Help All Women HBCU Bennett College must raise 5 million to maintain accreditation

Bennett College is in danger of losing it's accreditation. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges had voted to remove its accreditation due to failure to comply with the commission’s financial standards.  The all women's HBCU needs to raise $5 million by February , 2019 to maintain it's accreditation.

So far, the college has raised more than $1 million. They need your help!

Stand with Bennett

50 days. Friends, we have 50 days to raise funds to help Bennett College maintain its accreditation with SACSCOC. February 1, 2019, is our target date for accomplishing this goal.

Over the past two years, Bennett has made significant gains in addressing our financial stability. Some of the significant strides made to achieve sustainability include:

• Bennett generated a surplus of $461,038 and had no audit findings.
• Bennett was approved for a capital loan deferment over a six-year period with a financial benefit of nearly $9 million.
• Bennett has steadily increased its fundraising from $3.47 million to $4.25 million over a 3-year period.
• Bennett’s enrollment has been trending upward for 2 years from 409 in 2017 to 471 in 2018.
• Our retention rate is also significantly up from 44% in Fall 2017 to 53% in Fall 2018.
• The average GPA of new freshwomen increased from 2.8 in 2017 to 3.2 in 2018.
• Bennett continues to support mission activities, and academic and student programs.

Despite all of these accomplishments, SACSCOC felt that we fell short.  We are appealing their decision and working hard to demonstrate that we are fiscally stable. This requires us to raise additional money to reduce our debt and improve our cash position.

When you #StandWithBennett, you are preserving the legacy and excellence of black women in the U.S.  Since 1873, @BennettCollege has created a place for black women's voices and brilliance to be developed and cultivated.

We need your help. #StandWithBennett Give to Bennett. Or you may text the word Belles to 444999 and follow the instructions.

If you would like to donate, click here: http://www.bennett.edu/standwithbennett/

50TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS TO AIR LIVE ON TV ONE MARCH 30, 2019

LOS ANGELES, CA (January 3, 2019) – The 50th NAACP Image Awards will air LIVE on TV One, a division of Urban One, Inc., on March 30, 2019. For the first time ever, the telecast will take place from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. The announcement was made today by NAACP National Board of Directors Chairman Leon W. Russell, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Urban One, Inc. & Chairman/CEO, TV One Alfred Liggins and TV One General Manager Michelle Rice.

The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishment of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature, and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. The upcoming telecast, the 50th Anniversary of the NAACP Image Awards, will also spotlight the significant contributions of the NAACP and the impact the organization has had on our community and country.

In addition to the live telecast, TV One will also air special programming honoring this year’s nominees and spotlighting significant moments. The network will provide promotional support for both programs on TV One, Radio One and Reach Media, Interactive One, and via a multi-platform marketing campaign.

“The 50th Anniversary of the Image Awards represents a major milestone in bringing visibility to the outstanding achievements of African Americans in entertainment, literature, and arts, as well as the NAACP’s ongoing advocacy for equality of opportunity in our society without regard for race,” said the NAACP’s Derrick Johnson. “We are sincerely grateful for our continued partnership with TV One and look forward to working with them on the 50th anniversary show, added Johnson.

“We are honored to continue our partnership with the NAACP to remain the television home for the Image Awards,” said Liggins of TV One. “The NAACP 50th Anniversary Image Awards is an important milestone for the African American community and we couldn’t be more thrilled to offer this special programming once again to our viewers. As we prepare to celebrate the network’s 15th anniversary next year, we look forward to this very special night.”

“African Americans have had a tremendous impact on society and culture, a fact that we’re excited to celebrate with the telecast of the 50th NAACP Image Awards on TV One,” said Michelle Rice, General Manager. “As we honor this year’s biggest achievements and the incredible 50 year legacy of the NAACP Image Awards, we’re proud to continue the network’s mission to represent the richness of the Black experience.”

The multi-cultural show is one of the most respected events of its kind and is well attended by many of the top names in the entertainment industry. Airing on MLK day last year, the 49th NAACP Image Awards posted strong year-over-year growth across most demos: Households (+15%), P25-54 (+21%), P18-49 (+44%), W18-49 (+20%), and Total Viewers 2+ (+10%). And, for the night, the special was a Top 5 Cable Telecast among African Americans (Households, AA W25-54, and AA P2+). Additionally, the show has reached 2.4 Million Total Unique Viewers 2+ since airing in January 2018.

TV One also delivered a strong performance on its social platforms during last year’s awards telecast, with #ImageAwards trending #2 nationally beginning at 9 p.m. ET and continuing in the Top 5 until 3 a.m. ET. The network generated more than 305 million impressions on Twitter using #ImageAwards and #RepresentTheDream, while traffic to the network’s website tvone.tv increased by +59% in page views. The site saw an increase of +25% for all NAACP Image Awards related content and delivered 183,000 page views (from 10/1/2017 – 1/17/2018 vs. 10/1/2016 – 2/14/2017) over 2017.

Previous telecasts included stellar talent such as Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Taraji P. Henson, Viola Davis, Gabrielle Union, Kerry Washington, Anthony Anderson, Sterling K. Brown, Mandy Moore, Halle Berry, Common, Dwayne Johnson, Steve Harvey, Audra Day, John Legend, Tracee Ellis Ross, David Oyelowo, Laverne Cox, Octavia Spencer, Issa Rae, Chadwick Boseman, Terry Crews, Yara Shahidi, Danai Gurira, Isaiah Washington, Jacob Latimore, Jay Pharoah, Jemele Hill, Josh Gad, Loretta Devine, Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Jurnee Smollett, Meta Golding, Michael Smith, Tyler James Williams, Ava DuVernay, Chadwick Boseman, and many more.

The production team will be returning including Executive Producers Reginald Hudlin and Phil Gurin, Tony McCuin as Director, Byron Phillips as Co-Executive Producer, and Robin Reinhardt as Talent Producer.

For all information and latest news, please visit the official NAACP Image Awards website at www.naacpimageawards.net.

Nominations for the “50th NAACP Image Awards” will be announced February.

FB: /naacpimageaward | Twitter: @naacpimageaward (#ImageAwards)

Nahendra Faye Davis is missing!

A woman from Baker, Louisiana is missing after she was last seen dropping off her two children at her mother’s home, according to the Baker Police Department.

Nahendra Faye Davis, 35, of Baker, was last seen on Thursday, December 27, 2018 at about 4:45 p.m. Police say she dropped off her children at her mother’s home in the Glen Oaks area of Baton Rouge. Davis left the home in her white Dodge Challenger. Her family does not know where she was heading after she left.

Davis’ unoccupied vehicle was found around Scenic Hwy. and 72nd Ave.

The Baker woman is about 5 feet 3 to 5 feet 5 inches and weighs around 150 pounds.

The Baker Police Department urges anyone with information on Davis' whereabouts to call detectives at 225-775-6000 ext. 1.

[SOURCE: WAFB]

Sen. Kamala Harris statement on Torrance California bowling alley shooting

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (CA) released the following statement via Twitter on the shooting at a bowling alley in Torrance California that left three dead and four injured.

My heart breaks for the victims of the shooting in Torrance and their loved ones. Thank you to the law enforcement & first responders on the scene. We must do more to address gun violence. Americans should be able to go to a bowling alley and be safe.

— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) January 5, 2019

Houston Texans player will donate $29,000 for Jazmine Barnes funeral

Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has dedicated Saturday's game to Jazmine Barnes, a 7-year-old girl who was killed Sunday in a drive-by shooting in Houston.

The girl was killed when a man in a pickup truck pulled up next to Barnes' mother's car and started firing. Jazmine's mother and three sisters were injured in the seemingly random attack.

"On Saturday, I will be playing in your honor, Jazmine," the three-time Pro Bowler tweeted Thursday.

Hopkins said he will donate his $29,000 playoff check to help pay for funeral costs and said he would join in the effort to bring Barnes' killer to justice.

When I see Jazmine Barnes' face, I see my own daughter. I'm pledging my playoff check this week to help her family with funeral costs and to support @shaunking @SherriffED_HCSO @SylvesterTurner in bringing this man to justice. On Saturday, I will be playing in your honor, Jazmine pic.twitter.com/oCRYSgfGO9

— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) January 3, 2019

[SOURCE: ESPN]