Spelman College is a Top Producer of U.S. Fulbright Students

(Black PR Wire) ATLANTA - Spelman College was named among the nation’s colleges and universities that produced the most 2016-2017 Fulbright U.S. students. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Top-producing institutions are highlighted annually in The Chronicle of Higher Education. 

The College prepares its students to be global leaders by making available opportunities for them to conduct research and engage in study abroad experiences. Fulbright is one of numerous notable programs to recognize Spelman students for their academic achievements and potential in the global arena. From 1999 to 2017, 48 Spelman students have been awarded Fulbright fellowships.

Four graduates won Fulbright awards for 2016-2017, placing the College among the top 35 bachelor’s degree institutions to produce Fulbright fellows. Spelman’s awardees, who will participate in the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program, are: Lindsey Burgess, C’2016, history major, (Morocco); Jumaanah Harris, C’2016, English major (Malaysia); Sarah Brokenborough, C’2016, comparative women’s studies major (Laos); and Tyra Beaman, C’2016, international studies major, (Dominican Republic).

"It is so exciting for Spelman to be back on the top producing list for Fulbright this year,” said Margery A. Ganz, Ph.D, director of the Spelman Study Abroad and International Exchange Program and professor of history. “These young women have worked hard to prepare themselves to either teach English overseas or do interesting research projects. They make us proud.” 

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, has provided more than 370,000 participants — chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. More than 1,900 U.S. students, artists, and young professionals in more than 100 different fields of study are offered Fulbright Program grants to study, teach English and conduct research annually. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program operates in over 140 countries throughout the world.  Lists of Fulbright recipients are available at: fulbrightonline.org/us.

The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the United States Congress to the Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.

In the United States, the Institute of International Education administers and coordinates the activities relevant to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program on behalf of the Department of State, including conducting an annual competition for the scholarships.    
   
The Fulbright Program also awards grants to U.S. scholars, teachers and faculty to conduct research and teach overseas. Two Spelman faculty have received Fulbright awards since 2010. Most recently, Kimberly Jackson, Ph.D., Spelman associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, taught in Antigua and Barbuda in 2016 as a Fulbright Scholar. She spent the spring semester at the University of West Indies teaching “Communicating Chemistry Through Local Cuisine,” a biochemistry course with infused food chemistry modules.  

Some 4,000 new foreign Fulbright students and scholars come to the United States annually to study for graduate degrees, conduct research and teach foreign languages. 

For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit eca.state.gov/fulbright.

About Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a highly selective, liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent.  Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the College’s picturesque campus is home to 2,100 students. Outstanding alumnae include Children’s Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman, Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer, Broadway producer Alia Jones, former Acting Surgeon General and Spelman’s first alumna President Audrey Forbes Manley, Harvard University Professor Evelynn Hammonds, author Pearl Cleage and actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson.  For more information, visit spelman.edu.

Congressional Black Caucus to meet with president Trump

President Trump has invited all 49 members of the Congressional Black Caucus for a meeting at the White House next Wednesday, according to White House press secretary Sean Spicer.

Members of the group later accepted the invitation for the meeting set for March 22 at 3pm.

The Congressional Black Caucus confirmed the meeting with the following tweet:

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Yes, we are meeting w/ @realDonaldTrump on March 22 @ 3 PM. We will answer his campaign question to Black America: What do you have to lose?

— The CBC (@OfficialCBC) March 16, 2017

In spite of Trump's wiretapping lies the Congressional Black Caucus must still meet with him.

Video Tribute To Rock Icon Chuck Berry

Check out these four videos in tribute to Rock & Roll pioneer "Chuck" Berry which include performances of Johnny B. Goode, Roll Over Beethoven, and Maybellene. Rock on in Heaven!


Rest In Peace Rock Icon Chuck Berry


Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode (Live 1958)


Roll Over Beethoven - Chuck Berry LIVE


Chuck Berry - Maybellene (live 1958)

Francine Robertson is missing!

MARSHALL, TX: The Marshall Police Department is asking for the public's help in finding a woman missing since Tuesday.

Francine Robertson, 29, was last seen walking in the 2300 block of West Rusk Street, according to a news release from MPD.

She stands about 5'7" tall and weighs around 270 pounds. She was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt with black sleeves, blue jeans and no shoes.

Police say that Robertson may suffer from a mental illness. Her family members are concerned about her welfare.

Anyone who has seen Robertson or knows where she can be found is urged to call MPD at (903) 935-4575.

[SOURCE: KSLA]

White House courting of HBCUs ends with disappointing budget

After meetings with the Trump administration last month, leaders of historically black colleges and universities expressed cautious optimism that the increased funding they requested might actually make it into the White House budget. It did not.

Instead, Trump’s first presidential budget released Thursday calls for “maintaining” $492 million in appropriations for HBCUs and minority-serving institutions. Combined discretionary spending for those schools, however, is actually $577 million right now. The White House directed questions about the discrepancy to the Education Department, which did not respond to requests for comment.

There is no mention in the budget of any federal investment in scholarships, technology or campus infrastructure for historically black colleges that leaders requested. And instead of expanding Pell grants for low-income students to cover summer courses as they had asked, the budget raids nearly $4 billion from the program’s reserves.

“Less than three weeks ago, this administration claimed it is a priority to advocate for HBCUs but, after viewing this budget proposal, those calls ring hollow,” Rep. Alama Adams (D-N.C.), a graduate of the largest HBCU, North Carolina A&T State University, said in a statement.

Read more: White House courting of HBCUs ends with disappointing budget

Cleveland police dispatcher in Tamir Rice shooting suspended 8 days

A Cleveland police dispatcher was suspended for eight days for failing to warn officers in the 2014 shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice that a 911 caller had described the scene as probably a child with a fake gun, the boy's family lawyer said on Wednesday.

Reports of the suspension published in Cleveland on Tuesday led to criticism of authorities on social media under the Twitter hashtag #TamirRice, including "8 days suspension? How pathetic" and "the 911 dispatcher whose words lead to the terrible death of tamir rice, an INNOCENT 12 year old, should be FIRED, not simply suspended."

The shooting of the black child, who was playing with a replica gun that fired plastic pellets, by two white police officers was one of several that fueled scrutiny of police use of deadly force across the United States, particularly against minorities.

The family's lawyer Subodh Chandra said the dispatcher, Constance Hollinger, also received a disciplinary letter after a 10-month investigation that ended in February. An off-duty officer at the scene, William Cunningham II, was suspended for two days without pay.

Samaria Rice, Tamir's mother, has urged that anyone involved in the shooting be fired and Chandra said the mother considered Hollinger's eight day suspension without pay “unacceptable.”

Chandra publicly released a March 6 letter about the city's decision on Tuesday evening.

City and police union officials confirmed the letter's legitimacy.

The attorney for Hollinger, Keith Wolgamuth, could not be reached to comment.

Read more: Cleveland police dispatcher in Tamir Rice shooting suspended 8 days

$60 Billion Committed to Black Homeownership by Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company has set aside a staggering $60 billion to lend to at least 250,000 black homeowners by the year 2027.

Metropolitan Atlanta’s second-largest bank also pledged to increase the diversity of its home lending sales team and spend another $15 million to give financial education and counseling over the next 10 years.

The announcement came at a recent press conference in Atlanta that was attended by representatives from several organizations including the National Urban League, the NAACP and the National Newspaper Publishers Association – an organization comprised of 211 African-American-owned newspapers and media companies.

“The National Newspaper Publishers Association enthusiastically salutes Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Division for taking steps forward to promote and to advance African-American homeownership,” said NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. “As we conclude celebrating 2017 Black History Month, it is aspirational for Wells Fargo to offer $60 billion in loan accessibility specifically for African-Americans who want to purchase and own a home.”

Chavis continued: “This is unprecedented in the mortgage lending space in the United States. Millions of African-American families will now be able to strive more effectively to own a home. This is also about economic justice.”

Chavis said that the NNPA intends to work directly with Wells Fargo to raise public awareness about this new initiative to substantially assist African-Americans to be homeowners across America.”

The banking giant’s commitment was hailed as a direct action to help address the lower homeownership rates in the Black community and it follows Wells Fargo’s announcement to address Hispanic homeownership rates in 2015.

Further, officials said the company’s commitment seeks to increase the diversity of the Wells Fargo Home Lending sales team, and support the effort with $15 million to support a variety of initiatives that promote financial education and counseling over the next ten years.

“Wells Fargo’s $60 billion lending goal can contribute to economic growth by making responsible homeownership possible for more African-Americans in communities across the country,” Brad Blackwell, executive vice president and head of housing policy and homeownership growth strategies for Wells Fargo, said in a statement. “We are proud to be the first mortgage lender to make a public commitment to help increase African-American homeownership. And, we are grateful for the support of key housing and civil rights organizations, who work alongside us to increase economic prosperity in our communities,” Blackwell said.

The company has also pledged to continue to improve diversity of its sales team, including increasing the number of Black home mortgage consultants, noting that they’ll dedicate $15 million to support a variety of initiatives that promote financial education and counseling for African-American homebuyers.

The African-American lending commitment is the second initiative from the company’s Housing Policy and Homeownership Growth Strategies group, a Wells Fargo Home Lending team advancing homeownership for minorities, first-time homebuyers and low- to moderate-income customers.

“Homeownership has become an indispensable part of being a full participant in American society,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said in a statement.

Morial continued: “An erosion of homeownership rates among African Americans represents not only a devastating financial loss but a barrier to full participation in the American dream.”

[SOURCE]

Black fathers, you are important to your child's education.

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

To my fellow black fathers out there you are vital to your child/children's education in ways you may not even know. You can help lay the foundation for your child/children to build on and it's a role that we must take seriously. Watch more on this very important topic below.

Senator Tim Scott denounces Steve King's racist tweets

Tim Scott the only African American Republican in the U.S. Senate has denounced Iowa congressman Steve King's racist tweets in which King seems to be supporting white nationalism. Below is one of those tweets.

Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies. https://t.co/4nxLipafWO

— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) March 12, 2017

Here is Scott's response to those racist tweets:

“Rep. King’s comments immediately brought to mind the motto printed on our nation’s coins – e pluribus unum, or ‘out of many, one,’ ” Scott said in an email. “And as a Christian myself, I believe we are all descended from the same place. His comments stand in direct contradiction to those ideas and beliefs, and I firmly reject them.”

John Lewis denounces Steve King’s ‘Bigoted And Racist’ Comments

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) has released the following press release following Steve King (R-Iowa) “bigoted and racist” comments that appeared to support white nationalism.

REP. JOHN LEWIS CRITICIZES REP. KING’S COMMENTS ON THE NEED FOR A “HOMOGENEOUS” AMERICA

March 13, 2017 

Press Release

                WASHINGTON—In response to tensions surrounding immigration during the election season in the Netherlands, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) tweeted this statement on Sunday in support of Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders, “ Wilders understands the culture and demographics are our destiny.  We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.”  The statement has been widely criticized, including by the Chairman of the Iowa GOP, Jeff Kaufmann.  Well-known white supremacist David Duke, however, did indicate his support for King’s tweet.  According to a National Public Radio report, King refused to back down from the statement in an interview this morning adding, ‘”I meant exactly what I said,’ and that he’d ‘like to see an America that’s just so homogeneous that we’d look a lot the same, from that perspective,’”

              Rep. John Lewis made this statement in response to King’s comment:

              “My colleague has made a deeply disturbing statement because it ignores the truth about the history of this nation.  Western civilization did not create itself.  It was founded on traditions that emerged from Africa, Iran, China, Greece and Rome and other nations.

“With the exception of Native Americans, we all came to this land from some other place in the world community, and this country is a melting pot of cultures, traditions, appearances, and languages.  In order to live together as one people, we must come to respect the dignity and the worth of every human being.  It is that understanding that will make us one nation, not a homogeneous appearance.

              “Rep. King’s statement is bigoted and racist.  It suggests there is one cultural tradition and one appearance that all of humanity should conform to.  These ideas have given rise to some of the worst atrocities in human history, and they must be condemned.” 

Get Out crosses the $100 million dollar mark

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

The Jordan Peele directed movie Get Out which is an allegory of African-American strengths being siphoned for the benefit of white people, disguised as a run-of-the-mill horror flick crossed over into blockbuster status this weekend. The movie which cost $4.5 million to make has now grossed over $111 million at the box office. No matter what happens from here on out it will be most of the most profitable movies of the year.

Per BoxOfficeMojo

Universal and Blumhouse's Get Out finished third this weekend, once again outperforming expectations as it dropped just 25.4% for an estimated $21 million for a domestic cume that now stands at $111 million. Coming up with comparisons for Jordan Peele's breakout thriller is near-impossible as its week-over-week performance is mind-blowing as it is already Blumhouse Productions' second highest grossing release of all-time and showing absolutely no signs of stopping. And it can't be said often enough, the film's budget was a mere $4.5 million.

NY congressman honors Biggie Smalls on the House floor.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) used the House floor to pay tribute to New York rapper The Notorious B.I.G. on the 20th anniversary of his death Thursday.

Alabama Senate passes Confederate monuments bill

The Alabama Senate has passed a bill that bars changes from being made to Confederate or long-standing monuments in the state. The ones who voted for this bill are probably the same type of people that say African Americans need to get over slavery, yet still want to honor the legacy of a group of traitors and losers who fought to keep other human beings enslaved.

WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL

New Book, Michelle Obama: A Photographic Journey by Antonia Felix

A stunning pictorial celebration of one of the most beloved First Ladies of our time: Michelle Obama.

With 140 photographs, inspiring quotes, and excerpts from five historic speeches, this gorgeous volume pays tribute to Michelle Obama. Although it primarily focuses on 2007 to 2016, the book covers the pre-White House years, as well: her childhood, her time in college and law school, her work as a young professional, her marriage to Barack, and her experiences during his first campaign. It also explores her family life; celebrates her “First Lady Firsts”; looks at her TV appearances and official trips; details her main health, social, and education projects; and presents her as the glamorous, fashionable First Hostess at State Dinners and other events. Fans of Michelle will treasure this keepsake of a trendsetting, socially conscious, and powerful First Lady.

CHECK OUT THE BOOK

Cheyney University, nation's oldest HBCU having trouble surviving

When Norma George first came to Cheyney University as an international student in the 1980s, she remembers feeling overwhelmed by the sea of students moving across campus when classes changed at 20 minutes past the hour.

Today, that sea is more a trickle.

That really hadn't registered with George, now chair of the university's English Department and director of international programs, until one day last fall.

Standing in the student center near the snack bar over lunchtime, she waited for a flood of people, hoping to give them updates on the faculty contract situation. But the place remained empty. "Where are the students?" she asked a colleague.

With just 746 students, Cheyney's enrollment now is less than half what it was when George was a student there.

That's one reason students, faculty and alumni fear their university -- the nation's oldest black institution of higher education -- may not have a future unless dramatic change happens.

Read more: Can historic Cheyney University survive?

Rep. Cummings asks Trump to soften talk about black communities

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) said Wednesday that he used his meeting at the White House with President Trump address the president's past rhetoric about black communities. Cummings said he told the president that his language about African-American neighborhoods and inner cities had been "hurtful.". Watch more of his comments below:

Why black conservatives are hypocritical when it comes to hurtful words.

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Black conservatives will defend their sides use of derogatory words/language toward African Americans by saying that those are only words and we shouldn't give them power. Then why do they get upset when called a coon or Uncle Tom? Hear more of my thoughts on this in the video below.

Arkansas lawmakers advance plan to seperate Robert E. Lee day from MLK day

A proposal to end Arkansas' dual holiday for Robert E. Lee and slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. easily won Senate approval Tuesday, but faces an uncertain prospect in the House where a competing plan would honor the Confederate general the same day as the nation's first president.

The Senate voted 24-0 in favor of the proposal to remove Lee from the state and federal holiday honoring King on the third Monday in January. Only two other states, Alabama and Mississippi, honor the men on the same day.

"It's a day spent in prayer. It's a day spent in remembrance. It's a day that needs to stand alone," Republican Sen. Dave Wallace told the Senate before the vote. "It's a day that needs to stand for Martin Luther King."

The proposal would designate the second Saturday in October as a state memorial day, not a holiday, to honor Lee. It also requires the state to expand what is taught in schools about civil rights and Civil War history.

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson has urged lawmakers to approve the change, which he says would help unify Arkansas and improve its image.

"While both men have left their mark on history, dually celebrating them, as we have done in Arkansas since 1985, is an obvious incongruence," Hutchinson said in a statement after the vote.

Read more: Arkansas lawmakers advance plan to strip Robert E. Lee from MLK day

Ta-Nehisi Coates believes Harvard should pay reparations for it's ties to slavery

While giving a keynote address at a conference, entitled “Universities and Slavery: Bound By History” at Harvard University, writer Ta-Nehisi Coates discussed reparations.

Coates, a known proponent of reparations made the case to the audience that progress on racial issues requires institutions to repay their debts to enslaved people.

“I think every single one of these universities needs to make reparations,” he said to wide applause. “I don’t know how you get around that, I just don’t. I don’t know how you conduct research that shows that your very existence is rooted in a great crime, and just say ‘well,’ shrug—and maybe at best say ‘I’m sorry’—and you walk away. And I think you need to use the language of ‘reparation.’ I think it’s very, very important to actually say that word, to acknowledge that something was done in these institutions.”

African-Americans more likely to be wrongfully convicted

African-Americans are far more likely to be wrongfully convicted of crimes such as murder, sexual assault and illegal drug activity than whites due to factors including racial bias and official misconduct, a study released on Tuesday said.

Of the 1,900 defendants convicted of crimes and later exonerated, 47 percent were African-Americans - three times their representation in the population - according to the study from the National Registry of Exonerations, which examined cases from 1989 to October 2016.

The study also said black Americans were about seven times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder than white Americans.

"In the murder cases we examined, the rate of official misconduct is considerably higher in cases where the defendant is African-American compared to cases where the defendant is white," said Samuel Gross, a University of Michigan Law School professor who is senior editor of the group that tracks U.S. exonerations.

He said unconscious bias, institutional discrimination and explicit racism, were factors in some of the wrongful convictions.

When it comes to drug crimes, black Americans are about 12 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted than innocent white people, the study said.

Read more: African-Americans more likely to be wrongfully convicted: study