National News

Student Arrests, Expulsions, and Evictions at Colleges Across the US Over Palestine Protests

By Lex McMenamin College students have been at the forefront of the movement for a ceasefire in Palestine since Israel’s ongoing incursion of Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attack. As soon as organizing for that movement began, there was backlash against it, including doxxing and harassment at Harvard, attempted state-level bans of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters in Florida, and also the banning of protests and SJP chapters at other universities. In Vermont, Palestinian college students on a walk, wearing kuffiyehs, were shot at during Thanksgiving break. (The reported shooter, who has pleaded not guilty to attempted second-degree murder, remains in jail as the case proceeds.)

Vice President Kamala Harris celebrates women’s sports

By Sheila Matthews Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a Women’s History Month celebration at her Washington residence in collaboration with the Women’s Sports Foundation. Founded by tennis legend Billie Jean King, the WSF brought together an inspiring group of women to celebrate this year’s theme, trailblazing women in sports. The reception, which featured a guest list of more than 100 women, gathered barrier-breaking athletes and some of the most influential voices in the sports world. Attendees Las Vegas Aces president Nikki Fargas, Atlanta Dream part owner and retired WNBA player Renee Montgomery, and three-time WNBA MVP and four-time Olympic gold

To many Black Americans, the O.J. Simpson verdict was bigger than O.J. Simpson

By Michelle Garcia On Oct. 3, 1995, Black residents in parts of Los Angeles spilled out onto the street, cheering and passing celebratory drinks. The world had just learned that O.J. Simpson had been acquitted of double murder. “Everybody was running out of their house, screaming and happy,” recalled journalist and cultural critic Jasmyne Cannick, who was a teenager living near Compton when the verdict came down. “I remember that. People had been glued to their television sets” for months on end, wondering where the jury would land. The celebratory scene in Cannick’s neighborhood that day was duplicated in Black communities

Tennessee State Basketball Legends Meet With VP Kamala Harris At The White House

By Rayna Reid Rayford A championship HBCU men’s basketball team finally got their visit to the White House more than 60 years after their big wins. The Tennessee A&I Tigers of Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State University in Nashville made history in 1957, becoming “the first HBCU team to win a national championship,” and then “again by becoming the first college team to win three back-to-back national titles from 1957-1959.” Mr. Barnett, George Finley, Ernest Jones, Henry Carlton, Robert Clark and Ron Hamilton attended a private ceremony on Friday at the White House, where Vice President Kamala Harris paid homage to the team during a round-table

Racial diversity among college faculty lags behind other professional fields, report finds

Despite gains in faculty diversity at American universities over the last two decades, Black and Hispanic professors remain underrepresented compared to their students and to professionals with advanced degrees in other fields, according to a federal report released Tuesday. Black professional workers in industries such as law, science and engineering make up roughly 9.1% of the workforce, compared to 7.1% of college faculty, according to the report by the Government Accountability Office. Hispanic people represent 8.3% of professional workers, compared to 6.3% of faculty. Faculty diversity can improve the sense of belonging and retention rates for students of color, said Rep.

The Obama Foundation Opens Applications for the 2024-2026 Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service

By Gloria Nlewedim Today, the Obama Foundation opened applications for the 2024-2026 Voyager Scholarship, The Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service. Funded by a $100 million personal contribution from Airbnb Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky to the Obama Foundation, the Voyager Scholarship provides college students with last-dollar financial aid to help alleviate the burden of college debt, meaningful travel experiences to expand their connections to new communities, and a network of mentors and leaders to support them throughout their careers. As the Voyager Scholarship enters its third year, the Obama Foundation and Chesky remain committed to supporting young leaders who can bridge

Biden races to enact new student loan forgiveness plan ahead of November

Written by Katie Lobosco Biden administration officials on Monday unveiled the details of a new plan to forgive student loan debt, suggesting that millions of Americans could start seeing debt relief as soon as this fall. The new set of proposals, which CNN reported on Friday, have yet to be finalized. It’s President Joe Biden’s second attempt to implement broad student loan forgiveness after his first plan was struck down by the Supreme Court last summer. The president will travel to Wisconsin on Monday — a key swing state this November — to announce the plan. The new policies, when combined with the more narrow

Luther Vandross Foundation To Raise Funds For HBCU Students

By Quintessa Williams The Luther Vandross Foundation is thrilled to announce that its 2nd annual fundraiser will be held on May 4, 2024, at the Rivers Casino in Philadelphia, PA. The event aims to raise funds to support students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Esteemed radio personality Patty Jackson, from WDAS-FM, iHeart Radio, will grace the occasion as the emcee, promising an evening filled with engaging entertainment and heartfelt tributes. The event will feature performances by the Nat Adderley, Jr. Quartet led by Nat Adderley, Jr., Luther’s cherished musical director; and the talented Patricia Lacy-Aiken, Sounds of Blackness vocalist and one of Luther’s former background singers. At last year’s event,

$100 million gift from Lilly Endowment to United Negro College Fund will support HBCU endowments

By Annie Ma The United Negro College Fund announced a donation of $100 million from the Lilly Endowment Inc., the single largest unrestricted gift to the organization since its founding 80 years ago. The gift announced Thursday will go toward a pooled endowment for the 37 historically Black colleges and universities that form UNCF’s membership, with the goal of boosting the schools’ long-term financial stability. HBCUs, which have small endowments compared with other colleges, have seen an increase in donations since the racial justice protests spurred by the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of

Tennessee politicians strip historically Black university of its board

By Kimberlee Kruesi Trustees of Tennessee’s only publicly funded historically Black university were removed Thursday under legislation signed into law by Republican Gov. Bill Lee. Black lawmakers and community leaders said state leaders, a majority of whom are white, are unfairly targeting Tennessee State University. The legislation cleared the state GOP-controlled House on Thursday in a 66-25 vote, and Lee signed off a few hours later without commenting on the controversial decision to vacate the board. He instead praised TSU as a “remarkable institution” as he unveiled that he already had selected 10 new replacements. “I’m pleased to appoint these highly

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