HBCU Executive Leadership Institute Welcomes 2026 Community of Fellows

The HBCU Executive Leadership Institute (HBCU ELI) at Clark Atlanta University today announced its 2026 Community of Fellows, a selective cohort of leaders preparing to serve as the next generation of presidents and senior executives across Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), MSIs, and PBIs. Now in its sixth year, more than 40 executive leaders from higher education, business, technology, and non-profit organizations will participate.

To view a full list of the 2026 HBCU ELI Community of Fellows, click HERE.

Fellows are chosen through a highly competitive, multi-step review designed to identify leaders with demonstrated institutional impact, executive readiness, and a clear commitment to the mission of HBCUs. HBCU ELI's competency-based model is designed to select Fellows annually through a rigorous process, with eligibility requirements that include a minimum of 10 years of experience in higher education or a related field, as well as at least three years in dean-level or equivalent leadership roles.

"In this moment, our institutions need leaders who can steward heritage and accelerate innovation at the same time," said Clark Atlanta University President George T. French, Jr., Ph.D. "The 2026 Community of Fellows is prepared to meet the charge of building the next generation of HBCU leaders—and strengthening communities that rely on HBCUs as engines of opportunity for all."

Executive leadership programs such as HBCU ELI are increasingly essential as new and aspiring presidents face a widening set of challenges—from financial and operational pressures to campus governance, faculty issues, free speech, and student mental health.

A competency-driven curriculum built for real-world HBCU executive leadership

The 2026 cohort will participate in a structured learning experience centered on HBCU ELI's 13 core competencies—six core leadership competencies and seven HBCU-specific executive competencies. These include:

Core leadership competencies:

• Cultivating Relationships & Networks
• Communicating with Influence
• Emotional Intelligence Skills
• Models for Excellence
• Making Sound Decisions
• Strategic Planning

HBCU-specific executive competencies:

• Navigating Board Governance
• Building High-Performing Teams and Pipeline
• Funding the Future
• Leads Finance and Operations Stability
• Delivering Academic Excellence
• Leading Through Uncertainty and Crisis
• Educating for Racial and Social Justice

"Our Fellows are immersed in a competency-driven experience that prioritizes executive judgment, strategic clarity, and mission-aligned leadership," said Dr. Phyllis Worthy-Dawkins, Executive Director of HBCU ELI and 18th President of Bennett College. "This cohort brings the talent and the discipline to lead through complexity—while keeping students, outcomes, and institutional sustainability at the center."

"We welcome the sixth cohort of executive leaders to the Community of Fellows Program with pride. The new cohort of Fellows includes several HBCU alumni and employees, which is also exciting," said Dr. Cheryl Davenport Dozier, Program Coordinator for the HBCU Community of Fellows and President Emeritus of Savannah State University. "This will be another year of intentionality and purpose as we continue to prepare future higher education executive leaders."

Program structure and 2026 launch milestones

The 2026 Community of Fellows launched with a virtual orientation on January 3,  2026, which will be followed by additional bi-monthly competency-based seminars through April 2026.  The in-person residency will be hosted on the campus of Clark Atlanta University from June 10 – 12, 2026, and will continue with applied leadership work. The culminating Virtual Celebration of Leadership will take place on November 20, 2026.

EBONY Media Debuts EBONY Voices with Short Film Standing in the Ashes, Marking One Year Since Altadena Fires

EBONY Media released Standing in the Ashes: One Year After the Altadena Fires, the first short film in its new multimedia series, EBONY Voices, which spotlights human-interest stories that connect and uplift communities.

Directed by Lyric Perez and produced by EBONY Media Owner and CEO Eden Bridgeman Sklenar and EVP of Editorial Content Cori Murray, Standing in the Ashes marks the one-year anniversary of the Eaton wildfire that devastated parts of Los Angeles County in January 2024. The film centers three long-time Altadena families as they navigate loss, rebuilding, and the decision to remain in a historically Black community disproportionately impacted by the disaster.

"Standing in the Ashes reflects what EBONY Voices was created to do—center humanity, honor legacy, and ensure our communities are not reduced to statistics in moments of crisis," said Eden Bridgeman Sklenar, Owner and CEO of EBONY Media. "These families remind us that rebuilding is not just about homes, but about protecting history, culture, and the right to remain rooted where generations before them built a future."

Standing in the Ashes features Staci and Thomas Andrews; Ronda Carson and her mother, Barbara Carson; and Antoinette "Toni" Bailey-Raines, a community leader recognized as a 2025 EBONY Power 100 Community Crusader for her work co-hosting Altadena Talks, a grassroots radio show and podcast launched in response to the fires.

The Eaton wildfire claimed 19 lives and destroyed or damaged 9,418 homes and buildings. At least 60 percent of the homes affected were Black households. A data study from UCLA's Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies found that 61 percent of Black households in Altadena were located within the fire perimeter, compared with 50 percent of non-Black households. Nearly half of Black households experienced destruction or major damage, and a majority of Black homeowners in the area are over age 65, increasing vulnerability during recovery.

Standing in the Ashes: One Year After the Altadena Fires is now available as part of EBONY Voices and also available for viewing on YouTube: https://www.ebony.com/ebony-voices-remembering-altadena/

USPS Honors Phillis Wheatley, First Published African American Poet, With 49th Black Heritage Stamp

The U.S. Postal Service is honoring Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), the first author of African descent in the American Colonies to publish a book, with the 49th stamp in the Black Heritage series. The stamp will be available on January 29, 2026. You can check it out here: https://store.usps.com/store/product/phillis-wheatley-stamps-S_487804

Born in West Africa and brought to Boston on a slave ship, Phillis Wheatley was enslaved but educated in the Wheatley household. Wheatley published her first collection, “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral,” in 1773. This collection showcased her impressive mastery of various poetic forms, including hymns, elegies, and narrative verse, securing her place in history. Freed from slavery that same year, she went on to correspond with figures such as George Washington, who praised her poetic talent.

Wheatley’s legacy continues to inspire generations, earning her the title “the mother of African American literature.” Before the Civil War, abolitionists used her accomplishments to affirm the intellectual capability of people of African descent and argue against slavery. Today schools, libraries, community centers and university buildings across the country have been named for Wheatley, and she has been the subject of numerous inspirational books for children. In 2003, a statue of the poet was included in a new Boston Women’s Memorial. The first full-length scholarly biography of Wheatley was published in 2011, with a second biographical study published in 2023, part of an ongoing effort to recognize her resilience in adversity.

Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp using an existing portrait by Kerry James Marshall.

The Phillis Wheatley stamp will be issued in panes of 20. As a Forever stamp, it will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATION FOR PROGRESS CONDEMNS TRUMP INVASION OF VENEZUELA

Today, the People’s Organization For Progress condemned the Trump administration’s military invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of that country’s president.

“The military attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of the country’s president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores was an illegal act of war. We unequivocally condemn this action as a war crime,” Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress stated.

“It was an illegal military intervention because the Congress of the United States has not declared war on Venezuela. According to the Constitution it is Congress not the President that has the power to declare war,” Hamm said.

“President Trump attacked and invaded a country that did not attack the United States. This was an act of aggression. This was a war crime,” he declared.

“Kidnapping and holding hostage that country’s president on trumped up drug charges is also a war crime. Everyone knows that our attack on Venezuela has little to do with drugs and everything to do with oil, rare earths and valuable minerals,” he said.

“And if we occupy that country militarily as President Trump says he plans to do, that too shall be a war crime. When he ran for president he said he wouldn’t engage in regime change. That’s exactly what this is,” he stated.

“Trump said that we wouldn’t have any more never ending wars. So, how long will U.S. troops be in Venezuela? Will it be twenty years like Afghanistan? How much will it cost U.S. taxpayers?,” he asked.

“If we occupy that country for a prolonged period it will probably end up costing billions of dollars. Rather than spending all of that money on war we should spend it on health care, jobs, housing, and education,” he said.

“We just went through a round of federal budget cuts that slashed billions from social programs. It never fails. There is never enough money to fund people’s needs but there is always money for another war,” he said.

Hamm said the removal of Maduro is the latest in a long line of coups and military interventions aimed at removing leaders of other nations who stand in the way of U.S. interests and acquisition of their natural resources.

He said Mossadegh, Arbenz, Lumumba, Diem, Sukarno, Nkrumah, Sankara, Aristide, Hussein, Gaddafi, Maduro and others were overthrown by our government. The CIA also assisted in the capture of Nelson Mandela when he was fighting against the racist white minority apathied regime in South Africa.“The extraction of Maduro brings to mind that of another victim of U.S. regime change, Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.  He was also accused of drug smuggling, was imprisoned and subsequently died,” he said.

“The U.S. should cease all hostilities immediately, withdraw our forces from that country, and return President Maduro and his wife to Venezuela. This attack is all wrong and it will have catastrophic consequences,” he said.

“Congress must do its job and rein in this out of control president before he destroys that country, brings dangerous unrest to the region, destabilizes the hemisphere, and sets the world on fire,” he said.

For more information contact the People’s Organization For Progress at (973)801-0001.

Acclaimed Artist & Philanthropist Kwanza Jones Expands Access to Education

Acclaimed artist, investor, philanthropist, and SUPERCHARGED® CEO, Kwanza Jones, advances access to education and elevates culture through landmark institutional commitments over the past year, reinforcing a long-term approach to impact across education, culture, and community. An upcoming Year In Review video will reflect on the work behind these efforts and the vision that shaped them.

Advancing access to education remained a central focus throughout the year. Among the most significant commitments was a $6 million investment in Cardozo School of Law by Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano, her partner in life and business, supporting clinical education and expanding access to real-world legal training. Designed to connect more students directly to community-centered practice, the commitment reflects a focus on building long-term pathways that prepare future leaders through experience, rather than theory alone.

That commitment to educational access and institutional resilience extended to Bennett College with a philanthropic investment of $1.5 million, supporting the college's mission to educate and empower women leaders while preserving the legacy of historically significant institutions.

For Jones, 2025 marked a significant expansion of cultural leadership through the launch of the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative's Producing Partners Program, an initiative designed to deepen collaboration with select cultural institutions by pairing capital with creative partnership, strategic support, and long-term engagement. The Apollo was selected as the Producing Partner for 2025, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing culture as a force for access, influence, and belonging.

The partnership between Jones and The Apollo led to the announcement of Culture In Motion™ on December 2, a new National Roadshow launching in January 2026 that expands The Apollo's nearly 100-year legacy into communities across the United States. The initiative brings creativity, community, and cultural stewardship into a broader national conversation. More details at https://boostbus.com

Throughout 2025, strategic guidance, creative collaboration, and long-term partnership were woven into every commitment, reflecting an approach rooted in alignment and sustainability.

The upcoming Year In Review video will offer a closer look at how Jones approaches leadership and impact, capturing a year shaped by resilience, disciplined commitment, and the belief that enduring change is built through design, not urgency.

To get notified and watch the video on launch, subscribe to Jones' YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/kwanzajones.