Hampton University’s marching band to play in NYC Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
By Sheyla Fairley
The Hampton University, Hampton, VA, Marching Force band will perform in the 2021 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade located in New York City. This will be the first time the band has performed in the parade since their appearance was postponed in the 2020 parade due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Marching Force is an elite group of talented, young musicians and dancers who are academically accomplished,” expressed Hampton University president William R. Harvey. “This opportunity will allow Hampton University to once again shine on the worldwide stage in front of the millions in attendance and others watching from across the globe.”
In a release, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be broadcasted on NBC and Telemundo on November 25 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Protest at HU ends as agreement is reached with students
By Sheyla Fairley
After a series of peaceful sit-ins at Blackburn University Center, Howard University, Washington, DC, has reached an agreement with its student protestors over the concerns the students had on campus.
“About one month ago, student protesters initiated their occupation of Blackburn. Today, they have agreed to leave Blackburn, and I also expect non-student protesters to depart the surrounding area – and to end their occupation of the campus,” said Howard University president Wayne A. I. Frederick in a written statement on the university’s website.
“We were fed up. We had enough,” said student protestor Aniyah Vines. “We won for Howard University, both historic Howard and future Howard, and we won for our community.”
No other details have been provided yet on what was negotiated between HU and the students.
For more information, read the full article here.
Stillman partners with YWCA to honor Vivian Malone Jones with building
By Sheyla Fairley
Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, AL, president Cynthia Warrick and the chief executive officer of YWCA USA announced plans to build a YWCA facility on the Stillman Campus which will bear the name Vivian Malone Jones YWCA.
The building will be named after the late Vivian Malone Jones, the first African American to graduate from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, in 1965 while living on the Stillman College campus as a UA student. She died in 2005 following a stroke.
In a release, Williams Hall and King Hall, residence halls at Stillman, are being considered for removal to make room for the YWCA facility as both buildings are “contaminated with asbestos and lead paint” and “have been unoccupied for several years.”
Penn National launches STEM scholarship program for HBCU students
By Sheyla Fairley
Penn National Gaming, Inc. has partnered with several historically Black colleges and universities to launch a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarship program. Across five years, Penn National will dedicate more than $4 million in funding STEM scholarships and creating internship opportunities, with a focus on diversity and inclusion.
“We are incredibly proud of our partnerships with HBCUs across the country,” said Justin Carter, Senior Vice President of Regional Operations for Penn National and Chairman of the Company’s Diversity Committee. “The STEM Scholarship Program is another important step in narrowing the representation gap in STEM fields among certain underrepresented communities.”
Read the full article, here.
LOC offering on-the-spot college acceptances
By Sheyla Fairley
LeMoyne-Owen College, Memphis, TN, is traveling to high schools throughout the country to present students with the opportunity to attend their school.
According to an article, LeMoyne-Owen also just received a “$40 million donation that will go toward helping students afford college.”
“They are offering a lot of opportunities for funding like scholarships and that’s important because I’m putting myself through college,” said Lucca Brown, a student from the Iredell-Statesville School District. “It definitely helps to have some money on the side coming from them.” Brown was accepted into the college on the spot.
Willie Walker, another student who was accepted on the spot, says how it’s really important to him once he applies to LOC because “only two other people” in his family went to college, his brother and mother.
