National News - Page 105

Tybee Island Cracks Down on 2024 Orange Crush Party

Thousands of Black college students expected this weekend for an annual spring bash at Georgia’s largest public beach will be greeted by dozens of extra police officers and barricades closing off neighborhood streets. While the beach will remain open, officials are blocking access to nearby parking. Tybee Island east of Savannah has grappled with the April beach party known as Orange Crush since students at Savannah State University, a historically Black school, started it more than 30 years ago. Residents regularly groused about loud music, trash littering the sand and revelers urinating in yards. Those complaints boiled over into fear

5 HBCUs Awarded $25M to Boost Research and R1 Ambitions

By Nigel Roberts Five historically Black universities are on a list of 20 institutions serving students of color to receive federal education funding for research and development and to improve completion rates for underserved students. The Education Department announced $93 million in grants to the HBCUs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) on Friday (Dec. 8). U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said the Biden-Harris administration recognizes the urgency of creating opportunities for students of color and other underserved students to succeed in cutting-edge fields. “These grant awards will help many of our nation’s most inclusive and diverse colleges and

Uncle Nearest Launches 2024 HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge

By Oumou Fofana Uncle Nearest has announced the launch of its second annual HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge, a campaign aimed at raising money for underfunded HBCUs. This year’s challenge, which began on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Jan. 15) and will end on Juneteenth (Jun. 19), will see the company work to raise $1.4 million. Speaking on the accomplishment of its first-ever campaign in 2023, a spokesperson for the Black-owned spirits brand took to Instagram and wrote, “Thanks to the participation of 3,500 bars, restaurants, retail stores, Uncle Nearest’s matching donation, and YOU, we [were] able to give nearly $1,000,000 to HBCUs across the nation,

UNCF Receives Historic $100M Gift for HBCUs from Lilly

By Rashad Grove The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) announced that HBCUs will receive a $100 Million gift from Lilly Endowment Inc. In 80 years of existence, the gift is the largest donation to the 37 HBCUs affiliated with the UNCF, reports The Hill. The UNCF is currently raising funds for a $1 billion capital campaign that will enhance student scholarships, HBCU endowments, technology and research for HBCUs, cash reserves, and endowed funds for UNCF and  to support its annual campaign.” Marc Barnes, senior vice president of capital campaign at UNCF, shared the importance of receiving the generous gift from the Lily Endowment

$1.2B in Student Loans Forgiven Under Biden’s SAVE Plan

By Matthew Arrojas Borrowers enrolled in the newest income-driven repayment (IDR) plan will see over $1 billion in student loan forgiveness. The Department of Education (ED) will soon discharge $1.2 billion in federal student loan debt for borrowers enrolled in the new Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, which creates low monthly payments for borrowers. Under the SAVE plan, borrowers who originally took out $12,000 or less in student loans qualify for automatic debt forgiveness after 10 years of making payments. Nearly 153,000 SAVE plan borrowers benefited from this mechanism during this latest round of relief, according to ED. President Joe

San Francisco Plans HBCU Summer Courses, Satellite Campus

By Rashad Grove Mayor London Breed of San Francisco has announced a plan to offer summer courses in partnership with HBCUs in the city, SFist reports. Titled “Black 2 San Francisco” or B2SF, the initiative which is spearheaded by the city’s Human Rights Commission, will offer courses at San Francisco State this summer and was created for students to offset the low number of workers who populate downtown San Francisco. From 2020 to 2022, San Francisco lost 65,000 residents who left for more affordable housing options. Additionally, the University of San Francisco will provide students with housing for the summer program, and the University

College Students Face Crackdown Over Pro-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.)

VP Harris Honors Women in Sports at WSF Celebration

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

O.J. Simpson Verdict Still Echoes in Black America Today

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 A&I Tigers Honored at White House After 67 Years

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

1 … 103 104 105 106 107 … 222
Close

Never Miss A Story

Covering HBCUS
and The African American Community