Ninth grader offered scholarship to Coppin State after poem performance
By Sheyla Fairley
Then-ninth grader Couryn Branch performed her poem, titled “Too Black For Your Name Generator,” in front of Coppin State University, Baltimore, MD, faculty members as part of the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics that was in May in 2022.
According to an article, Branch’s poem expressed her anger at there having been “many instances of people calling her variations of her name, all of which were incorrect, despite her attempts and pleas for them to pronounce and spell her name as she told them,” and her wanting people to respect her by memorizing it.
Coppin State President Anthony L. Jenkins was part of the crowd at Branch’s reading and offered her a full scholarship to the university because he thought she was “exactly the type of student who belonged at Coppin State.”
“There’s no set criteria or situation that I look for,” said Jenkins. “It’s almost like that moment where you see a student, you engage with them, and you know that this is the type of student who you want on your campus.”
For more information, read the full article here.
New radio show to be hosted by VSU and JSU alums
By Sheyla Fairley
Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA, alum Alisha Sellers, known as China Lovelace, and Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, alum, La’Janee are set to host The Shade Room Live Radio on Amp, a spin-off of the media company The Shade Room.
As stated in a release, The Shade Room Live Radio is a “1-hour format show” with a “weekly round-up of celebrity guests” that is “focused on discussing current events, hot takes, and even a little celebrity tea” and is available on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m.
“VSU changed my life in ways that I can’t explain. Working in radio will always be my first love, as it was my first introduction to the entertainment industry. Without the skill set that I learned at VSU’s radio station, WVST, and the time spent at VSU, I wouldn’t be where I am in my career today,” said Lovelace.
All-women class inducted into CIAA 2023 John B. McLendon Hall of Fame
By Sheyla Fairley
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) has announced that Allyson Dobbins (Bowie State University), Jessica Hawkins (Shaw University), Elorine Hill (Fayetteville State University), Barbara Pierre (St. Augustine’s University) and the 1988 Hampton University Women’s Basketball Team as the 2023 John B. McLendon Hall of Fame Class and will be officially inducted on February 24, 2023.
“In this Title IX 50th year of acknowledging the women and trailblazers who have advanced women in CIAA sports, it’s an honor to recognize and celebrate the women of the class of 2023,” said CIAA commissioner Jacqie McWilliams. “Each one of these recipients and their teams has made a significant impact in their respective sport. They have left a legacy and developed leaders who have also made significant impact in their communities as well. I salute you all, I could not be prouder, it is a privilege to share in this momentous occasion!”
For more details, read the full article here.
Jonathan Logan Family Foundation gives $1M to Spelman College for documentary center
By Sheyla Fairley
As stated in a release, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA, was gifted $1 million from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation to establish the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation Center for Documentary Media Studies, “which will sit in the Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts” and will be “the first HBCU to house a documentary filmmaking center.”
“We are grateful to the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation for this generous contribution to Spelman College to establish the new Center for Documentary Media Studies, which will help deepen the intersection of the arts, technology, and entrepreneurship for our students,” shared Spelman president Helene Gayle. “This support creates pathways for our professors and students to develop innovative and groundbreaking work through our liberal arts curriculum.”
Yale helps New Haven students attend HBCUs through scholarship
By Sheyla Fairley
As a form of reparation for the university’s ties to American slavery, Yale University, New Haven, CT, will financially support New Haven public school students who want to attend any historically Black colleges and universities of their choosing through the Pennington Fellowship scholarship.
According to an article, the scholarship requires any senior attending any New Haven public high school to “submit an essay, provide a letter of recommendation, and have participated in at least forty hours of community service” and Yale will be “responsible for $80,000 in tuition and fees for the fellow” if the students receive the scholarship.
“This scholarship addresses, in part, historical disparities in educational opportunities for Black citizens. It will be funded by Yale and administered by the New Haven Promise program, which the university co-founded in 2010 to put the dream of a college education within reach for young people in our home city who otherwise could not afford it,” said Yale University president Peter Salovey.
Read the full article, here.
