ABC's Jonathan Karl sits down with Eric Adams, Karen Bass, and Sylvester Turner, the mayors of New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, on "This Week." When you include Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the four largest cities in the U.S. have black mayors for the first time.
Watch their interview below:
The NAACP Director of Education Innovation and Research Ivory Toldson released the following statement condemning Gov. DeSantis' Decision to reject AP course on African American studies:
Ron DeSantis' flippant dismissal of an AP African American Studies course is not only a dereliction of his duty to ensure equitable education for all Floridians, but shows clear disdain for the lives and experiences that form part of our national history. Dismissing this important subject as lacking "educational value" defies centuries of evidence to the contrary. African American history is American history, and failure to comprehend this very simple fact is un-American in and of itself.
This decision is even harder to accept when we consider Florida's dismal record when addressing education equity for Black students. As data from the U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection reveals, every single district in Florida with more than 100,000 students has grave inequities faced by Black students; including lack of access to advanced classes and disproportionate punishments compared to White counterparts.
ProPublica findings show that Black students comprise 23% of the public school population in Florida - yet are only 10% of those enrolled in gifted and talented programs. White students are 2.2 times more likely to be enrolled in at least one AP class when compared to Black students. In Broward County Public Schools – which has the highest number of Black Students in Florida - fewer than 4,400 out of 105,000 are taking at least one AP class. Florida schools are also enacting practices that punish this same population more severely than any other. The data reveals that Black students are 2.4 times more likely to be suspended than White students. This lack of commitment from Gov DeSantis' administration to prioritize educational equity for these young people is unacceptable and must be addressed urgently if we are going to see real progress toward ensuring all children have equal opportunities in education.
We cannot allow our children's futures to be hamstrung because of systemic racism and inequality; not only when it comes to AP African American Studies but also for all other learning opportunities. All students must be given equal opportunity no matter their skin color or socioeconomic status so that they can achieve their dreams and reach higher levels of academic success. Gov DeSantis' administration should take immediate steps towards rectifying this injustice and ensure that all students receive the same quality education they deserve.
USC President Carol L. Folt announced the university is naming the field at one of its landmark sports facilities in honor of Allyson Felix. Felix is an alumna and Olympian who has been a hero both on and off the track, earning the most Olympic medals of any track athlete in U.S. history.
“When Allyson and I spoke about naming the field after her, she responded with the grace and humility she has shown throughout her life,” Folt said. “The Allyson Felix Field will recognize her immense achievements as a sports legend and Trojan — while also showing our admiration for her role as an entrepreneur, advocate and champion for women.”
Felix — an Olympic sprinter, successful innovator, and proud mother — said the naming pays tribute to her ties to both the university and her hometown. As a little girl, she used to take walks on the campus with her grandmother and older brother. He went on to graduate from USC, and she followed in his footsteps.
“For me to be born and raised in Los Angeles and have such a history at USC, I am just completely humbled,” she commented. “It’s such a huge honor to be a part of history in the campus, and it’s such a special place for me.”
The field sits at the center of Katherine B. Loker Track Stadium, which serves as a hub for the men’s and women’s track teams and also groups such as ROTC, the Trojan Marching Band and other recreational sports.
“Allyson is the most decorated Track and Field Olympian in U.S. history and an inspiration to generations of Trojans,” Folt added. “My hope is that students playing on the Allyson Felix Field — or just walking by — will see her name prominently displayed and be curious to learn more about her talent, grit and generosity.”
Felix was already a professional runner when she began attending USC. While working on her undergraduate degree in education, she began her successful tenure at the World Championships. She would eventually earn the title for most decorated athlete at the championships with 20 medals, seven from individual events and 13 from team relays. With her 11th medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo — gold in a stunning 4×400 meter win — Felix broke her tie with Carl Lewis as the most decorated American track and field athlete in Olympic history, with medals earned at five consecutive Olympic Games.
In addition to this success, Felix has been an advocate for women and the issues facing athletes of color in and outside of sports — including unequal conditions in contract negotiations — after personal circumstances opened her eyes to major injustices. Becoming a mother would prove to be another powerful spark for Felix and the inspiration behind her advocacy for supporting maternal health.
Paula Cannon, a distinguished professor of microbiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC who has led the naming committee for the university, said that Felix has proven herself as a valued member of the Trojan Family.
“Allyson is the ultimate Trojan,” Cannon said. “She graduated with a degree from Rossier, crushed it at multiple Olympics and international competitions, and bravely stood up for what she knew was right when her employer did not. It will be so wonderful that the field she walked around as a little girl from the neighborhood will be named in her honor.”
Felix encourages fellow Trojans to also speak up about the issues they believe in, even when it’s difficult to do so.
“I’m by nature a more reserved, shy person; I don’t usually want to rock the boat,” Felix said. “But it was my brother who said, ‘You know you can use your voice, even if it shakes,’ and that really resonated with me.”
Last year, Felix received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from USC and delivered the commencement speech for the Class of 2022. In the speech, she echoed the advice she received from her brother, emphasizing that “there are times when you’ll ask for change, and there are times when you’ll have to create it.”
“We’re incredibly honored and excited to recognize one of our greatest ambassadors and the most decorated U.S. track and field athlete of all time,” said USC athletic director Mike Bohn.
Felix, now retired from track and field, believes the reasoning behind this renaming — an honor usually reserved for major donors — makes it even more special. “To have discussions about the renaming [of the track] because of my character, my integrity, and for fighting for women, is something that doesn’t happen,” Felix said. “It just really shows what USC values. I feel proud of the things that I’ve stood for, and it makes me proud to be an alumna because of the direction that the school is going.”
The university plans to hold a formal dedication of the newly named “Allyson Felix Field” this spring.
Xavier University of Louisiana (Xavier) and Ochsner Health (Ochsner) today announced an agreement to establish a joint College of Medicine. The two institutions will create a strong physician pipeline that addresses longstanding inequities within the nation’s health care system and builds the health care workforce of the future. By anchoring their partnership with a College of Medicine, Xavier and Ochsner affirm their legacy of advancing health care excellence and education for the next generation, bringing new opportunities to marginalized populations in Louisiana and the United States.
To launch the College of Medicine, Ochsner and Xavier will form a nonprofit corporation, create a new curriculum and use facilities, personnel, and administrative processes of both institutions. The new College of Medicine will be governed by a board of directors nominated by Ochsner and Xavier, with each institution appointing an equal number of directors.
This initiative builds on a long-standing partnership between Ochsner and Xavier that dates to the early 1980s, when Ochsner and Xavier’s College of Pharmacy came together to offer more clinical training sites for pharmacy students. Xavier’s College of Pharmacy is the oldest in Louisiana and has for years been among the top in the nation in producing African American graduates with Doctor of Pharmacy degrees.
“Our work with Ochsner and other partners who hold close to their hearts a vision of healing a broken world is a testament to Xavier’s mission to promote a more just and humane society,” said Dr. Reynold Verret, President of Xavier University of Louisiana. “Xavier was bestowed that mission by our founders St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament almost a century ago. Our dedication to preparing more Black health care professionals in our fight against health inequity is our answer to the call of our nation’s critical need and makes their legacy proud.”
XULA and Ochsner: A Legacy of Collaboration
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world and disproportionately affected people of color, highlighting health disparities faced by historically marginalized communities. Ochsner Health and Xavier again forged partnerships to improve health equity through new graduate programs in health sciences and the establishment of the Ochsner Health and Xavier University Institute for Health Equity and Research (OXIHER). A few years before, Xavier and Ochsner also worked to improve diversity within the health sciences through a memorandum of understanding to establish a new Physician Assistant (PA) Program. In May 2022, Ochsner and Xavier celebrated the first graduating class of 37 students in the full-time graduate PA Program, which leads to a master’s degree in health sciences and trains the next generation of providers to make a meaningful impact on health care.
“Ochsner has a long and rich history of excellence in medical education, and we are honored to continue our work with Xavier to improve the health of our state and region,” said Pete November, CEO of Ochsner Health. “The Xavier medical students will get outstanding clinical training in our integrated health care system, and this significant expansion of our partnership with Xavier demonstrates our commitment to training the next generation of health care providers to solve the critical shortage of physicians in the United States and meet the needs of the diverse communities we serve.”
In 2022, Xavier became an integral advisory board partner for Healthy State by 2030, an ambitious plan to lift Louisiana off the bottom of national health rankings. Collectively, partners across multiple sectors and industries from across the state are committed to comprehensive public health initiatives, education, and outreach.
“Investing in education, training and workforce development is critical to building a healthier state and stronger communities. Our partnership with Xavier furthers our Healthy State mission of enhancing diversity among health care providers, which has been linked to better care for diverse communities of our region and throughout the nation,” said Dr. Leonardo Seoane, MD, FACP, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer for Ochsner Health. “We must work together to solve the challenges faced in our health care workforce and ensure communities across the country have access to the highest quality of care.”
Closing the National and Local Workforce Gap
For decades, Xavier University of Louisiana has produced more African American students and students of color who achieve medical degrees and doctorates in the health sciences than any other higher education institution in the nation. Ochsner, the largest academic health care system in Louisiana, has a long history of training medical students, residents, and fellows. Ochsner is invested in excellent health care, workforce development and education of communities throughout the Gulf South. The institutions are uniquely positioned to co-lead efforts in closing the health care workforce gap.
“With their historic agreement to establish a College of Medicine at one of the nation’s top HBCUs, Xavier and Ochsner have heeded the call to shape the health of the state, the country, and the world for generations to come,” said Dr. Anne McCall, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost of Xavier University of Louisiana.
Research shows an urgent need for an HBCU College of Medicine now, as demand for doctors is expected to grow. Louisiana is projected to rank third nationally for a shortage of physicians by 2030, according to a Human Resources for Health analysis. Representation of African Americans within medicine lags, as they comprise 5% of the nation’s physicians -- although Black and African American populations account for 13% of U.S. residents. A new College of Medicine with Xavier, a high-ranking HBCU, and Ochsner, a high-performing academic health system with experience in training medical students, will result in representation among medical practitioners with excellent health care training, which is critical to bettering health outcomes by increasing quality of care, access, and patient trust in their health care providers.
To learn more, please visit www.xula.edu and www.ochsner.org.
