By Tamara L. Brown, University of North TexasIn her speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention Kamala Harris saluted seven women who “inspired us to pick up the torch and fight on.”All but two of them, one of whom was her mother, belonged to Black sororities. Harris also mentioned her own Black sorority, saying: “Family is my beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha.”Many Americans may have wondered why Harris would invoke sororities on such an occasion. But not me. Like her, I am a proud member of a Black sorority: Delta Sigma Theta, which I joined as a student at Longwood University…
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By Emil Guillermo | The Oakland PostThose in Higher Ed are anticipating the Supreme Court’s review of a lawsuit filed by some Asian Americans specifically recruited by anti-affirmative action legal groups hell-bent on ending racial preferences in college admissions, particularly at Harvard.The end of affirmative action would make it harder to achieve fairness if one could not identify underrepresented ethnic applicants.But the way the Supreme Court is composed, it looks like affirmative action is dead. And not just at Harvard, but everywhere.It also comes at a time when the policy is still necessary.Harvard’s admissions notices went out last week, the…
CHICAGO (TN Tribune)– The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church) and the Alzheimer’s Association recently announced it is renewing their nationwide partnership, aimed at educating and engaging more than 2 million U.S.-based AME Church members in the fight against Alzheimer’s, for five more years. Since the partnership began in 2019, more than 1,600 AME Church members have attended dementia education programs. In addition, more than 5,000 AME Church members have participated in Connectional Purple Sunday events, which provide AME members with disease-related information and care and support resources available through the Alzheimer’s Association.” Diversity, equity and inclusion are fundamental to…
Memphis, Tenn. (TN Tribune)–His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, of Ghana will visit the University of Memphis campus to present the speech “Contemporary Challenges in US-Africa Relations” on May 5 at 2:30 p.m. in the Rose Theatre. His Majesty is visiting Memphis as part of the Memphis in May International Festival’s salute to the Republic of Ghana. The King rarely travels outside of Kumasi, Ghana, with his last public appearance in the United States coming in 2019 when he addressed the United Nations. He has a very strong orientation toward higher learning and serves as chancellor at one of…
By Maya Pottiger | Word In Black | Sacramento Observer(WIB) – Many of us can relate to the anxiety facing the latest group of high school seniors awaiting college acceptance letters, but there’s something unique to the class of 2022 — and no, it’s not navigating higher ed admissions through the ongoing pandemic. Less than half of college applicants submitted SAT or ACT scores this year.There’s been a widespread movement among colleges toward optional testing. Fair Test, a national organization that aims to advance quality education and equal opportunities for students, teachers, and schools, keeps a running list of schools…
By Brenda C. Siler | The Washington InformerScuba diving is an exciting STEM-related career, but many Blacks may think of it as a recreational activity.Educating people about scuba diving careers is a top objective of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS). With a national membership of 1,000, NABS spreads the word about dive projects, ocean research, changes in the ocean environment, search for historical artifacts and operating scuba equipment.Andrea Williams, a certified diver and instructor, has been a member of NABS since 2009 and is now its national vice president. The D.C. resident has worked on dives worldwide,…
For a southern black youth growing up in the 1950s, Dr. TB Boyd III had an uncommon childhood. In addition to the family’s interests in the National Baptist Publishing Board, his family owned and operated Citizens Savings and Trust Bank, which was also founded by Richard Henry Boyd at the turn of the century. These family enterprises gave young Boyd a sense of identity. “I always had a feeling of great pride because I could walk into the bank with the president of the bank, even though I was a little boy,” he said in an interview with Contemporary Black…
Nashville, Tenn. (TN Tribune)–The year was 1947. “Responding to civil rights advocates, President Harry S. Truman established the President’s Committee on Civil Rights.Significantly, the committee’s October 1947 report, “To Secure These Rights,” which provided civil rights proponents in Congress with a legislative blueprint for much of the next two decades. Among its recommendations were the creation of a permanent FEPC, theestablishment of a permanent Civil Rights Commission, the creation of a civil rights division in the U.S. Department of Justice, and the enforcement of federal anti-lynching laws and desegregation in interstate transportation.” Click to view Nashville Chapter of Jack and…