National News - Page 6

Florida public colleges barred from using state and federal funds for DEI programs

By Michelle Garcia Florida’s Board of Education announced a new rule Wednesday that bars public colleges from using state and federal funds for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, activities and policies. The rule, which applies to the 28 schools within the Florida College System, “will ensure that taxpayer funds can no longer be used to promote DEI on Florida’s 28 state college campuses,” the board wrote in a statement. The schools include Seminole State College of Florida, Valencia College, Florida State College at Jacksonville and others that serve sizable populations of Black and Latino students. State Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said in a statement that

Harris speaks at Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in South Carolina

By Jeffrey Martin Communities across the nation celebrated the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday with acts of service, prayer services and parades. But with the November presidential election as a backdrop, some events took on an overtly political turn. Speaking at the MLK Day at the Dome rally at the South Carolina Statehouse, Vice President Kamala Harris said young people two or three generations removed from King have seen their freedoms shrink — from laws restricting voting to bans on abortions and the ever-present threat of gun violence, especially in schools. “They even try to erase, overlook and

SC House Republicans go after gender-affirming care in first week of legislative session

Written by Devyani Chhetri In its first week back in session, the South Carolina Statehouse has started brimming with activity again. Gov. Henry McMaster unveiled his budget proposal on Jan. 5. Increasing the minimum teacher pay to $45,000, allocating $95 million for workforce tech scholarships, and investing $50 million to build and create training institutes at technical colleges to develop skilled workforce for manufacturing hubs like BMW in the Upstate and Scout Motors in the Midlands are some of McMaster’s agenda items in his plan to address rising needs of a growing state. Meanwhile, House Republicans have begun the new

Biden administration urges 16 states to address funding disparities faced by land-grant HBCUs

By Justin Gamble The Biden administration demanded governors in 16 states address a more than $12 billion funding disparity between land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their non-HBCU counterparts, according to the US Department of Agriculture. In joint letters sent to the governors of each state Monday, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack noted that HBCUs have “not been able to advance in ways that are on par” with other land-grant institutions in those states “in large part due to unbalanced funding.” A land-grant institution is a college or university that provides education

Democrats to spend $35M targeting voters of color in House races

By Suzanne Gamboa Democrats announced Tuesday that they are spending at least $35 million this election cycle to “persuade and mobilize” Latino, Black, Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian voters to help the party win control of the U.S. House in November. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee told NBC News in advance of the announcement that the planned 2024 spending would surpass the $30 million spent on those groups of voters in the 2022 midterm elections and other previous cycles. vThe DCCC, which is tasked with financing and helping Democrats win House elections, has dubbed the effort “Power the People”

A Proclamation on Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2024

    Today, we reflect on the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and recommit to honoring his moral vision on the path to redeeming the soul of our Nation.      Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born into America when racial segregation was the law of the land.  He had every reason to believe that history had already been written and division would be our Nation’s destiny.  But Dr. King rejected that outcome.  He heard Scripture’s command to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.  He clung to the Declaration of Independence’s promise of

VP Kamala Harris visits Atlanta Tuesday to discuss voting rights

By Aungelique Proctor Vice President Kamala Harris visited Atlanta Tuesday to discuss voting rights, marking her 10th trip to the area since she was sworn into office. Harris will flew in late Tuesday morning to participate in a roundtable discussion with community leaders focused on the fight for voting rights and “other fundamental freedoms.” “Georgia is ground zero on the issue of the right to vote,” Vice President Kamala Harris declared. She said America has a lot of work to do to ensure the right to vote is protected. She pointed to more than 300 anti-voting laws passed across the country in

U.S. Military Academy at West Point can continue to consider race in admissions, judge rules

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point can continue to consider race for now when evaluating who to admit to the elite military school, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday, rejecting a bid by the group behind the successful U.S. Supreme Court challenge to race-conscious college admissions policies. U.S. District Judge Philip Halpern, in White Plains, New York, rejected a request for a preliminary injunction sought by Students for Fair Admissions, which was founded by affirmative action opponent Edward Blum. The judge, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, wrote that he could not at this early stage in the case rule in SFFA’s favor without

Descendants fight to maintain historic Black communities

Sallie Ann Robinson proudly stands in the front yard of her grandmother’s South Carolina home. The sixth-generation native of Daufuskie Island, a once-thriving Gullah community, remembers relatives hosting meals and imparting life lessons on the next generation. “I was born in this very house, as many generations of family have been as well,” said Robinson, a chef and tour guide. “I was raised here. These woods was our playgrounds.” Long dirt roads were once occupied by a bustling community that had its own bartering system and a lucrative oyster industry. “There were at one point over a thousand people living on

Large swaths of the U.S. are facing severe weather. Here’s what to know

By Joe Hernandez Severe weather is already battering parts of the U.S. or will in the coming hours and days, meteorologists say. From blizzard conditions in the Southwest to more precipitation in the Northeast, people across the country are bracing for bad weather and, in some cases, extreme conditions that could hamper travel. Here’s what’s happening throughout the U.S.: A blizzard pummeling the Great Plains began Monday morning The National Weather Service says a cyclone that developed over the Great Plains early Monday could drop up to 2 inches of snow per hour in some places and make it risky to travel.

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