC). Partnered with the Hope Enterprise Corporation with up to $130 million from Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses, DSEMC will support Black entrepreneurs in the Deep South. Seven cities and eight additional HBCUs will join. “Southern University is excited to partner with national leaders to advance small business opportunities for Black entrepreneurs in our community,” said Ray Belton, Southern University president-chancellor. “As an anchor institution, and with the support of Hope and Goldman Sachs, we are poised to assist thousands of Black

HBCUs and Ghana envision a new city on a hill

In 2020, Atlanta-based African Diaspora Nation met with representatives from the Akwamu state in Ghana. They agreed to secure land for the HBCU Africa Innovation City Project. The initiative will challenge participants from the African Diaspora to develop a conceptual design for a S.T.E.A.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Architecture, Art, Math) hub. Things have accelerated rapidly since that first meeting. Students will submit designs for Innovation City by the registration deadline of May 31. The unbuilt metropolis is envisioned as an anchor for the African Renaissance and a hub for the African Diaspora. If ambitious, the potential is limitless. One of

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority premieres its documentary TWENTY PEARLS

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The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has released its documentary film, TWENTY PEARLS, which chronicles the organization’s story. Narrated by Phylicia Rashād, TWENTY PEARLS journeys through the sorority’s 113-year-history. In 1908, only 40 years after the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, nine Black college women enrolled at Howard University, where they organized a sisterhood. Today, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has grown to more than 300,000 members internationally, greatly impacting American history. Through narration, interviews and archival assets, TWENTY PEARLS shows how Alpha Kappa Alpha played a role in the Harlem Renaissance, World War II, NASA, Civil Rights, Women’s Rights and

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