NSU graduate donates liver to former roommate for Valentine’s Day
By Sheyla Fairley
Dr. Richard Koonce and Steven Robinson were former students and roommates at Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA. The two developed a genuine brotherhood and still kept in contact with one another, even if they haven’t seen each other throughout the years. However, they would meet again during a trying time.
In 2019, Koonce was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic and incurable liver disease which causes scarring and deterioration of the bile ducts. He tried several treatments but eventually chose to seek out a living donor’s liver.
Koonce ultimately disclosed to Robinson his health struggles when the two reunited during a trip. After realizing they share the same blood type, Robinson immediately looked into how he could get to be approved to be a donor.
“It’s about all of the people you don’t realize who have love for you until you’re facing hardship or a crisis, and those people step up to show you how much you mean,” said Koonce in a release.
The liver transplant will happen on February 14, 2022 at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.
Hampton University memorializes two of its alums with statues
By Sheyla Fairley
As stated in an article, Hampton University, Hampton, VA, has unveiled two new statues honoring alums Dr. Mary T. Christian and Mr. Clarence F. ‘Jap’ Curry for being “major contributors and supporters of Hampton University’s mission.” The statues “reside next to Twitchell Hall, which is near the Alumni House near the waterfront.”
“I always thought that Dr. Christian and Mr. Curry were two of the most loyal, supportive, and dedicated graduates of this world-class institution. We commend the positive impact, good work and faithful efforts made by these two individuals,” said Dr. William R. Harvey, Hampton University president. “We honor both Dr. Mary T. Christian and Mr. Clarence F. ‘Jap’ Curry, for their service to the community and the world, as well as their support of their alma mater, Hampton University. For years, [people’s] lives were aided by their endeavors. For these reasons and others, it is my pleasure to unveil these new statues.”
For more details, read the full article here.
Bennett College uses grant money to plan Black Lives Matter Theater Festival
By Sheyla Fairley
After being awarded $20,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts grant, theater faculty members from Bennett College, Greensboro, NC, will team up with theater departments from other local schools to organize the inaugural Black Lives Matter Theater Festival.
Beginning on April 8, 2022, the festival is planned to take place over four weeks in April and early May.
“We wanted to do something to promote and get the word out about Black LivesMatter,” said Tennille Foust, festival co-chair and associate professor of theater at Bennett College. “So, we decided we would contact some area colleges to put together a series of plays that dealt with African American issues… Emails were sent out, and the responses came right back — I would love to be involved, I would love to be involved, I would love to be involved. Everyone we reached out to was all for it.”
For more information, read the full article here.
Partnership between Activation Capital and Opportunity Hub
By Sheyla Fairley
According to an article, Activation Capital, “a leading entrepreneurship and ecosystem development organization based in Richmond, Virginia,” has partnered with Atlanta-based Opportunity Hub (OHUB), “a leading technology, startup and venture ecosystem committed to increasing racial equity in the tech economy” in an effort to increase Black and brown participation in the high-growth community.
“There is exceptional talent in the region who have potential to be world-class entrepreneurs. Building a diverse pipeline of globally impactful entrepreneurs requires a multi-facet approach that recognizes the importance of community, curriculum, connections, and capital to nurturing disruptive innovators, and OHUB’s platform can help us build and deploy that model,” stated Chandra Briggman, president and CEO of Activation Capital.
HBCUs emerging as head in industry of renewable energy
By Sheyla Fairley
Eric Powell, director for North America at Partners in Performance, believes that as the nation gears more towards renewable energy, historically Black colleges and universities will be the ones at the forefront of the industry as they are providing programs in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field.
In a release, Kelly Mack, a principal investigator at the Center for the Advancement of STEM Leadership, thinks “many opportunities for strategic partnerships with HBCUs and companies in the renewable energy industry will also emerge through geographic proximity and programs related to the topography surrounding each institution.”
“There are many HBCUs that do have very vibrant agriculture departments, which has much to do with their historic missions as being the 1890 land grant institutions for the states in which they exist,” said Mack. “The range of research at HBCUs extends from agriculture, to physics, to biomedical science to astronomy, like it covers just the whole range of scientific disciplines.”
Read the full article, here.