National News

Long Legacy of producing Black librarians continues at NCCU: ‘Didn’t see myself in the library’

 Inside the James E. Shepard Memorial Library at North Carolina Central University, you can find Montressa Hunter. “Growing up, I sought refuge in books. That was a place of solace for me,” said Hunter ” I would read anything that I could get my hands on,” she continued. Her love for literature started as a child and it never stopped and now she’s on track to become a librarian. Hunter graduates from North Carolina Central University with a Master of Library Science in May. Central is the only HBCU in the country with a Library Science program accredited by the American Library

Georgia Bill Would Ensure HBCU Representation on Board of Regents

Georgia lawmakers are considering legislation to guarantee that graduates of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have a formal role in shaping the state’s higher education policies. The University System of Georgia’s (USG) Board of Regents, which governs the state’s 26 public colleges and universities, is composed of 19 members—five appointed at-large and 14 representing congressional districts. Floyd Griffin, a Tuskegee University alum and state representative for Georgia’s 149th district, recently introduced House Bill 203, requiring at least one at-large member of the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents to be an HBCU graduate. Georgia is home to 10

USDA cancels $1 billion in funding for schools and food banks to buy food from local suppliers

By Aimee Picchi The U.S. Department of Agriculture is cutting two federal programs that provided about $1 billion in funding to schools and food banks to buy food directly from local farms, ranchers and producers, part of what the agency said was a decision to “return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives.” The move cancels about $660 million in funding this year for the Local Food for Schools program, which is active in 40 U.S. states, as well as about $420 million for a second program called the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, which helps food banks and other local

After deadly midair collision over Potomac, NTSB wants helicopter ban near D.C. area’s Reagan Airport

By David K. Li and Jay Blackman The National Transportation Safety Board wants to severely restrict helicopter traffic near Ronald Reagan National Airport, officials said Tuesday, in the wake of a catastrophic midair collision that killed 67 people. The Jan. 29 collision tragedy near the nation’s capital was the deadliest such U.S. air crash in more than 20 years, and NTSB Chairperson Jennifer Homendy called on the Federal Aviation Administration to enact immediate restrictions. The NTSB asked the FAA to prohibit helicopters from flying near the airport, in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, when Runway 15/33 is in use. The existing allowable distances between planes

Education Department Fires 1,300 Workers, Gutting Its Staff

By Michael C. Bender The Education Department announced on Tuesday that it was firing more than 1,300 workers, effectively gutting the agency that manages federal loans for college, tracks student achievement and enforces civil rights laws in schools. The layoffs mean that the department, which started the year with 4,133 employees, will now have a work force of about half that size after less than two months with President Trump in office. In addition to the 1,315 workers who were fired on Tuesday, 572 employees accepted separation packages offered in recent weeks and 63 probationary workers were terminated last month.

Black Farmers Mobilize to Protect Vital HBCU Scholarship

In the two weeks since the White House reversed course on the 1890 National Scholars Program and lifted its suspension, Kendall Strickland still feels a sense of unease about the program’s future. Created in 1992, the program covers full tuition and room and board for underserved or rural students interested in studying food, agriculture, natural resources, and other sciences at historically Black land-grant institutions, also referred to as 1890 universities because they were established that year. The news hit close to home for Strickland, a rural Georgia-based farmer who benefitted from the program nearly a decade ago when he graduated

Trump Officials Warn 60 Colleges of Possible Antisemitism Penalties

By Michael Bender The Trump administration warned 60 universities on Monday that they could face penalties from pending investigations into antisemitism on college campuses, a threat sharpened in recent days by its cancellation of funding to Columbia University and the arrest of a protest leader there. The list of five dozen schools included colleges from both Republican- and Democratic-voting states, elite Ivy League schools such as Brown and Yale, state schools including Arizona State University and the University of Tennessee, and smaller institutions, like Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., which has about 2,000 students. President Trump seized on accusations of

USDA reinstates 1890 scholarship that helps Mississippi HBCU students study farming, food

By Bonnie Bolden HillmanTok University, a virtual HBCU, has enrolled over 11,000 students in free courses despite DEI rollbacks under the Trump administration. The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program, which provides scholarships to students attending HBCUs for agriculture-related studies, has reopened its application process. The program, suspended in February, was reinstated and is accepting applications until March 15. The scholarships cover full tuition, fees, books, room, and board, with opportunities for work experience at various USDA agencies. Nineteen HBCUs across the country participate in the program, which aims to increase diversity in agricultural fields. The USDA has reinstated a scholarship program that

D.C. mayor to remove Black Lives Matter Plaza amid pressure from White House

A spokesperson for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed to NBC Washington that Bowser will remove Black Lives Matter Plaza and its ground mural will be painted over. There’s no timeline yet for the changes, but the street art will be replaced with a design created by D.C. schoolchildren. Bowser said she made the decision several days ago. When pressed about why, she said it was fair to say the White House didn’t like it. In 2020, the two-block stretch of 16th Street NW north of the White House was designated as Black Lives Matter Plaza after the murder of George

FBI and DOJ headquarters are among more than 440 federal buildings listed for potential sale

The Trump administration on Tuesday published a list of more than 400 federal properties it says it could close or sell, including the FBI headquarters and the main Department of Justice building, after deeming them “not core to government operations.” The list published by the General Services Administration includes some of the country’s most recognizable buildings and spans nearly every state, with properties ranging from courthouses to office buildings and parking garages. In Washington, D.C., it includes the J. Edgar Hoover Building, which serves as FBI headquarters, the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building, the Old Post Office building, where President

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