Vice President Kamala Harris Kicks off Nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour to tout economic opportunities for Black Americans

Vice President Harris kicked off her nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour in Atlanta. The multistate tours purpose is to tout economic opportunities for Black Americans in an effort to mobilize a critical voting base for Democrats ahead of November’s election. She began the tour with a moderated conversation with Earn Your Leisure’s Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings about investing in communities, building wealth, and ensuring every American has the ability to thrive.

Watch that conversation below:

Dr. Constance Meadors Named Director of Arkansas Space Grant Consortium

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is happy to announce Dr. Constance Meadors as the new director of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium (ASGC) and NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program.

Meadors has taken over for Dr. Keith Hudson, who is still serving the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium in a director emeritus role. Meadors’ new role comes with some historic significance as she is the first African American and first female space grant director for the state of Arkansas as well as the first African American female space grant director in the United States.

“I am only the third director since the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium began in 1991,” she said. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity. My NASA experience started here at UA Little Rock conducting hybrid rocket research as a graduate student. Immediately upon entering the program, I was identified as the recipient of a NASA fellowship. That was the first time I became involved in NASA, and it was beyond anything I imagined as a young African American female from a small town. It feels like I have come full circle in coming back to the place where it all started.”

ASGC partners with 17 four-year universities and colleges across Arkansas, dedicated to advancing space science education, research, and public outreach. The ASGC recently partnered with six higher education institutions in Arkansas to provide funding and solar eclipse glasses for free STEM festivals where the public could watch the solar eclipse and learn about STEM activities in Arkansas. ASGC employees spent April 8 at Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, where NASA scientists, partnering researchers, and citizen scientists spent the day conducting research experiments for the total solar eclipse.

“This was ground zero for NASA research in Arkansas,” Meadors said. “We had research teams launching balloons, and we completed several workshops, including one workshop where we taught citizen scientists how to use their phones to collect data during the eclipse. We had scientists join us from Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and North and South Carolina.”

Meadors joined UA Little Rock in 2023 as the associate director of ASGC, and she brings a diverse wealth of space research and NASA experience. In the Office of STEM Engagement, she served as the first Minority Serving Institution (MSI) STEM Engagement Liaison-Faculty Fellow for NASA Intergovernmental Personnel Assignees (IPA). The NASA EPSCoR advisory council was established and led by her.

She played a key role in developing the inaugural solicitation for the Predominantly Black Institution (PBI)/Historically Black College or University (HBCU) Minority University Research Education Program (MUREP), known as the Diversity Equity Accessibility Priority for Research and Education (DEAP). She created the MUREP Kennedy Space Center Courageous Conversations Series and hosted NASA’s first Juneteenth Celebration in 2021.Her academic experiences include K-12, community college, private, and public institutions. She has served as associate dean of arts and sciences, dean of applied science technology, chair of electronics, director of electronics engineering technology, and held many STEM teaching positions.

Meadors earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Grambling State University as well as a Master of Science in Applied Science with a focus on instrumentation and a Ph.D. in Applied Science Engineering Science and Systems from UA Little Rock. She holds the distinction of being the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in Engineering Science and Systems from UA Little Rock and the first African American and female to teach mechanical engineering at Harding University.

Viola Davis And Husband Julius Tennon Launch Book Publishing Company

The critically acclaimed couple Viola Davis and Julius Tennon - producers of film, television and theater, with visionary author and publisher Lavaille Lavette announced the launch of JVL Media. This trailblazing company is set to enhance the publishing landscape as a comprehensive independent publisher, while also forging strategic alliances with leading book publishing houses to deliver uniquely curated titles to a global readership.

Viola Davis expresses her enthusiasm, stating, "This endeavor embodies our collective aspiration—to champion and elevate voices that resonate with authenticity and are often overlooked. Our mission is to interlace a rich mosaic of both fiction and non-fiction that not only stirs the imagination but also venerates the enduring heritage of storytellers from diverse walks of life."

JVL's debut slate presents a dynamic array of non-fiction and fiction books. Had to Lose to Win: The Tiki Davis Story by Tiki Davis narrates a journey of unyielding determination and the quest for self-reconstruction. Here, Tiki lays bare his hitherto concealed odyssey of resilience, becoming an emblem of hope and transformation.

The Inclusion Leader Genius’ by Dr. Johné Battle, a C-suite visionary executive, redefines leadership paradigms, prioritizing proactive engagement and authentic experiences over abstract theories. It offers readers an innovative and tangible leadership model ripe for implementation.

Julius Tennon reinforces the foundational principles of the company, "JVL Media transcends traditional publishing. We're nurturing a literary culture that echoes the soul of our society and propels us into the future with stories that matter."

Anticipated fiction titles promise to enthrall readers with New Hope by Tanya Wright—a poignant saga of camaraderie interwoven with the complexities of sorrow and bliss—and Black States of America by D. E. Rogers, an inventive sci-fi epic that reimagines the trajectory of Black lives in an alternate reality forged by Lincoln's survival.

Lavaille Lavette adds, "JVL Media stands as a beacon for inclusive and nuanced storytelling. We are wholeheartedly devoted to fostering joy, inspiring wonder, and unlocking the limitless power of literature to unite us all." In the fall of 2025, JVL Media will expand its literary repertoire to include an array of children's books and young adult titles.

Dr. Anthony Fletcher named president of the Association of Black Cardiologists

The Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) has named Dr. Anthony Fletcher as its 20th president, putting the Arkansas interventional cardiologist at the forefront of the organization’s efforts to reduce cardiovascular disease and increase diversity in the cardiology field.

Dr. Fletcher, who practices at the CHI St. Vincent Cardiology and Medicine Clinic in Little Rock, assumes leadership of the national organization as it aims to boost awareness about heart health, advocate for more Black cardiologists and researchers, and establish an endowment to fund its programs.

“He is poised to lead the organization and drive its national agenda to achieve a reduction in cardiovascular disease through awareness and education; advocating for a more diverse workforce inclusive of more African American cardiologists, researchers, and providers; and, to establish an endowment that advances the ABC’s agenda and programs,” the ABC said in a statement.

A graduate of Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Fletcher brings decades of experience in interventional cardiology to his new role helming the 2,000-member organization.

The ABC, founded in 1974, says its mission is “promoting heart health and wellness in minority communities” across the United States. Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death among African Americans.

[SOURCE: AURN]

Morris Brown College surprises entire class of high cchool seniors with college acceptance

Morris Brown College President Kevin James attended Mays High School graduation ceremomy in Atlanta and announced that all 272 seniors had been admitted to Morris Brown College, a Georgia HBCU and Atlanta University Center member. The only stipulation is that they graduate with above a 2.0 GPA.