Brooke Hart Jones, a Hampton University alum is using toys to celebrate the rich history of historically Black colleges and universities and all that they have to offer.
Jones is the owner and creator of HBCyoU Dolls. Jones also created the dolls to teach children about HBCUs. There are links to the dolls below the video. The dolls are also available at TARGET.COM
Democratic nominee for governor Stacey Abrams released the following statement after news that Brian Kemp’s agenda might shut down Atlanta Medical Center:
“Brian Kemp has once again placed his extremist agenda before the lives of Georgians. For the second time this year, a hospital will likely turn away patients, right in the heart of Atlanta. Sadly, whether you live in rural, urban or suburban Georgia, Kemp has united every region in a healthcare crisis of spiraling costs and declining access. His continued refusal to expand Medicaid will guarantee more hospitals shut down, and last-minute stop-gap funding or Medicaid waiver half-measures will not address the core, systemic issues facing Georgia’s imploding public health system. If the Atlanta Medical Center shutters completely or shuts down key services, this will be the sixth hospital to turn away patients on his watch. Every hospital that continues to serve patients who cannot pay because Kemp refuses to accept our tax dollars should be commended. But it is shameful – but not surprising – that Brian Kemp puts his far right partisan politics over what is best for Georgians, who desperately need their health care costs to go down and to have access to medical care.”
Under Brian Kemp, in addition to the potential closure of AMC, there are an estimated 19 rural Georgia hospitals at risk of closing any day, as Kemp refuses to fully expand Medicaid. Today’s announcement marks the sixth hospital that might close under Kemp’s watch – but this crisis continues to unfold with many more at risk due to Kemp’s dangerous agenda.
Watch tennis icon Serena Williams on court interview following her loss to Ajla Tomljanovic in Round 3 of the 2022 US Open in what was possibly her last match.
The University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball series with BYU, with games scheduled for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, has been canceled.The Gamecocks are working on finalizing another opponent for their Nov. 7 season opener at Colonial Life Arena.
Statement from South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley:
“As a head coach, my job is to do what’s best for my players and staff. The incident at BYU has led me to reevaluate our home-and-home, and I don’t feel that this is the right time for us to engage in this series.”
Statement from South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner:
“Dawn and I have discussed her thoughts on the situation. I support Dawn and all of our coaches in their right to schedule games and opponents that are best for their teams.”
The College Board has announced it will begin offering an Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course at 60 unnamed high schools across the U.S. this fall.
The AP program, which gives high school students an opportunity to take college-level courses before graduation, currently covers 38 subjects, including English literature and composition, U.S. government and politics, statistics, and art history.
The AP African American Studies course is the College Board's first new offering since 2014, according to TIME, and will cover over 400 years of African American history. The curriculum will span several topics, including literature, political science and geography.
In a statement to CBS News, the College Board said it has been working on this course for nearly a decade, and that it is "designed to offer high school students an inspiring, evidence-based introduction to African American Studies."
The course will be offered in 200 schools next year, before it's offered to all interested U.S. high schools starting in the 2024-25 school year. The College Board says the phased rollout will give colleges and universities time to establish accreditation policies that allow students to apply these course credits to their higher education requirements.
Inaugural Toyota HBCU New York Football Classic Featuring Howard vs. Morehouse Kicks Off on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock and CNBC from MetLife Stadium
Grambling and Southern Renew Storied Football Rivalry as 49th Annual Bayou Classic Takes Place on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock
All-Star HBCU Pigskin Showdown on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 1 p.m. ET on Peacock and CNBC from Marion Military Institute in Marion, Ala.
All Three Games Stream Live on Peacock
NBCU Academy – a Journalism Training and Development Program – to Offer HBCU Students Professional Development Opportunities and Hands-on Media Experience
STAMFORD, Conn. – Aug. 31, 2022 – As the college football season kicks into gear, NBC Sports will present three college football games highlighting HBCU universities this season: the Bayou Classic, the Toyota HBCU New York Football Classic, and the HBCU Pigskin Showdown.
Kicking off NBC Sports’ 2022 HBCU college football programming roster is the inaugural HBCU New York Football Classic on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock and CNBC. Howard University and Morehouse College, two of the country’s most prestigious HBCU’s, will faceoff in the momentous debut game from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
On Saturday, Nov. 26, NBC Sports will present the 49th annual Bayou Classic as Southern and Grambling renew their storied football rivalry at 2 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. NBC Sports and the Bayou Classic recently announced a three-year media rights extension, extending a historic partnership which began in 1991.
NBC Sports will present the HBCU Pigskin Showdown, a college football all-star game for student-athletes from HBCU institutions, on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 1 p.m. ET on Peacock and CNBC. Taking place at Marion Military Institute in Marion, Ala., located just southwest of Selma, Ala., the HBCU Pigskin Showdown provides a platform for student-athletes to showcase their talent to a national audience and perform in front of NFL scouts.
Through NBCU Academy – a journalism training and development program designed to prepare college students and young professionals for careers in the news and media technology industry — NBC Sports will present select students from HBCU institutions with professional development programming, including the opportunity to cover HBCU events for NBCSports.com.
NBC Sports will showcase the celebrated tradition and pageantry of the HBCU gameday experience at each event, including the Bayou Classic’s Battle of the Bands between the Southern and Grambling State marching bands as well as the spectacular drum line performances and the battle of the bands between Morehouse’s ‘House of Funk’ and Howard’s ‘Showtime’ marching bands at the HBCU New York Football Classic.
NBC Sports’ 2022 HBCU college football programming roster:
| Game | Date | Time (ET) | Platform |
| HBCU New York Football Classic | Sun., Sept. 17 | 3 p.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Bayou Classic | Sat., Nov. 26 | 2 p.m. | NBC, Peacock |
| HBCU Pigskin Showdown | Sat., Dec. 17 | 1 p.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
— NBC Sports —
Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said at an afternoon news briefing that he had received a pledge of support from President Joe Biden, who the previous night approved Mississippi's emergency declaration, freeing federal resources to bolster the state's response.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) presents grave health challenges for an estimated 100,000 Americans. For some, it triggers intermittent episodes of pain, difficulty with vision, and serious fatigue. Other survivors experience this disease more acutely — SCD can cause infections, strokes, and even organ failure. For almost everyone impacted, coping with inherited red blood cell disorders means putting plans on pause, living with excruciating pain, paying for expensive treatments, and hoping for a day when medications and doctor visits no longer interrupt life. During National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, we recognize the perseverance of SCD patients, and we recommit to working with our partners in State and local government, the nonprofit space, and the private sector to develop treatments and cures for this debilitating disease.
Like many rare diseases, SCD affects our population unevenly. Black and Brown Americans are disproportionately affected. About 1 in 13 Black children tests positive for the sickle cell trait, and about 1 in 365 Black Americans develops the disease over the course of their lifetime. Due to persistent systemic inequities in our health care system, these same patients are also often the last to get help. Few specialty clinics are available for SCD treatments, information about detecting this disease is not always widely shared, and pain management can be a challenge due to the intermittent nature of sickle cell crises and persistent racial disparities in pain assessment and treatment. Moreover, there exists no universally effective cure; bone marrow and stem cell transplants have allowed some people to overcome SCD, but low donor availability and treatment-related complications render these procedures unviable for many patients.
Medical professionals and scientists in my Administration and across our Nation are working to put an end to SCD. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved new drug therapies to help patients manage their pain. Through its “Cure Sickle Cell Initiative,” the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is striving to develop safe and effective genetic therapies and exploring applications for machine learning to predict organ function decline in SCD patients. Additionally, the NIH has invited researchers to apply for funding to support large-scale clinical trials on treating SCD pain symptoms. We are closer than ever to finding a cure today for all patients, and I am optimistic about our progress.
Even so, it is still important for Americans to understand the signs of this disease, the risks of inheriting this condition, as well as the various resources available to those who test positive. Most people with the sickle cell trait do not exhibit symptoms, and many are unaware of their potential to carry on this gene. Experts agree that it is important to get tested, especially if you have family members who have been diagnosed with SCD. There are also helpful resources online to learn more about this disease, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s sickle cell information page at cdc.gov/ncbddd/sicklecell/index.html.
As we continue our quest to cure sickle cell disease, let us celebrate the strides our health experts have made in understanding and treating this condition. Let us offer strength to those Americans fighting its effects today and unite in our mission to enhance the quality of life for those diagnosed with SCD.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2022 as National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. I call upon the people of the United States to learn more about the progress we are making to reduce the burden of this disease on our fellow Americans.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson edged Jamaica's Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah by one-hundredth of a second to win the women's 100 metres in Luzerne on Tuesday.
Watch the race below:
Six HBCU golf programs competed in the inaugural Charlie Sifford Centennial Cup on Monday at Quail Hollow Club.
The event featured Division II hosts Johnson C. Smith University, while Florida A&M, Alabama State, Howard and Texas Southern made up the four Division I programs to qualify via the Golfstat Ranking in May. Livingstone qualified as the top Division II HBCU program in 2021-22.
Players were split by school into two teams of 12 for nine-hole Four-Ball matches in the morning before 18-hole Singles matches slated for the afternoon. One team was named for Charlie Sifford's son, Charlie Sifford Jr., and the other for Charlotte native James Black, a trailblazer for Black golfers with professional aspirations. The format followed Presidents Cup scoring and routing at Quail Hollow.
Team Charles Sifford Jr. won 12-6 over Team James Black.
The Presidents Cup announced the exhibition event in February, naming it for the late Sifford, a Charlotte native and the first African-American golfer on the PGA TOUR, as part of a campaign honoring his legacy throughout the year. He would have been 100 on June 2. On Sunday, the TOUR announced a $25,000 contribution to the Dr. Charles L. Sifford Scholarship, which assists students attending HBCUs or minority students focusing their education on a golf management program. Additionally, the Presidents Cup announced a $25,000 donation to each of the program's participating in the event.
Quail Hollow will host the 2022 Presidents Cup from Sept. 20-25.
The United States Mint (Mint) is pleased to announce the designs for the second year of the American Women Quarters™ Program. Authorized by Public Law 116-330, this four-year program features coins with reverse (tails) designs emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions of trailblazing American women. Beginning in 2022 and continuing through 2025, the Mint is issuing five quarters in each of these years. The ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse group of individuals honored through this program reflects a wide range of accomplishments and fields, including suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts. One of the 2023 coins will recognize the achievements of Bessie Coleman.
The Bessie Coleman Quarter is the sixth coin in the American Women Quarters™ Program. Bessie Coleman was the first African American and first Native American woman pilot. She was also the first African American to earn an international pilot’s license.
The obverse (heads) depicts a portrait of George Washington, originally composed and sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser to mark George Washington’s 200th birthday. A recommended design for the 1932 quarter, then-Treasury Secretary Mellon ultimately selected the familiar John Flanagan design.
The reverse (tails) depicts Bessie Coleman as she suits up in preparation for flight. Her expression is reflective of her determination to take to the skies, the only place she experienced a freedom she did not have on the ground.
Other women honored with quarters are Jovita Idar, Edith Kanakaʻole, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Maria Tallchief.
Duke volleyball player Rachel Richardson has released a statement addressing the racist abuse she faced during a match against BYU:
Former Jacksonville, Florida Mayor Alvin Brown has been picked to fill a seat on the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal panel that reviews transportation disasters for ways to improve safety.
Brown, a Democrat who led City Hall from 2011 to 2015 and held positions in former President Bill Clinton's administration, was named to fill a role on the five-person board that’s been open for more than a year.
Brown will take the seat formerly held by Robert L. Sumwalt, who had been both chairman and vice-chair during a 15-year NTSB tenure that ended in June 2021.
The NTSB investigates every civil aviation accident in the country and studies accidents it considers significant involving highways, water transportation, railroads or pipelines.
As part of its continued commitment to diversity within the cyber and information security fields, Optiv, the cyber advisory and solutions leader, is accepting applications until January 27, 2023 for its annual $40,000 scholarship for Black, African American identifying STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students.
Awarded by Optiv’s Black Employee Network, the scholarship is paid out over four years. Previous recipients include AJ McCrory, a freshman studying computer science with an emphasis on software development at James Madison University, and Lauren Harris, a sophomore studying biology and computer science at Princeton University.
Applicants must meet the following qualifications to apply:
Be a graduating high school senior.
Verify acceptance into an eligible degree program in a STEM related field (including but not limited to computer science, electrical engineering, math, etc.).
Minimum cumulative high school GPA is 3.5 on 4.0 scale.
Must maintain a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.8 on 4.0 scale over the course of four years to remain eligible for the scholarship.
Be planning a career in cybersecurity/information security.
Complete the scholarship application, including a one-page essay and two letters of reference.
Identify as Black and/or African American (African, African American, Caribbean, for example) and be a U.S. Citizen, U.S. national or permanent resident.
Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply and learn more about the scholarship program here.
“It’s our belief that our organization is at its best and our clients are better-served when a diverse range of voices has the opportunity to be heard, lead and make an impact,” said Heather Strbiak, Optiv’s chief human resources officer. “We want boardrooms and breakrooms across our industry to more closely represent the population at-large. By dedicating effort and resources to spur that outcome, we’re aiming to close the talent and diversity gap in cybersecurity.”
Optiv’s Black Employee Network (BEN) is entirely employee-driven and part of the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative.
“The most creative, thought-provoking and successful projects I’ve worked on have been the result of inclusive environments where everyone’s unique ideas were valued and represented,” said Tesfaye Williams, Optiv’s BEN community outreach leader. “This scholarship is our way of ensuring the cybersecurity industry continues to progress and be an attractive career path for people of color seeking to make a difference.”
Optiv honors and embraces the diverse perspectives, ideas, backgrounds and experiences of its people. The company’s approach to DEI is grounded in listening, learning and growing.
An overnight bomb threat forced Howard University students to evacuate two residence halls early Friday for the second time during the fall semester's first week of classes. Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick said this was the eighth bomb threat to the university this year and called the threats terrorism.
A pregnant woman in Louisiana alleges that she was denied an abortion despite the fetus being diagnosed with a fatal condition.
At about 10 weeks, Nancy Davis’ baby was diagnosed with acrania, a rare congenital disorder in which a fetus’ skull does not form inside of the womb, according to a statement from civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Davis.
New York City is honoring tennis legend Althea Gibson with a street renaming on what would have been her 95th birthday. West 143rd Street between Malcom X and Adam Clayton Powell Junior boulevards in Harlem will now be known as Althea Gibson way.
Watch the story below:
HOWARD UNIVERITY - Sandra Shannon, Ph.D., professor emerita of African American literature, has been selected to receive the 2022 Career Achievement in Academic Theatre Award from the Association of Theatre in Higher Education.
The Career Achievement in Academic Theatre Award honors individuals who are known for remarkable scholarly and creative contributions to the field, whose work has passed the test of time with its original thinking, and whose service has proven significant in shaping the field and future of theater and performance. Awardees are authentic role models to colleagues and students, nurture the careers of others, and are effective champions of diversity and equity in theater and education.
Shannon is widely acknowledged as a major scholar in the field of African American drama and the leading authority on playwright August Wilson. She is the author of the books “The Dramatic Vision of August Wilson” and “August Wilson’s Fences: A Reference Guide,” has written numerous essays and chapters on Wilson, and served as editor of “Modern American Drama: Playwriting in the 1980s” and “August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle.” She is currently a fellow and dean elect of the College of Fellows of American Theater, scholar-in-residence at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s August Wilson African American Cultural Center, and president of the August Wilson Society.
“Truth be told, I am still processing the profound impact of having been named the recipient of ATHE’s prestigious 2022 Career Achievement Award,” expressed Shannon. “My emotions have ranged from excitement to a mixture of honor and humility. I am extremely honored that my scholarship, teaching and service in theater education are being recognized as exemplary by my peers from around the United States and beyond. I am equally honored to receive affirmation at this point in my career that the passion, time and energy that I have – for decades – invested in my work have made a noticeably lasting difference. I am humbled that this award puts me in the company of giants whose works continue to inform mine and shape the field.”
Shannon’s relatively new title as professor emerita of African American literature in the Department of English has allowed her to expand her career into areas that were not practical or possible before. While Shannon is no longer in the classroom, she continues to selectively agree to publish, lecture, consult, contribute essays and offer post-show discussions. She also remains engaged in her current role as president of the August Wilson Society; this entails, among many other AWS-sponsored events, an annual August Wilson’s Ground Lecture Series and a biennial colloquium.
MARYLAND - Police are looking for a missing 26-year-old woman and her 8-month-old son from Silver Spring, Maryland.
Danielle Vines and her son, Christian Wilson, were last seen Tuesday in Prince George’s County, Montgomery County police said.
Vines is about 5-feet-7-inches tall and 165 pounds. She has brown eyes and black hair and was last seen wearing a green tank top and gray pants. Christian weighs about 20 pounds and was last seen with his mother in a blue onesie.
The family’s concerned about their welfare, police said.
Anyone with information about their whereabouts should call police at 301-279-8000 or 301-773-6884.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson released the following statement on President Biden's student debt cancellation announcement:
"President Biden's announcement today, cancelling up to $20,000 for Americans across many generations, takes us one step closer to the NAACP's ultimate goal of alleviating the burden of student debt. We've got a ways to go, but the NAACP is proud that we were able to push President Biden to exceed $10,000, bringing us closer to $50,000 and beyond. Monthly payments won't resume until 2023 and will be more manageable for many borrowers. Americans across the country, including millions of HBCU attendees, will benefit from this decision. Our continued focus remains on closing the racial wealth gap and we will continue to press for scaled solutions. We encourage the Biden Administration to grant qualifying borrowers the promised relief quickly, without the red tape and bureaucracy that prevented millions from receiving public service loan forgiveness. The NAACP will continue advocating for equitable relief for the millions of borrowers who are caught in the student debt crisis."
