HBCU

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
Sep 2 2010

Black schools impact on the community

Five years after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina a large percentage of residents are back to living life as they knew it before, but many more continue struggling to get back on their feet and are still looking for help wherever they can get it.
 
Some neighborhoods can luckily say they received that help partially because of the dedication of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the area.

Joseph Wright  |   OW Senior Staff Writer
Apr 29 2010

Palmdale Knight HS student-athlete shortstop Taylor Pleasant signs with Mississippi Valley State U.

When Knight High School senior Taylor Pleasant started her softball career at age six, she was picking daisies in the outfield. Bored with the sport, she quit one year later to focus on karate. However, Pleasant’s interest in karate faded and she was back out on the baseball diamond. She never looked back and now the high school senior shortstop, one of the best softball players in the Antelope Valley in Palmdale, has accepted an athletic scholarship to play softball at Mississippi Valley State University.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Apr 8 2010

Health care bill includes education funding

When President Barack Obama signed the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, not only did he approve a historic change in the way health care will be offered in America, but he also made a commitment that will mean Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and predominantly Black Educational Institutions (PBIs) will get financial resources badly needed to continue their respective missions.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Mar 4 2010

White sorority stuns HBCU step competition with wining routine

First the word went out that a White sorority—Zeta Tau Alpha—won the largest step competition in America.  Say What?!!  I was surprised, and when I looked at their performance on line, I was shocked to see White girls move like that. But I also knew it was simply the “wow” factor that got them over. And historically African American people love it when White people can do what they . . .  that is until they take it over, and get more notoriety and ‘bling’ than the originators.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Jun 4 2009

L.A. student wins big at Howard University

When Crenshaw-area native Lawrence Ball was named first runner up in the 2009 Ford Historically Black Colleges and Universities Business Plan Competition, the emotions just welled up inside of him.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”