Tag Archives: university

Mother Surprised With Degree At Son’s College Graduation

Continue reading here:

M otherhood is full of love, selflessness, and sacrifices and a Michigan-based mom captured the essence of those three qualities when she made the decision to skip her own college graduation to attend her son’s commencement ceremony. Sharonda Wilson ’s choice to miss out on a major milestone to support her son Stephan did not go unappreciated or overlooked. According to ABC News , he ensured that she got the opportunity to walk across the graduation stage and she received her degree at his graduation. Mom who skipped her own college graduation to attend son's surprised with a degree. https://t.co/E4gLCJNB6q pic.twitter.com/jlaD2B7Gm9 — ABC News (@ABC) May 11, 2019 Wilson, who earned her degree from Ferris State University was set to graduate on the same day as her son who attended Central Michigan University. After learning that his mom planned on skipping her own graduation to be at his commencement ceremony, Stephan was inclined to do something special for her. He connected with a friend who worked with Central Michigan University President Bob Davies . Davies then connected with senior leadership at Ferris State University to get permission to award Wilson with her degree. All of this happened hours before the graduation was slated to take place. “My mom is a selfless person,” Stephan said in a statement. “I wouldn’t have been [at graduation] without her. That is the honest truth.” While sitting in her seat getting ready to cheer her child on for his educational accomplishment, to Wilson’s surprise she was called to the stage and Davies awarded her with her hard-earned bachelor’s of science in business administration. 23-year-old Stephan—who majored in fine arts— was moved to tears. Davies told CNN that he was grateful to be able to create that special moment for Sharonda and her son. “Sharonda and Stephan both put in the long hours and hard work, and they deserved the chance to celebrate together as a family,” he said. “We appreciated the opportunity to partner with our friends at Ferris State to recognize and celebrate this milestone achievement for both Stephan and Sharonda.” SEE ALSO: 99-Year-Old Black Woman Veteran Gets Second Chance To Walk Across Graduation Stage Teen Becomes St. Thomas High School’s First-Ever Black Valedictorian [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3852226″ overlay=”true”]

Mother Surprised With Degree At Son’s College Graduation

‘New’ Sandra Bland Arrest Video Reignites Conspiracy Theories About Her Death

Source: Jonathan Gibby / Getty WRITTEN BY: Bruce T. Wright There have been renewed calls to open up the investigation into Sandra Bland ’s suspicious death after a Texas news outlet published the video she filmed of her own infamous arrest in 2015. The footage, made public by WFAA late Monday night, was apparently evidence that local police had been concealing for nearly four years. The revelation that Bland was aware enough to grab her smartphone and record the harrowing ordeal convinced many users across social media that the 28-year old Chicago native was prepared to hold police accountable in a court of law. Instead, three days later, police said they found Bland hanging in her Waller County jail cell and ruled her death a suicide. Text “RICKEY” to 71007 to join the Rickey Smiley Morning Show mobile club for exclusive news.  ( Terms and conditions ). Authorities want us to believe Sandra Bland killed herself in jail due to minor traffic infraction. This woman was ready to fight them in court. https://t.co/D4o8PrMnBr — FERRARI SHEPPARD (@stopbeingfamous) May 7, 2019 Initial body cam footage showed the arresting officer getting belligerent after Bland demanded to know why she was being arrested, let alone removed from her vehicle, for the minor traffic infraction of changing lanes without a turn signal. The video from 2015 went viral and showed the cop violently threatening Bland with his Taser: “I will light you up!” Few cases got more public scrutiny/media attention. Yet, we've still ended up seeing “never before seen video” in both the Michael Brown and Sandra Bland cases as well as an outside investigation into Oscar Grant's killing that was kept from the public FOR A DECADE — Wesley (@WesleyLowery) May 7, 2019 After seeing the newly surfaced video from back then, Bland’s family was demanding justice years after it had been denied to them. Sign Up For Our Newsletter! Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit “Open up the case, period,” Shante Needham said to WFAA after she saw the video on Monday, prompting her to suspect the Waller Police Department was complicit in her sister’s death. “We also know they have an extremely, extremely good cover-up system.” Stop referring to that Sandra Bland video as “new”. It's 4 four years old and the only reason why it's “new” is because the authorities tried to bury it. pic.twitter.com/M0gLra8IFt — DJ Sapien (@DJ_Sapien) May 7, 2019 By all means, Bland had every reason to want to live, including the fact that she was set to start a new job at Prairie View A&M University, a historically Black college which is located about 20 minutes north of where the officer pulled her over. The Texas Department of Public Safety denied it had withheld any evidence. “The premise that the video was not produced as a part of the discovery process is wrong,” the agency told WFAA in a brief statement. “A hard drive containing copies of 820 Gigabytes of data compiled by DPS from its investigation, including the dashcam videos, jail video footage and data from Sandra Bland’s cell phone, was part of discovery.” Sandra Bland was arrested for no reason. The state of Texas had evidence of that. They covered it up. And she’s dead. There is no justice. — marisa kabas (@MarisaKabas) May 7, 2019 Bland’s case became a rallying call in the push for criminal justice reform after she died following an arrest for failing to use her turn signal in July 2015. Many activists argued that she should not have been arrested for a minor traffic infraction or jailed in the first place. Earlier this year, another Black inmate was also found dead after apparently hanging himself in the same Texas jail where Bland died, prompting further questions about the facility. Bland’s death sparked police reforms that in practice should have prevented the death in January. For one thing, face-to-face cell inspections were supposed to occur more frequently after Bland died. But with the other inmate’s death, it appeared that protocol was not followed. See below for the recently revealed footage from 2015 that Bland filmed of her own arrest. Source : NewsOne.com ALSO TRENDING ON RICKEYSMILEYMORNINGSHOW.COM : RHOA Star Eva Marcille Is Pregnant With Baby No. 3! [PHOTOS] New Evidence Surfaces In Brittney Taylor’s Case Against Remy Ma Nipsey Hussle’s Sister’s Guardianship Request Over Niece Denied By Judge Follow @TheRSMS

View original post here:
‘New’ Sandra Bland Arrest Video Reignites Conspiracy Theories About Her Death

Teen Becomes St. Thomas High School’s First-Ever Black Valedictorian

Visit link:

A teen from Houston is ending his high school experience off with a huge accomplishment. According to Fox 26 , Kellin McGowan made history by becoming the first Black student at St. Thomas High School to be named valedictorian. Kellin McGowan of Houston has a 4.57 GPA, securing him a spot in history. The 17-year-old is St. Thomas High's first African-American valedictorian in the school's 119-year history. https://t.co/jmIu75W4cv — KTVU (@KTVU) May 3, 2019 McGowan has displayed excellence throughout his entire academic career. He served on the student council and finished his senior year of high school with a 4.57 GPA. Aside from excelling academically he was active in his community; volunteering weekly at his local church. 17-year-old McGowan is surprised that it’s taken this long for the school to select a Black valedictorian, but he’s proud that he has broken the racial barrier and hopes his accomplishment inspires generations of students behind him to strive for greatness. “It’s crazy to think about how after 119 years, I’m the first African-American Valedictorian. It was a mixture of ‘Yes I did it’ and ‘Wow, mind blown’. I’m excited,” he said in a statement. “My parents always taught me to try my best. In order to do so, I took a ton of challenging courses.” The University of Chicago-bound student wants to pursue a career in immigration law and plans on studying political science. The faculty at St. Thomas High School are proud of McGowan’s achievement. “I’m so happy for his mom and dad. They are phenomenal people and I know, like all parents, they make tremendous sacrifices for him to be here,” said school principal Aaron Dominguez . “Kellin has always been an academic stud. Just an all-around great kid.” African American high school students throughout the country are setting the bar high when it comes to academic achievement. According to Tulsa World 18-year-old Raylynn Thompson —who was once told by a stranger that Black people can’t become valedictorians—not only graduated at the top of her class but earned a 4.7 GPA and 62 college acceptance letters. SEE ALSO: Pharrell Williams Launches Music Education Program In Partnership With Verizon Black Mom Whose Law School Graduation Photo Went Viral Named Assistant County Attorney [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3851872″ overlay=”true”]

Teen Becomes St. Thomas High School’s First-Ever Black Valedictorian

Two Dead, Four Injured Following Shooting At UNC Charlotte

Read more from the original source:

Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty Two people are dead and four are injured following a shooting at a North Carolina University. According to reports, the UNC Charlotte campus is currently on lockdown after gunshots were heard near the Kennedy building. Per the Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency, two people were found dead at the scene while two others have suffered life threatening injuries. Two others have suffered gunshot wounds but are expected to survive. The suspect is currently in custody, reportedly a student according to WSOC . “Shots reported near Kennedy. Run, Hide, Fight. Secure yourself immediately,” the university said in an alert, referring to the school’s Kennedy building on campus. ALERT: UNC Charlotte Students and families, please head to 8600 University City Boulevard. We are sending all students there to be reunified with their families. — CMPD News (@CMPD) April 30, 2019 NinerAlert: Buildings being swept by law enforcement. Law enforcement is individually sweeping buildings on campus. Follow officer commands. — UNCC OEM (@NinerAlerts) April 30, 2019 It’s uncertain at the time if these are UNC Charlotte students, the individuals involved have not been identified. This story is developing .

Two Dead, Four Injured Following Shooting At UNC Charlotte

#Breaking: At Least 2 Dead, 4 Injured After Shooting At UNC At Charlotte

Active Shooter Kills Two At UNC At Charlotte Another sad shooting has taken place in America. This time at least two people are dead after an active shooter opened fire at University of North Carolina’s Charlotte campus. NBC affiliate WCNC confirmed the deaths and noted that several others sustained “life-threatening” and “non-life-threatening” injuries after a man opened fire in a classroom. Sources tell them that students were giving a presentation in a classroom when the shooting occurred. The two dead are reportedly two white males, but their ages and names have not yet been released. They add that officials confirmed that the suspect is named Trystan Terrell, a 22-year-old history major at UNCC. U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) has released a statement on the shooting: “Renee and I are heartbroken to see this violence in our community and at my alma mater,” said Rep. Hudson. “We are grateful for the quick and selfless action of first responders and police. Our thoughts and prayers are with victims, their families, and the entire 49er community. I will continue to monitor the situation and pray for the safety of all on campus.” This story is still developing….  

Read the original post:
#Breaking: At Least 2 Dead, 4 Injured After Shooting At UNC At Charlotte

Bossip Exclusive: Shannon Sharpe Talks Inspiration To Join Home Depot’s Retool Your School Campaign, Gives $500,000 To 10 HBCU’s

Source: Nigel Degraff / Nigel Degraff Shannon Sharpe Talks Home Depot Retool Your School HBCU ‘s are the pride of Black academia in America and often times they are not as privileged to have the funding that other PWI’s do. Fortunately, companies like Home Depot are not only aware of that issue, but they’re willing to do something about it. Monday afternoon in Atlanta, Shannon Sharpe, Rickey Smiley, and Laz Alonso linked up with the good folks at Home Depot for the $500,000 giveaway finale of the company’s Retool Your School campaign. Source: Nigel Degraff / Nigel Degraff Nine HBCU’s were awarded $50,000 a piece to rejuvenate parts of the campus that are in need. In order to receive the money, each college had to come up with a campaign to tally the most votes from consumers and one school secured the bag with the first ever “Campaign of the Year Award”. BOSSIP got a chance to speak to Super Bowl Champion and NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe at the event and got some insight on how he got involved and what his HBCU, Savannah State University, means to him: BOSSIP : How did you first get involved with Home Depot Retool Your School? Shannon Sharpe : Anytime it’s something to help historically Black college, I want to be involved. I went to an HBCU understand the economic hardships that a lot of these institutions face and Home Depot is doing a really good thing today. The Shannon Sharpe you see here was cultivated at Savannah from 1986-1989 I had some great professors and doctors who cared about me and help me find out about myself. This is my chance to pay Savannah State back and those professors who took time to instill wisdom and knowledge in me. I wish we could have a $20 million endowment like Harvard but this is a really good opportunity for myself, Rickey (Smiley) who went to Alabama State, to give back. I don’t think a lot of people realize that I went to an HBCU. Most times they assume if you went to the NFL or played professional sports that you went to Notre Dame or Michigan or Nebraska or something like that. BOSSIP : What advice would you give high school athletes who want to play professionally but are afraid that they won’t get the exposure at an HBCU that they would at a PWI? SS : When I went to Savannah State my college coach, Bill Davis, God rest his soul, told me “Son, if you’re good, they’ll find you.” Because I was gonna transfer to the University of Miami, but I believed I was that good. I believed the NFL would find me. I believed that once I got to the NFL I would show that my skill set was as good or better than all those guys. I’m a “prove it” type of guy, ok, you don’t have to believe me. Source: Nigel Degraff / Nigel Degraff None of this would be happening without Home Depot Senior Marketing Manager Melissa Brown. Her vision to make this campaign a success and her love of HBCUs has created an incredible opportunity for our beloved schools to look their best and represent themselves proudly. Special shout out to the Westlake High School marching band who pulled up to keep the packed auditorium entertained.

Here is the original post:
Bossip Exclusive: Shannon Sharpe Talks Inspiration To Join Home Depot’s Retool Your School Campaign, Gives $500,000 To 10 HBCU’s

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Responds To Fort Valley State Prostitution Scandal Indictments

Source: Melanie Steson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images / Getty Rumor control… Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Responds To HBCU Prostitution Scandal The nation’s first black sorority has issued an official statement on a prostitution scandal at a historically black college. As previously reported a woman named Alecia Jeanetta Johnson, the former executive assistant to the President of Fort Valley State University, was indicted for sex work and pimping. Prosecutors reported that the 49-year-old performed sex acts in exchange for money and arranged for another woman to provide sex services to prominent men in exchange for money. Now Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is releasing a statement confirming that the chapter with which Johnson was reportedly affiliated with at the school, Alpha Beta, has been fully reinstated after an internal investigation. The sorority adds that Johnson hasn’t acted as Alpha Beta chapter’s graduate advisor since 2014 and any reports otherwise are false. An exclusive statement from the sorority’s Executive Director Cynthia Howell was sent to Rolling Out magazine. “Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated — now in our 111th year — is an organization committed to cultivating unity, health, education and human rights among women and confronting issues that concern our more than 300,000 members in 1,021 chapters around the globe. We hope that the indictments recently issued in the Fort Valley State University case will end the speculation and inaccurate information about Alpha Kappa Alpha that has circulated in the media since April 2018. “Any media coverage that identifies one of the individuals formally charged as the graduate advisor for Fort Valley State’s undergraduate chapter, Alpha Beta, is incorrect. The individual has had no direct supervisory responsibility for the chapter since 2014. It is unfortunate that the alleged misdeeds of an individual acting independently of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority have resulted in misconceptions and diverted attention from the honorable work our organization delivers to millions of people through a myriad of programs. “Alpha Beta’s status within Alpha Kappa Alpha was restored in 2018 following our own internal investigation,”. Based on the results of an in-depth review of the facts, we found no wrongdoing, and Alpha Beta was fully exonerated. The issuance of the indictments supports our conclusion. Furthermore, the chapter continues to remain in good standing with Fort Valley State University. “Now that the indictments have been issued, we hope the unsubstantiated innuendos and misinformation related to Alpha Beta will end. We commend the chapter members, who were subjected to degradation and humiliation as a result of the false claims, for their ongoing decorum over the past year. The young women of Alpha Beta chapter have demonstrated grace under pressure, poise and maturity as they proudly continue to support our focus on ‘Exemplifying Excellence Through Sustainable Service.’” Johnson faces six counts of prostitution, three counts of pimping and two counts of solicitation of sodomy. The Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s office also indicted six men on one count each of solicitation of sodomy along with two counts each of pandering stemming from actions that allegedly happened in 2017 and 2018. NEW: 7 indicted in Fort Valley State University prostitution case https://t.co/onDBnliRoP pic.twitter.com/WrJAvePpRX — AJC (@ajc) April 5, 2019

Follow this link:
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Responds To Fort Valley State Prostitution Scandal Indictments

Peggy Alford Becomes First Black Woman Nominated To Facebook’s Board Of Directors

View post:

A lthough tech companies have been stagnant with moving the needle on racial and gender diversity, there are many individuals who are rising up the ranks and breaking barriers in the industry. According to USA Today , Facebook has nominated PayPal executive Peggy Alford to its board of directors. Alford, a prominent technology executive, would be the first African-American woman and second African-American to join the board of the social media giant. https://t.co/YThlHAPraP — USA TODAY (@USATODAY) April 12, 2019 The nomination is historic as Alford will become the first Black woman and the second Black person to join the board. The tech industry veteran—who is a graduate of the University of Dayton—has served in leadership positions at eBay and Rent.com. She took on the role of Senior Vice President of Core Markets at PayPal this year. Prior to joining the PayPal team, she was the Chief Financial Officer and Head of Operations for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative; an organization created by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan that is designed to use technology as a solution to better education and change the criminal justice system. Zuckerberg believes Alford’s presence on the board will help the company move in the right direction in regards to diversity. “Peggy is one of those rare people who’s an expert across many different areas — from business management to finance operations to product development,” he said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “I know she will have great ideas that will help us address both the opportunities and challenges facing our company.” Alford is beyond thrilled to join the board and says she admires the company’s “desire to face hard issues head-on.” Last year American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault became the first African-American person to be appointed to Facebook’s board of directors. There is a need for more diversity on corporate boards—especially in regards to gender. According to Bloomberg , 21,424 U.S. board seats are held by men while only 5,088 are held by women. SEE ALSO: Serena Williams Appointed To Join Poshmark’s Board Of Directors Shaquille O’Neal Getting Hit Hard For Joining Papa John’s Board Of Directors [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3850892″ overlay=”true”]

Peggy Alford Becomes First Black Woman Nominated To Facebook’s Board Of Directors

Howard University And Lionsgate Create Internship Program To Diversify The Entertainment Industry

Read the original here:

H oward University and Lionsgate have joined forces in an effort to tackle Hollywood’s diversity issues. The HBCU and the entertainment company have launched an internship program to teach students the ins and outs of television and film, Deadline reported. Thanks to @Lionsgate , students at Howard University in D.C. are getting a chance to learn the entertainment business through paid internship programs https://t.co/32IuNnmVN5 — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) April 11, 2019 The program—which initially started at UCLA—is designed to build a pipeline of diverse students and open up career pathways for them to enter the industry. During the internship program, six to 12 students will have the opportunity to work across various departments in the company, go on field trips, attend lectures from prominent individuals in the industry and work on their own projects. The effort to bring the program to Howard was led by alumni Sen. Kamala Harris . The institution’s president Wayne A. I. Frederick says that the internship program will be an integral part of ensuring that the next generation of Hollywood executives is diverse. “Howard University has produced several graduates from film, law, business and theater who have paved their own paths into Hollywood through their persistence, however there is more work to do before the entertainment industry reflects the diverse audiences it serves,” Frederick said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “I applaud our partners at Lionsgate for building a bridge from higher education to the workplace which will help diversify Hollywood behind the camera and create a new generation of executives.” Lionsgate Vice Chairman Michael Burns added that students in the program are “creating opportunities for us to make our workplace more diverse and our storytelling richer and more varied.” Both Lionsgate and Howard hope that they can set the example for other HBCUs and entertainment companies to follow suit. Programs that create career pathways in the entertainment industry for underrepresented groups are needed. According to UCLA’s 2019 Hollywood Diversity Report , people of color make up a mere 7.8 percent of film writers and only 12.6 percent of film directors come from diverse backgrounds. SEE ALSO: #BlackExcellence: Taraji P. Henson To Receive Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame #BossMoves: 14-Year-Old Marsai Martin To Become Youngest Hollywood Executive Producer In History [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3850202″ overlay=”true”]

Howard University And Lionsgate Create Internship Program To Diversify The Entertainment Industry

New Music: Tierra Whack Drops Visuals For “Unemployed” On Adult Swim

Tierra Whack Drops Visuals For “Unemployed” On Adult Swim Source: Interscope Records / Interscope   Rapidly rising hip hop star, Tierra Whack has just announced the exclusive live world premiere of her latest music video “Unemployed” on  AdultSwim.com . The witty, rapid-paced lyricist is a force to be reckoned with on the Zane Lowe-produced track, which was first released last month. The video, directed by Cat Solen ( The Shivering Truth ), will also air today between 8p-9p EST on Adult Swim, the #1 cable destination for young adults. “We love Tierra and this is just the first of several things we have planned together. It’s a joy to be able to work with a talent of her magnitude”, said Jason DeMarco, senior vice president and creative director, on-air for Adult Swim.  

Read this article:
New Music: Tierra Whack Drops Visuals For “Unemployed” On Adult Swim