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MacKenzie Scott: A Philanthropy of the Spirit in an Age of Abandonment

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The 1st AACTA Awards were presented at the Sydney Opera House on 31 January 2012. The ceremony was preceded by a luncheon at the Westin Hotel in Sydney on 15 January 2012. (Wikimedia Commons / Photo by Eva Rinaldi)

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

There are moments in history when a single act of generosity reveals the moral decay of an entire nation. MacKenzie Scott’s $38 million gift to Alabama State University, the largest in its 158-year history, is such a moment. It is not merely a financial transaction, nor the casual benevolence of the wealthy. It is a moral indictment against a society that has grown indifferent to the suffering of its Black citizens, against a government that starves their schools, and against a class of newly rich who have forgotten the communal obligations of success.

Dr. Quinton T. Ross Jr., the university’s president, called it a defining moment for Alabama State, and indeed it is. His words ring with the gratitude of those who have built excellence in the face of deprivation. “Ms. Scott’s generosity affirms Alabama State University’s reputation as a catalyst for excellence and innovation in higher education,” he said. But her act is more than affirmation. It is a resurrection, and a call to remember that Black institutions remain the crucibles of America’s moral and intellectual power. In recent weeks, Scott has dispersed her fortune with quiet conviction. Seventy million to the United Negro College Fund to strengthen endowments across thirty-seven member schools; sixty-three million to Morgan State University, her second gift to that campus in less than five years; and one hundred and one million combined to Morgan State and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in a span of days.

Her giving, unshackled by stipulations or vanity, stands in luminous contrast to an era defined by greed and indifference. The plutocracy that dominates modern life often extracts from the many to enrich the few. Scott reverses that equation. She does not donate to dominate. She gives to repair. Her wealth, born of corporate conquest, has become the instrument of restoration. It stands as a redemption, perhaps, of what that very system has broken. One cannot ignore the symbolism of her actions. At a time when the federal government withholds support from historically Black institutions, when affirmative action has been dismantled, and when diversity programs are vilified, a white woman from the highest ranks of privilege has become the single most consistent benefactor of Black education in the nation. It is as though she has seen, from her rarefied vantage point, what America refuses to see: that the progress of its Black citizens is not a charity, but the measure of its own civilization.

Yet even as she gives, others remain silent. The silence of Black wealth resounds across the land. It is a silence that mocks the very principles of uplift once preached from our pulpits and classrooms. Attorney Benjamin Crump’s call to the wealthy—“If you’ve been blessed, you got to pass the blessing on”—echoes unanswered. The great sons and daughters of our race who have ascended to fortune, those who built empires on the faith of our people, turn their eyes away from the institutions that birthed them. They forget the hands that lifted them from obscurity. They forget that their wealth is not solely their own, but part of the moral economy of a people who have suffered together and triumphed together. The Black Press, like the HBCUs, stands as an unbroken monument to endurance. It has spoken truth through lynchings, wars, and betrayals. Yet it now faces extinction not from white suppression alone, but from the neglect of its own. “If the Black Press falls,” Crump warned, “so does the record of our struggle, our triumph, and our faith.”

Scott’s philanthropy, then, is not simply about money. It is about memory. The moral memory of a nation that has forgotten the debt it owes to those it once enslaved and now ignores. In her giving, she restores something elemental, the belief that one’s prosperity is meaningless if it does not lift others. W.E.B. Du Bois wrote of the “double consciousness” that afflicts the Negro in America, the struggle to see oneself through the eyes of a world that despises you. Today, the irony is reversed. America must learn to see itself through the eyes of those it has wronged. MacKenzie Scott, for all her privilege, seems to have glimpsed that truth. She gives the impression that she has looked into the soul of the republic and found it wanting.

Her actions do not absolve the sins of this nation. They reveal them. And in revealing them, they offer a path, not of atonement, but of accountability. For every dollar she gives to rebuild a school, there are a thousand more that others with power might give but will not. One woman has chosen conscience over complacency. The question that remains is whether the rest of America—Black and white alike—will choose to follow her example or remain comfortable in the quiet decay of its own moral poverty.

Bill Cosby: The Fight, The Legacy, The Flowers He’s Earned

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Bill Crosby

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

Six years ago this month, Bill Cosby was sentenced to prison. For some, it was the spectacle of a fallen idol. For others, it was the raw proof that this nation, still drunk on its own lies, can summon racism from the judge’s bench, let it seep into the prosecutor’s chair, and finally stain the jury box. What was lost, what was deliberately hidden, is that Cosby—blind, wealthy, eighty years old—could have walked out untouched if he had only bent his back, signed a paper, confessed to a sin he swore he did not commit. He refused. He chose prison over surrender, isolation over capitulation. That act alone, in a country that has always demanded Black men bow their heads, ought to have been recognized as a radical declaration of dignity.

Refusing the Easy Way Out

Cosby remembered, on Let It Be Known, how they dangled freedom like meat before a starving man. “My lawyer came to me and said, the district attorney is offering you to sign a paper saying you did it… and that you wouldn’t have to do prison time,” he said. “I told my lawyer to continue with the trial… I wasn’t signing any papers or anything.” Even when caged, blind, and stripped of freedom, they offered him release if only he would renounce himself. “Sign the paper and go to these classes, and then we will let you go. Well, my signature would be in a sealed envelope, and nobody could open it.” Again, he refused. He could have chosen the coward’s path. He could have lived out his days in comfort. Instead, he chose to carry innocence as a burden, fully believing that he might never walk free again.

A Courtroom Steeped in Racism

Bill and Camille Cosby, at right, arrive at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., on June 12, 2017. Cosby is on trial for sexual assault. (POOL PHOTO)

And in those courtrooms, the poison was naked. Black jurors were denied with cynical ease. A Black woman police officer was struck from service, not because she was unfit, but because she had once beaten back a false charge laid against her. At the retrial, when one Black juror was finally seated, a prosecutor spat, “You got your one.” Another juror declared Cosby guilty before hearing a single word and was still allowed to sit in judgment. And the judge—who should have been the steward of justice—was said to have whistled the theme from Kill Bill outside the jury room before the verdict in the retrial was returned.

The first trial ended in a mistrial, the jury grinding nearly 60 hours before breaking. They had leaned toward acquittal, but the judge forced them back. After the second trial ended in conviction, and when prosecutors argued he might flee because “he has a plane,” Cosby exploded once jurors left the room: “He doesn’t have a plane, you a–hole! I’m sick of him!” Never forget that prosecutors across jurisdictions passed on every other accusation. Only one case was carried forward—and even that was not about rape. The alleged victim admitted to bitterness when Valentine’s Day passed without a call. She later dialed Cosby to ask for tickets to his show for her parents. But facts were never the point. The performance of guilt was the only script the court was willing to stage.

With the Media, The Lie had No Rival.

Camille Cosby walked through those halls like a prophetess, entering a place fouled with racial contempt. She smiled, spoke softly to her husband, and left. That smile, quiet yet defiant, seemed to say: I know exactly what is happening here. And the media, hungry and complicit, huddled with the prosecutor’s mouthpiece to make certain every headline sang the same hymn of untruth. With no cameras in the room, the lie had no rival. The mention of Quaaludes covered newspapers and flooded television news, but the case was about Benadryl, 1 and a half tablets. Fiction and made-up lies were the norm at Cosby’s trials. Mainstream media pushed the narrative that Cosby “slipped” drugs into an unsuspecting woman’s beverage. However, no evidence of such was presented at trial.

Not discussed was how prevalent Quaalude use was among both sexes. The pill they called a disco biscuit was never just a drug but a mirror of America’s hunger for escape, a hunger dressed in sequins and sweat beneath the lights of Studio 54. Hugh Hefner reportedly handed them out like candy in his mansion; a promise wrapped in velvet but steeped in surrender. Andy Warhol scribbled about them in his diaries; the artist turned witness to a culture stumbling between decadence and decay. Later, Jordan Belfort made them infamous in a Wall Street gone wild, his intoxication filmed and sold as entertainment. Notably, during the second trial, when the judge stunningly allowed as many as 20 women to testify, an accuser swore she had already ingested a Quaalude before she visited Cosby with a friend in the 1970s. Another witness testified that she left her boyfriend on an exotic island after Cosby called with a job offer in Nevada, only to be miffed about Cosby’s indifference.

Still another wrote glowing words about Cosby in her autobiography, yet completely changed the story on the witness stand. When Cosby’s team wanted to put forth a witness who allegedly was with the primary accuser when the woman had come up with a ruse to “set Cosby up,” the judge refused to allow her to tell the jury. Striking was the one person who seemed, by far, the most credible witness. A chef who worked for Cosby was present on the night of the alleged incident. That chef, a meticulous older man, testified that the visit by the accuser for which Cosby was on trial occurred on his last night in Cosby’s employ. Significantly, it proved that even if something nefarious took place, which Cosby vehemently denied, it happened well outside the statute of limitations. Among other things, the state Supreme Court agreed. The justices said the trial was illegal, should never have taken place, and the verdict was wrong. The justices ordered that prosecutors refrain from going after Cosby again.

Inside Prison Walls

Behind walls meant to break him, Cosby spoke to men the world had abandoned. At SCI–Phoenix, he joined Man Up, blind, in a wheelchair, addressing those whose bodies bore chains. After speaking of his heroes, one inmate told him, “I will be your hero, Mr. Cosby.” He spoke to Men of Valor, too. “I noticed that in the Bible, the parts about Jesus, Jesus never smiled. And I want you, if you are going to do what you say you are going to do in your turnaround, make Jesus smile.”

Pound Cake Then and Now

In 2004, Cosby thundered about a boy shot dead for stealing pound cake. “And then we all run out and are outraged, the cops shouldn’t have shot him. What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand?” He called out the rot of absent parenting. Now, with years and prison behind him, he said again: “They are putting us under siege.” At Phoenix, sagging pants and untied laces were forbidden. To him, these were not fashion, but chains disguised as choice. “They would rather have a picture of a youth doing nothing, not studying, and have his pants lowered.”

Camille’s Strength

It was Camille who preserved him. “My wife, Camille, is not only a very intelligent woman, but she is a woman who saved my mother’s life, and she has saved my life by continuously saying, it’s what you put in your mouth,” he said. “She makes sure that we eat like that, and that’s why, at age 88, I’m cancer-free, and I don’t have any ailments of forgetting things.” From prison, when he phoned, Camille silenced his weakness. “Whenever I called her, I just badly wanted to tell her how I felt,” Cosby said. “And she would say, ‘Just be quiet.’” He had called her strength “love and the strength of womanhood. And you could reverse it, the strength of womanhood and love.”

Giving Back

Cosby and Camille poured more than $200 million into higher education, including $20 million to Spelman College, at that time the largest gift ever given to an HBCU. Those gifts were not simply donations. They were lifelines—scholarships, endowments, futures carved from generosity.

Television and Film Legacy

Cosby broke into I Spy, the first Black co-lead in a drama. He created Fat Albert, a mirror for Black children. He built The Cosby Show, which for five years reigned supreme, showing Cliff and Clair Huxtable as what America insisted could not exist: a Black family whole, professional, and loving. A Different World sent young people surging toward HBCUs. And with Sidney Poitier, he made Uptown Saturday Night, Let’s Do It Again, A Piece of the Action—comedies still treasured in Black homes, still testaments to resilience and wit when Hollywood offered little but caricature. Cosby demanded truth on screen. When told to strip a poster from Theo’s wall—one that read “Abolish Apartheid”—he warned them: “If you do, you can take the show with it.”

The Black Press

Unlike so many others who rose to fame, Cosby never turned his back on the Black Press. His only prison interview was with the Black Press. His first long interview after release was again with the Black Press. In 2014, he said, “I only expect the black media to uphold the standards of excellence in journalism, and when you do that, you have to go in with a neutral mind.”

Deserving a Parade

Cosby’s path has been strewn with glory, grief, and betrayal. Yet what remains is a record that cannot be erased. He shattered television’s barriers, poured hundreds of millions into education, gave film and television back to his people, and stood on innocence when it would have been so easy to surrender. Through it all, he was held by Camille, and he never abandoned the Black Press. We say, give flowers to the living. Bill Cosby has earned more than flowers. For what he has given Black culture, he deserves a parade. And somewhere, the ticker tape waits.

Mother and Son, United in Purpose: How Regina and Judah Are Changing the Future of Early Childhood Education—Together

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udah and his mom, Regina, are both pursuing early childhood education-related degree programs through the Early Childhood Innovation Center, located at Delaware State University.

By Stacey Finkel

This Mother’s Day, we honor not just the love between a mother and her child, but the shared dreams, grit, and determination that can make those dreams a reality. Regina, 44, and her son Judah, 18, are proof that purpose has no age limit—and that it’s never too late or too early to answer a calling. Regina knows what perseverance looks like. It took her ten years to earn her first college degree, an Associate Degree in Early Childhood from Ashworth College. Life, as it so often does, had other plans—plans that called her away from school and into the real world. But she never let go of her goals or her belief in the power of education. That steadfast commitment planted a seed not only for herself but for her son. Now, Regina and Judah are both enrolled in a scholarship program at theEarly Childhood Innovation Center (ECIC), housed at Delaware State University (DSU) in Wilmington, Delaware’s only Historically Black College and University. This program allows them to study in any early childhood education-related degree program across the entire state of Delaware.  Regina attends Wilmington University, where she is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Education Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Education. Judah attends DSU and is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. They are shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart—committed to equity, access, and the transformational power of teaching.

There’s something uniquely beautiful about a mother and son learning at the same time, not just in life, but in the classroom. They study together, encourage each other, and even bring their academic lessons to life while working at Chosen Children’s Child Care in Wilmington, where they support the development of the next generation of learners. Their shared experiences, both as students and as educators, deepen their bond and strengthen their shared commitment to the children they serve. But what truly sets their story apart is the community surrounding them. The Early Childhood Innovation Center is more than a scholarship program. It’s a lifeline, a launchpad, and a promise: You can do this. The faculty and staff meet students where they are—whether they’re returning to school after a decade or stepping into college for the first time. Regina and Judah both credit ECIC with giving them the resources, mentorship, and belief they need to succeed. For Black families, and especially Black mothers, the road to higher education can be long and often filled with obstacles. But what Regina and Judah show us is that when one person refuses to give up, they can inspire an entire legacy. Education becomes not just a goal, but a family value passed down. “I used to feel like I was falling behind because it took me so long to finish,” Regina says. “But now I see that every step was preparing me for this moment—alongside my son, showing him and others that no matter how long it takes, you can finish. You just can’t give up.” This Mother’s Day, let’s celebrate mothers like Regina, who never stop striving, and sons like Judah, who walk beside them with pride. Let’s celebrate the power of Black institutions like DSU and innovative spaces like the Early Childhood Innovation Center that don’t just educate—they uplift.

Nikki Giovanni, Iconic Poet and Voice of the Black Arts Movement, Dies at 81

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By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

@StacyBrownMedia

Nikki Giovanni, the groundbreaking poet, author, and professor whose work embodied the spirit of the Black Arts Movement and beyond, died on Monday in Blacksburg, Virginia. She was 81. Her wife, Virginia C. Fowler, confirmed the cause was complications from lung cancer.

Born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr. on June 7, 1943, in Knoxville, Tennessee, Giovanni spent her formative years in Cincinnati, Ohio, but returned to Knoxville every summer with her sister to visit their grandparents. These visits helped shape her sense of identity and belonging, themes that would become central to her work.

She graduated with honors in history from Fisk University, a historically Black college in Nashville and her grandfather’s alma mater. While at Fisk, Giovanni’s defiant spirit and intellect were evident. Expelled briefly due to issues with authority, she returned after a period of reflection and was readmitted with the help of a supportive Dean of Women. This early experience of rebellion and reconciliation laid the groundwork for her unapologetic approach to life and art.

A Voice of Rebellion and Resilience

Giovanni rose to prominence during the 1960s as a fierce voice in the Black Arts Movement, alongside literary giants such as Amiri Baraka, Audre Lorde, Ntozake Shange, and Sonia Sanchez. Her early works, including “Black Feeling, Black Talk” (1968) and “Black Judgement” (1968), were steadfast in their militancy and pride. Her poetry grappled with the injustices faced by Black Americans, including the brutal murder of Emmett Till and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, which killed four Black girls.

At a time when mainstream publishers showed little interest in the work of a young Black woman writing what they labeled “militant” poetry, Giovanni took matters into her own hands. She self-published her work, founding a company to distribute her collections. “No one was much interested in a Black girl writing what was called ‘militant’ poetry,” she once wrote. “I thought of it as good poetry.”

Her boldness paid off. In 1972, at just 29 years old, she sold out Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, reading her poetry to a crowd of more than 1,000 alongside the New York Community Choir. The following year, for her 30th birthday, she filled the 3,000-seat Philharmonic Hall, where the choir joined her again, along with Melba Moore and Wilson Pickett. The audience erupted joyfully when she recited her now-iconic poem, “Ego-Tripping.” The piece, a celebration of Black female strength, begins with the lines:

“I was born in the congo

I walked to the fertile crescent and built

the sphinx…”

And concludes triumphantly:

“I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal

I cannot be comprehended

except by my permission

I mean…I…can fly

Like a bird in the sky…”

A Prolific Career

In addition to her poetry, Giovanni wrote children’s books, essays, and a memoir, “Gemini: An Extended Autobiographical Statement on My First Twenty-Five Years of Being a Black Poet (1971).” She was known for her candid reflections on race, gender, and identity, blending the personal with the political in provocative and deeply human ways.

Giovanni’s interview with James Baldwin on the television program Soul! in 1971 remains a touchstone in American cultural history. Their two-hour conversation, filmed in London, explored the intersections of race, gender, and societal expectations. At one point, she posed a raw question about the cycle of violence affecting Black families: “What do you do about a man who is mistreated in the world and comes home and brutalizes his wife? Where does that leave his daughter?” Baldwin’s response: “Sweetheart. Our ancestors taught us how to do that.”

An Educator and Mentor

In 1987, Giovanni joined the faculty at Virginia Tech, where she became a University Distinguished Professor. She remained there for 35 years, influencing generations of students with her wit, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to truth. Even in academia, her rebellious spirit shone through. Giovanni famously supported her student, Seung-Hui Cho, before he committed the tragic mass shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007. She had him removed from her class when she sensed his troubling nature.

Giovanni earned seven NAACP Image Awards, a Grammy nomination, and the distinction of having three of her books listed as New York Times and Los Angeles Times Best Sellers—a rare feat for a poet.

Giovanni described herself as a dreamer. “My dream was not to publish or to even be a writer,” she remarked. “My dream was to discover something no one else had thought of. I guess that’s why I’m a poet. We put things together in ways no one else does.”

A Legacy of Dreams and Defiance

Giovanni’s poetry was a lifeline for many, especially young Black women who saw their power and potential reflected in her verses. She wasn’t just a poet but a cultural force who celebrated Blackness, womanhood, and the art of dreaming. “I’m a writer. I’m happy,” she demanded.

Nikki Giovanni leaves behind her son, Thomas, and her granddaughter. Her father, mother, sister, and aunt preceded her in death.

HBCU Transformation Project Receives $124 Million Boost to Propel Systemic Change

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The infusion of capital elevates the total investment in the project to an impressive $184 million.

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

To help fortify historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) nationwide, the HBCU Transformation Project has garnered a substantial $124 million investment from Blue Meridian Partners. The infusion of capital elevates the total investment in the project to an impressive $184 million. The initiative, launched in 2022, is a collaborative endeavor between the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), and Partnership for Education Advancement (Ed Advancement).
The HBCU Transformation Project is intensely engaged with forty HBCUs, and additional campuses are poised to join in the coming year. The project aims to drive systemic improvements in HBCUs, bolstering their role as pivotal engines of educational opportunity and social mobility for Black and low-income students.
The lion’s share of the fresh $124 million injection will go toward high-impact initiatives at individual HBCUs. This will encompass fortifying technological infrastructure, pioneering transformative curricular and administrative strategies, and piloting collaborative platforms for staff development, shared procurement, and related endeavors. UNCF, TMCF, and Ed Advancement will also receive support to lead and coordinate the HBCU Transformation Project and spearhead a significant capital campaign to bridge the longstanding funding disparities between HBCUs and other higher education institutions.
In a news release, UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax emphasized the project’s forward-looking vision. “The Transformation Project will ensure that HBCUs continue to be drivers of economic mobility and champions for racial equity long into the future,” Lomax asserted.
According to the release, the HBCU Transformation Project sets forth several core objectives:
1. Augmenting enrollment and retention rates at HBCUs, enhancing graduation rates, and equipping students for prosperous careers.
2. Amplifying institutional performance, fortitude, and innovation pace at HBCUs.
3. Facilitating collaborative efforts among HBCUs, harnessing collective expertise and influence to showcase the power of a networked approach.
4. Remedying historical funding imbalances, enabling HBCUs to possess the resources necessary for sustained growth and triumph.
HBCUs have long been at the vanguard of providing higher education opportunities for Black and low-income students, accounting for nearly 20% of Black college graduates despite constituting only three percent of higher education institutions. “The HBCU Transformation Project will deliver permanent, sustainable, and systemic improvement,” said James Runcie, CEO and Co-Founder of the Partnership for Education Advancement.
The decision by Blue Meridian Partners to increase their investment is predicated on the favorable outcomes reported by the HBCU Transformation Project in its initial phase. Notably, HBCU enrollment has experienced a marked upswing since the peak of the COVID pandemic during the 2020-2021 academic year, with individual institutions reporting historic growth.
For instance, South Carolina State University has witnessed a 174% surge in applications since 2020, accompanied by a 54% spike in enrollment. The surge can be chiefly attributed to investments in technology facilitated by the Transformation Project, including cutting-edge AI platforms and CRM software solutions. The tools have streamlined the application and financial aid process for students. Similarly, Claflin University celebrated its highest-ever enrollment figures last year, and Morehouse College achieved significant strides in student retention through innovative support strategies.
“HBCUs will be at the leading edge of transformation,” said Jim Shelton, President and Chief Investment and Impact Officer of Blue Meridian Partners. HBCUs have produced over a million degrees since 1984, spanning associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral levels. They are responsible for 40% of Black engineers and 40% of Black Congress members, and they play pivotal roles in numerous other professions.
Over the next three years, the HBCU Transformation Project aims to narrow the widening wealth gap between HBCUs and other higher education institutions, projecting a 40% increase in enrolled students and a 54% surge in HBCU graduates. “It’s long past time for HBCUs to get the resources they deserve,” said Dr. Harry L. Williams, President and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

President Biden’s Full Howard University Commencement Address

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President Joe Biden delivers the commencement address for the 2023 Howard University graduating class.

You are here with your heart and through the heartache, through blood, sweat, and tears of everything that’s came before, for everything yet to come. You are here at a new moment of hope and possibilities.

But, graduates, before we begin, as mentioned many times, tomorrow is Mother’s Day. Stand for your mothers and grandmothers. Stand and thank them.

Where I come from, moms rule.

To my friend – and he is my friend – Congressman Jim Clyburn, the thing that I admire most about you, Jim, is your absolute integrity in everything you do – in everything you do. This is a man of honor.

I attended South Carolina State University’s commencement as Jim received his degree, he earned 60 years ago but never got a chance to receive it in person.

Jim, it’s an honor to join you here today and receive an honorary degree from this great university.

And it’s truly special – special to join fellow honorees. Prime Minister Rowley, I didn’t know you were so talented. I just thought you were foreign policies – you know, Latin American guy. I – you know, I – we got to talk.

All kidding aside, thank you for being a strong partner in the Caribbean and for addressing climate change and supporting democracies across the Western Hemisphere.

I’m also honored that – there’s a person here today, Dr. Tony Allen. He is President of my home state [H]BCU, Delaware State University, where I got politically started.

I was fortunate to have Tony as a Senate staffer for a long time. Then he got his PhD, had a distinguished career in business, and became president of an HBCU.

Now Tony chairs my White House Board of Advisors on HBCUs, which is designed to support and advance HBCU excellence with a lot more money.

I’m also proud to say that we’re the first White House to formally convene where the real power is: The Divine Nine. Oh, you all – you all think I’m kidding? Not a joke.

The Divine Nine not only has a seat at the table, we definitely hear you at the table. And there, first time ever, at the White House permanently.

So, folks, in 2023, I’m truly honored to be here at Howard.

Chartered 156 years ago by an act of Congress just after Emancipation and the Civil War. Founded – founded on a hilltop in Washington, D.C. The Mecca. The Mecca.

Always promoting, excellence, leadership, and truth and service. It really has. And a proving ground for future leaders of science, medicine, education, business, faith, arts, entertainment, and public service.

Trailblazing intellectuals, lawyers, doctors. The first Black – I might say – Vice President of the United States of America. You can say that again.

Kamala sends her love. And she sent a clear message that today I have the privilege, as she points out, of speaking at the real H-U.

Now you realize that’s going to cost me at home.

This – there’s enormous pride in this university founded in the verses of the Howard anthem. And I quote, “Reared against the eastern sky, proudly there on hilltop high… There she stands for truth and right, sending forth her rays of light.” It matters. It matters. It matters.

We’re living through one of the most consequential moments in our history with fundamental questions at stake for our nation.

Who are we? What do we stand for? What do we believe? Who will we be? You’re going to help answer those questions.

Let me take you back to January of 2009. I stood in Wilmington, Delaware, on the train station of Amtrak, carrying my folder waiting to be picked up by a guy named Barack Obama.

The first Black man elected President of the United States.

I was there to join him as Vice President on the way to the historic inauguration in Washington. A moment of extraordinary hope, but also, as I stood there – and this is the God’s truth – I couldn’t help think about another day I stood there.

I wasn’t much more than your age. I’d just got out of law school.

I was a public – I had gone to work for a big firm, but my state – because when Dr. King was assassinated, parts of it were – my city – parts were burned to the ground. We had a very conservative governor.

He stationed the National Guard on every corner with drawn bayonets for 10 months. I quit and became a public defender.

And I used to have to introduce my clients – no, that’s not so noble – I had to interview my clients down at the Wilmington train station when they were arrested.

On the east side – that’s where they’d be taken in the aftermath of the riots that burned Wilmington following his assassination.

In 2009, while waiting for Barack, I was both living history at the same time I was reliving it. A vivid demonstration: When it comes to race in America, hope doesn’t travel alone.

It’s shadowed by fear, by violence, and by hate.

But after the election and the re-election of the first Black American President, I had hoped that the fear of violence and hate was significantly losing ground.

After being – no longer being Vice President, I became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania for four years.

But in 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia, crazed neo-Nazis with angry faces came out of the fields with – literally with torches, carrying Nazi banners from the woods and the fields chanting the same antisemitic bile heard across Europe in the ‘30s.

Something that I never thought I would ever see in America.

Accompanied by Klansmen and white supremacists, emerging from dark rooms and remote fields and the anonymity of the Internet, confronting decent Americans of all backgrounds standing in their way, into the bright light of day.

And a young woman objecting to their presence was killed.

And what did you hear? That famous quote. When asked about what happened, that famous quote. “There are very fine people on both sides.”

That’s when I knew – and I’m not joking – that’s when I knew I had to stay engaged and get back into public life. No, I – I don’t say it for that reason. I say it for the journey.

 I don’t have to tell you that fearless progress towards justice often meets ferocious pushback from the oldest and most sinister of forces. That’s because hate never goes away.

I thought, when I graduated, we could defeat hate. But it never goes away. It only hides under the rocks. And when it’s given oxygen, it comes out from under that rock.

And that’s why we know this truth as well: Silence is complicity.

It cannot remain silent. We are living through this battle for the soul of the nation. And it is still a battle for the soul of the nation.

What is the soul of a nation? Well, I believe the soul is the breath, the life, the essence of who we are. The soul makes us, “us.”

The soul of America is what makes us unique among all nations. We’re the only country founded on an idea – not geography, not religion, not ethnicity, but an idea.

The sacred proposition rooted in Scripture and enshrined in the Declaration of Independence that we’re all created equal in the image of God and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives.

While we’ve never fully lived up to that promise, we never before fully walked away from it.

We know that American history has not always been a fairytale.

From the start, it’s been a constant push and pull for more than 240 years between the best of us, the American ideal that we’re all create equal – and the worst of us, the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart.

It’s a battle that’s never really over.

But on the best days, enough of us have the guts and the hearts to st- – to stand up for the best in us.

To choose love over hate, unity over disunion, progress over retreat. To stand up against the poison of white supremacy, as I did in my Inaugural Address – to single it out as the most dangerous terrorist threat to our homeland is white supremacy.

And I’m not saying this because I’m at a Black HBCU. I say it wherever I go.

To stand up for truth over lies – lies told for power and profit.

To confront the ongoing assault to subvert our elections and suppress our right to vote. That assault came just as you cast your first ballots in ‘20 and ‘22.

Record turnouts. You delivered historic progress.

I made it clear that America – Americans of all backgrounds have an obligation to call out political violence that has been unleashed and emboldened.

As was mentioned already, bomb threats to this very university and HBCUs across the country.

To put democracy on the ballot.

To reject political extremism and reject political violence.

Protect fundamental rights and freedoms for women to choose and for transgender children to be free.

For affordable healthcare and housing.

For the right to raise your family and retire with dignity.

To stand with leaders of your generation who give voice to the people, demanding action on gun violence only to be expelled from state legislative bodies.

To stand against books being banned and Black history being erased.

I’m serious. Think about it.

To stand up for the best in us.

And today, I come here to Howard to continue the work to redeem the soul of this nation, because it’s here where I see the future.

And I’m not – that’s not hyperbole.

We can finally resolve those ongoing questions about who we are as a nation. That puts strength of our diversity at the center of American life.

A future that celebrates and learns from history.

A future for all Americans. A future I see you leading. And I’m not, again, exaggerating. You are going to be leading it.

Again, let’s be clear: There are those who don’t see you and don’t want this future.

There are those who demonize and pit people against one another. And there are those who do anything and everything, no matter how desperate or immoral, to hold onto power. And that’s never going to be an easy battle.

But I know this: The oldest, most sinister forces may believe they’ll determine America’s future, but they are wrong.

We will determine America’s future. You will determine America’s future. And that’s not hyperbole.

No graduating class gets to choose the world into which they graduate. Every class enters the history of a nation up to the point it has been written by others.

But few classes, once in every several generations, enter at a point in our history where it actually has a chance to change the trajectory of the country.

You face that inflection point today, and I know you will meet the moment. I – just think about the many ways you already have.

With your voices and votes, I was able to fill my commitment to put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

And, by the way, she’s brighter than the rest.

She is one bright woman.

Because of you, more Black women have been appointed to the federal appellate courts under – than under every other President in American history combined.

And, by the way, I mean it. I mean it. Because of you. Because of you.

You turned out. You spoke up. You knew. You showed up, and the votes counted. And you made people say, “Whoa, wait a minute.

What price will I pay if I don’t do the following?”

You feel the promise and the peril of climate change. Because of you, we’re making the biggest investment ever in the history of the world in climate change.

Don’t ever think your voice doesn’t matter.

I’m keeping my promise that no one should be in jail merely because of using or possessing marijuana. Their records should be expunged – just expunged.

My student debt relief plan would help – tens of millions of people, especially those on Pell Grants.

Seventy percent of Black college students receive Pell Grants. Many of you, the savings would be significant and even wiping out student debt completely for some.

But – this new Republican Party is dead set against it, suing my administration to stop you from getting student debt relief.

The same opposition who received relief loans, I might add, to keep their businesses afloat during the pandemic – members of the Congress – worth thousands, even millions of dollars – most of which didn’t have to be paid back. Yet, they say it’s okay for them but not for you. I find it outrageous.

To reduce your debt service payments when you graduate, we’re also ensuring that no one – no one with an undergraduate loan today or in the future will have to pay more than 5 percent of their discretionary income to repay their loans, down from 10. And in 20 years, it’s gone.

Republican officials are fighting that as well. But I will always keep fighting for you. And many others will – and many in the Republican Party as well will fight for you.

But we also know there is more to do. Because of your power, we took the most significant law on gun violence – we passed it – the most significant law in 30 years.

But we will not give up. I got the Assault Weapons Ban passed 30 years ago, and we’re going to pass it again.

We must pass it.

And there’s more to do on police reform and public safety.

During the State of the Union, I asked the rest of the country to imagine having to talk to their children and their families like your families had to talk to you.

It’s about your security. It’s about your dignity.

It’s demeaning and degrading and deadly when you just have to stand there and say, “When you’re stopped, turn the interior light on, put both hands on the wheel, don’t reach for your license.” What in the hell is going on in America?

No, think about it.

I ask all the parents of non-minority children to ask what they would say, what they would do.

I know you’re frustrated that there are so many elected officials who refuse to pass a law that will do something.

Kamala and I stood next to the family of George Floyd and civil rights leaders and law enforcement officials to sign the executive order I came up with requiring the key elements of the George Floyd bill be applied to federal law enforcement: banning chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, establishing a database for police misconduct, advancing effective and accountable community policing that builds public trust.

And we’ll keep fighting to pass the reforms nationwide.

Equal justice is a covenant we have with each other. It must not just be an ideal; it has to be a reality.

You’re leading the way on this and so much more.

That’s why Kamala and I are so committed to investing in you and HBCUs. HBCUs help produce 40 percent of Black engineers; 50 percent of Black lawyers; 70 percent of Black doctors and dentists; 80 percent of Black judges.

Look, we see HBCU excellence in every day, with staff at every level of the White House and the administration, because I decided when I was elected, I promised I was going to have my administration would look like America.

But we all know that HBCUs don’t have the same endowments and funding as other major colleges and universities.

For example, denying the opportunity to build and fund research labs that will lead to new technologies and good-paying jobs.

That’s why I asked, and we’ve invested $6 billion and counting in HBCUs, including to create new research and development labs that prepare students for jobs of the future in high-income fields, from cybersecurity, engineering, biochemistry, healthcare.

Standing here, I think the last time I came to Howard with President Frederick and others was in my final year as Vice President to host the Cancer Moonshot on campus, because you are leading the way.

You’re the scientists, the doctors, the advocates who will bring — do big things like ending cancer as we know it and even curing some cancers, which we’re on our way of doing.

You’re the diplomats and global citizens making democracy work for people around the world. Lawyers defending our rights. Artists shaping our culture.

Fearless journalists. This is real, though. You’re – this is what you’re doing. Fearless journalists and intellectuals pursuing the truth and challenging convention.

You’re the leaders of tomorrow, but it’s coming on you really quickly.

Because of you, I see a future we can finally move away from the narrowed and cramped view that the promise of America is a zero-sum game: “If you succeed, I fail.” “If you get ahead, I fall behind.”

And maybe worst of all, “If I can’t hold you down, I can’t lift myself up.”

Instead of what it should be, “If you do well, we all do well.”

That’s what I see in you. That’s what I see in America. And more Americans are – a future of possibilities for all Americans.

Look, no matter – that future – what it holds, my sincere hope is that each of you find a sweet spot between happiness, success, and ambition.

That – a good life. A life of purpose.

Because here’s the thing: You don’t know where or what fate will bring you or when. You just have to keep going.

You have to just keep the faith. You have to just get up.

And you can find the balance between ambition and happiness and success – that good life of purpose, of family, and, as you know here at Howard, of excellence, leadership, and truth and service.

There is no quit in you. There is no quit in America.

So, let me close with this. In our lives and in the life of the nation, we know that fear can shadow hope. But it’s also true that hope can defeat fear.

In January of 2021, I stood at the U.S. Capitol to be inaugurated as President of the United States. Just days before, on that very spot, a violent insurrection took place.

A dagger at the throat of democracy. For the first time in our history, an attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power in this country.

And they failed. Our democracy held. Again, hope prevailed.

And this time, I was standing with a Black woman about to take a two-mile procession down Pennsylvania Avenue as President and Vice President of the United States of America.

And who was marching alongside her? The Howard University Marching Band in lockstep and solidarity. You were.

I give you my word as a Biden: Class of 2023, you’re the reason I’m so optimistic about the future.

And I give you my word, I really mean it. You’re part of the most gifted, tolerant, talented, best-educated generation in American history.

That’s a fact.

And it’s your generation, more than anyone else’s, who will answer the questions for America: Who are we? What do we stand for? What do you believe? What do we believe? What do we want to be?

I’m not saying you have to share this burden all on your own.

The task at hand ahead is the work of all of us.

But what I am saying is: You represent the best of us. And that’s the God’s truth. You represent the best of us.

Your generation will not be ignored, will not be shunned, will not be silenced.

So, on the hilltop high, keep standing for truth and right, and send your rays of light.

Congratulations to you all. We need you.

God bless you. And may God protect our troops.

____________________________________________________________

Ribbon Cutting for HBCU National Center Set for November

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Internships on Capitol Hill are increasingly limited to those who are wealthy enough to afford to live in Washington and work for free.

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

On November 11, the HBCU National Center will hold a ribbon cutting blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The center has been established by Jacqueline “Jackie” Lewis, who is also the Founder of WISH, LLC, which provides housing to interns in Washington, DC. The ceremony will feature Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) who is Chair of the Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) Caucus in Congress.

Washington, D.C. is one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. to live in and has rents that can be north of $2,000 per month. Internships on Capitol Hill are increasingly limited to those who are wealthy enough to afford to live in Washington and work for free.

Lewis has previously gained national recognition for her educational work as a federal appointee of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. She served on the President’s Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Education in both Administrations. Lewis, along with her late husband, Robert, created a way to provide safe affordable housing in Washington, DC after learning there were few properties available. They started buying vacant properties in Washington, D.C. that would house students at a price no more than back on their college campus.

Because of the tight economics of interning in a federal office, particularly for Black college students, some have suggested that interns should be paid. Most internships in Congress went unpaid for several decades but after a great deal of lobbying in 2018 interns on Capitol Hill now earn at least $1,800 per month.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is a political analyst who appears regularly on #RolandMartinUnfiltered. She may be contacted at [email protected] and on twitter at @LVBurke

PRESS ROOM: North Carolina Central University Students Awarded Internships with Stellantis and the Black Automotive Media Group

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In its second year, TDF will expose interns to careers as journalists, videographers, marketers, publicists, digital media associates, and social media influencers within the auto industry.

Dubbed “The Driving Force,” the program will offer multimedia career development to HBCU undergraduates while simultaneously showcasing African American scholastic talent to automobile companies.

Durham, NC – A unique opportunity has been created for HBCU students interested in covering or working in the automobile industry from a media, marketing, and business perspective. Dubbed The Driving Force (TDF), founding members of the Black Automotive Media Group (BAMG) recruited 15 scholars to participate in the 10-week, virtual, field internship, which incorporates mentoring sessions, writing classes, video and photography production, and media courses.

“We are excited that Stellantis and the Black Automotive Media Group have engaged with NCCU students in providing this unique opportunity,” said Keisha Williams, director of marketing/communications NCCU School of Business. “The exposure to industry received through this experience will be of great significance to both their professional and academic lives.”

TDF evolved following discussions between automakers and BAMG relating to increased programming for deserving but often neglected schools. While those conversations began to improve the diversity and inclusion of African American journalists covering the industry, an idea presented itself to help prepare the next generation of automotive media professionals. With four HBCU and auto manufacturer partnerships established, this fall’s collaboration connects Stellantis with North Carolina Central University (NCCU) enrollees from the School of Business and the Department of Mass Communications.

“Possibilities! When BAMG visited NCCU’s campus to present our students with new possibilities and career development choices, they responded with eagerness and enthusiasm,” stated Brett Chambers, lecturer, Department of Mass Communication. “Correspondingly, they now have a keen understanding of the power of networking, so I look forward to this internship representing productive efforts for all parties involved.”

In its second year, TDF will expose interns to careers as journalists, videographers, marketers, publicists, digital media associates, and social media influencers within the auto industry. Students will showcase their work on various platforms during the program, including vehicle evaluations, video advertising projects, and content creation and hosting. They will also liaise with automotive executives from Stellantis and companies that support the industry, from Turtle Wax and Bose to JBL and Michelin.

“An important part of our longstanding, enterprise-wide commitment to diversity and inclusion is our investment in diverse people and communities sharing our success and expanding access to future opportunities,” said Lottie Holland, Director – Diversity, Inclusion, Engagement and EEO Compliance, Stellantis – North America. “We are excited to collaborate with the Black Automotive Media Group and North Carolina Central University to expand awareness of future career opportunities in the automotive industry for talented young people.”

TDF is led by respected media experts Kimatni D. Rawlins, publisher of Automotive Rhythms Communications, Greg Morrison from Bumper2Bumpertv, auto expert Marcus Amick, and an array of Black automotive media journalists and publishers.

“Our collaboration with Stellantis and North Carolina Central University marks the 4th diversity-focused and academic program for BAMG that allows us to extend new pathways to HBCU students,” stated BAMG founding member Kimatni D. Rawlins. “An internship with automaker Jaguar 25 years ago deeply influenced my decisions, ultimately leading to comprehensive experience and an extensive automotive career. Thus, creating similar opportunities for African American interns with a strong interest in this field represents another opportunity to uplift our kids.”

Greg Morrison, a Lincoln University alumnus whose 52-year career in the industry with media outlets such as CNN, NBC, The Black Family Channel, and others, said, “This brings my career full circle. Many events in our country led to the awareness that Blacks are underrepresented in many industries, and BAMGis proud to have created the synergy between the auto industry, HBCUs, and student media hopefuls.”

About Stellantis

Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) is one of the world’s leading automakers and a mobility provider, guided by a clear vision to offer freedom of movement with distinctive, affordable and reliable mobility solutions. In addition to the Group’s rich heritage and broad geographic presence, its greatest strengths lie in its sustainable performance, depth of experience and the wide-ranging talents of employees working around the globe. Stellantis will leverage its broad and iconic brand portfolio, which was founded by visionaries who infused the brands with passion and a competitive spirit that speaks to employees and customers alike. Stellantis aspires to become the greatest, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders, as well as the communities in which it operates. 

About North Carolina Central University: School of Business

The School of Business delivers high impact undergraduate and graduate business education programs through innovative teaching, relevant scholarship, and academic service learning. NCCU School of Business offers programs of study leading to Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting, Business Administration (with concentrations in Management, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Financial Analytics, General Business, and Human Resource Management), Information Technology (Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, and Computer Information Systems), and Hospitality and Tourism Administration (face to face and online program). The School offers the MBA and joint graduate degrees with other programs on campus, including the MBA/JD (with the School of Law) and the MBA/MIS (with the School of Library and Information Sciences). Five MBA concentrations were added inclusive of Marketing, Data Analytics, Hospitality and Tourism, Real Estate and Wealth Management.   A new business school facility is under construction with anticipated completion in 2022.

About the Black Automotive Media Group

The BAMG is a distinguished group of Black reporters, publishers, writers, and entrepreneurs representing over 200 years of combined experience in automotive journalism within radio, television, print, experiential marketing, and social media. BAMG members either work for or own various automotive media platforms targeting diverse audiences. BAMG’s primary objective is to bring equity and equality to Black professionals who work in and around the automotive industry. For additional details regarding The Driving Force HBCU internship program, please visit AutomotiveRhythms.com.

TBS Unveils First-Ever Interactive TBS HBCU Cash Out™

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TBS Unveils First-Ever Interactive
TBS HBCU Cash Out™ Social Media Contest
With Ambassadors
Lance Gross and Keshia Knight Pulliam

Grand Prize of $25,000 to be Awarded to Three Recent Graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Attention all recent HBCU grads! Enter for a chance to win $25,000 to pay off your student loans at http://tbshbcucashout.com
LOS ANGELES – February 8, 2021 – Historically Black Colleges and Universities are where dreams are made, and this Black History Month, TBS wants to kick off the aspirations of three lucky HBCU alumni by paying their student loans in the network’s first-ever TBS HBCU Cash Out™. Collaborating with HBCU alumni Lance Gross and Keshia Knight Pulliam, the interactive social media contest, from February 8 – March 8, will award a grand prize of $25,000 to three different winners who creatively share how attending a HBCU is helping them achieve their goals.

Acknowledging the vital role of HBCUs, which were established prior to 1964 with the principal mission to educate Black Americans, applicants may enter by following a two-step process:

  1. Log onto www.tbshbcucashout.com to submit their information and read the official contest rules.
  2. Submit a video (60 seconds or less) via Instagram, Twitter or YouTube using the hashtag #HBCUCashOutContest and tagging @tbsnetwork (Instagram and Twitter) or @tbs (YouTube).
Eligible entrants must have graduated from an HBCU recognized by the U.S. Department of Education on or after December 1, 2015. For more information on TBS HBCU Cash Out™, visit www.tbshbcucashout.com.
To honor Black History Month, TBS will air feature films celebrating Black Excellence, including:

Fences
Friday, February 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT
Troy Maxson makes his living as a sanitation worker in 1950s Pittsburgh. Maxson once dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but was deemed too old when the major leagues began admitting black athletes. Bitter over his missed opportunity, Troy creates further tension in his family when he squashes his son’s chance to meet a college football recruiter.

Central Intelligence
Friday, February 12 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT
After reconnecting with an old friend via Facebook, an accountant is thrown into the world of international espionage.

Baggage Claim
Friday, February 19 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT
Montana Moore, a 35-year-old flight attendant determined not to show up to her baby sister’s engagement party without a fiance of her own, concocts her most romantically ridiculous plan yet: a 30-day, 30,000 mile trek in search of a husband.

Joyful Noise
Friday, February 19 at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT
Sunday, February 28 at 5:30 p.m. ET/PT
Hard times have fallen on Pacashau, Ga., but the townspeople have faith that the Divinity Church Choir will lift their spirits by winning a national competition. The choir has always made beautiful music, but now, its two leading ladies have hit a sour note. Vi Rose believes that a traditional style is the key to victory, but G.G. thinks tried-and-true means tired-and-old. The two singers must find a harmonious chord or risk losing everything.

Fast & Furious 6
Friday, February 26 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT
Since Dom and Brian’s heist in Rio left them and their crew very rich people, they’ve scattered across the globe; however, they must still live as fugitives, unable to return home to their families. Meanwhile, Agent Hobbs has been tracking a gang of lethally skilled mercenary drivers whose second-in-command is someone Dom knows. Unable to take them down himself, Hobbs  asks Dom and his crew for help in exchange for full pardons for everyone.

Barbershop 3 
Sunday, February 28 at 11:00 a.m. ET/PT
It’s been more than 10 years since our last appointment at Calvin’s Barbershop. Calvin and his longtime crew, including Eddie, are still there, but the shop has undergone some major changes. Most noticeably, our once male-dominated sanctuary is now co-ed. The ladies bring their own flavor, drama and gossip to the shop challenging the fellas at every turn. Despite the good times and camaraderie within the shop, the surrounding community has taken a turn for the worse, forcing Calvin and our crew to come together to not only save the shop, but their neighborhood.

Barbershop 2: Back in Business 
Sunday, February 28 at 1:15 p.m. ET/PT
They’re still cutting hair and cutting up in Calvin’s shop on the South Side of Chicago. Calvin has gotten over his money troubles and is no longer in danger of losing his shop–but his neighborhood is in danger of losing its identity. Intent on “regentrifying” the South Side, a money-hungry corporation is moving into the community with coffee bars, video stores, and a big-name haircut chain, and the area’s “mom and pop” establishments are in danger of losing their hometown advantage. While juggling changing situations, new loves, and looking for ways to better their lives, Calvin and his crew have to take a stand to keep the South Side and its businesses in the family.

Barbershop 
Sunday, February 28 at 3:30 p.m. ET/PT
An ensemble comedy about a day in the life of a barbershop on the south side of Chicago. It’s Calvin’s shop, and he inherited the struggling business from his father, but with bills to pay and a baby on the way, he sees the shop as a burden and a waste of time. After selling the shop to a local loan shark, Calvin slowly begins to see his father’s vision and legacy  and struggles with the notion that he just sold it out.
About TBS
TBS, a WarnerMedia brand, is a top-rated destination for television among young adults and known for escapist, lean-back entertainment, featuring smart, imaginative stories with heart and comedic edge. From scripted comedy series to late-night shows, game shows, and animated programming, TBS’ Originals slate is comprised of some of the most popular shows on cable — “Miracle Workers,” “CONAN,” “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” “The Last O.G.” and “American Dad!,” as well as the upcoming comedy “Chad.” The network’s slate of premium unscripted series includes the popular game show “The Misery Index,” upcoming reality-competition series “Go-Big Show” and “The Cube” and the revival of fan-favorite “Wipeout.” TBS’ lineup also includes comedy hits like “Family Guy” and “The Big Bang Theory,” classic sitcom favorites “Friends” and “Seinfeld,” blockbuster movies, and live event coverage of Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and “ELEAGUE,” WarnerMedia’s eSports gaming competition. Viewers can watch shows on the TBS app, available for iOS, Android, Xbox One and other platforms and devices. Website: www.tbs.com 

About WarnerMedia
WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC Entertainment, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. The organization also includes Xandr’s suite of advanced advertising solutions designed to help to improve advertising for brands, publishers, and consumers. WarnerMedia is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).

CIAA Partners with CSL Esports and The Yard: HBCU Esports Alliance to Offer Competitive Esports and Educational Initiatives

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The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation’s oldest historically black athletic conference, is partnering with CSL Esports, the world’s largest provider of collegiate esports opportunities, and The Yard: HBCU Esports Alliance (HEA), a diversity and inclusion initiative designed to significantly increase the participation of HBCU students, alumni, and fans, to offer competitive gaming and educational opportunities for its member institutions.

Through HEA, CSL Esports will serve as the conference’s esports provider for Madden, NBA 2K, and other select gaming titles and will begin offering exclusive competitive gaming opportunities to CIAA students in spring 2021.

“We’re excited to be partnering with CSL Esports and the HBCU Esports Alliance to assist in our continued advancement within esports and gaming,” said CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams. “I am pleased with our efforts to identify diverse partners to provide resources and access to our membership and students while creating exposure to the growth opportunities that exist within the STEM field for the HBCU community.”

Additionally, HEA will offer two Esports Masterclasses this spring to CIAA students. HEA’s Esports Masterclasses have awarded 91 esports internships over the past three years to college students across America.

CSL Esports engages colleges, universities, and high schools to provide an infrastructure that enhances opportunities for students to achieve a higher education through esports. Over the past 10 years, CSL Esports has worked with over 1,800 schools and 11,000 teams across North America.

“Our support for the HBCU schools through our partnership with CIAA and HEA will bring a variety of opportunities for the schools and the students,” said Wim Stocks, Chairman of CSL Esports. “We are excited to inspire students at the CIAA with opportunities to engage in competitive play while representing their schools, and for the conference and schools, bringing collaborations for building esports and gaming programming, offering gaming and esports masterclasses and education, creating esports events, as well as internship and career opportunities.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with one of the most respected brands (CIAA) in all of college sports,” said Dr. Marc Williams, Commissioner of HEA. “Our team and CSL Esports have been in talks with the CIAA the past three years on how can be best serve the CIAA member schools and their student population. We feel the timing is perfect to implement our award-winning Esports Masterclasses that will provide internships and employment pathways for CIAA students into the world of video games and esports.”

The partnership with CSL Esports and the HBCU Esports Alliance further aligns with the conference’s long-term plan to launch its own branded esports league.

For the latest information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com. You can also like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

About the CIAA

Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first and longest running, African American athletic conference in the U.S. and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. In 2020, the conference celebrated the special 75th anniversary of its Championship Basketball Tournament – an event that has become a must-see in the African American community. The Basketball Tournament has been honored as a Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism by Sports Destination Management, the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market, for both 2018 and 2019. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member-institutions: Bowie State University, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine’s University, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Winston-Salem State University. Chowan University is an associate member in football and women’s bowling.  For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

About CSL Esports

CSL Esports provides life-changing opportunities in education through esports. Working directly with High Schools, Universities, and Alumni associations, CSL Esports provides turnkey solutions for schools and students to compete and learn valuable skills in the rapidly expanding esports industry. Since 2009 CSL Esports has been North America’s largest collegiate esports business, providing over $1 million in scholarships while partnering with over 1,800 educational institutions under its premier tournament series, Collegiate Star League. www.cslesports.com

 

About The Yard: HBCU Esports Alliance

The Yard: HBCU Esports Alliance (HEA) is a diversity and inclusion initiative designed to significantly increase the participation of HBCU students, alumni and fans in the $150B+ gaming and $1.5B+ esports industries.  Built as a replicable model for on-campus or virtual HBCU campuses, HEA’s “The Yard” features four distinct pillars (Competition, Education, Research and Pipeline) that will drive continued access to current and future aspects in gaming and esports. The Initiative will live at the intersection of HBCU campus life including esports, traditional sports, music, entertainment, fashion and more.  Through its robust network of supporting alliance partners, HEA will offer great experiences for its HBCU member schools while developing the next generation of HBCU leaders and entrepreneurs through esports. For more information on HBCU Esports Alliance, please visit www.hbcuesportsyard.com or follow @hbcuesportsyard.on Instagram or Facebook.