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Section: Demographics > African-American

Standout Scholars

Standout ScholarsYoung, gifted and black, scholars across the nation light pathways to the pursuit of academic excellenceIsolation, lack of adequate mentorship and vague, or not so vague, suggestions that the research topics African American scholars pursue are somehow not worthy of academic consideration are only a few of the horrors young scholars can encounter along […]

January 12, 2005

African-American

Report: High School Rigor Essential for Students of Color

Report: High School Rigor Essential for Students of ColorBy Charles DervaricsA new study on the link between high school coursework and postsecondary success paints a challenging picture for education advocates: African Americans can succeed in rigorous courses, but too few get the opportunity.The report from Achieve Inc., finds that few states set high curricula and […]

January 12, 2005

African-American

No Laughing Matter

No Laughing MatterComedian, actor and philanthropist Bill Cosby made headlines earlier this year, and not for a starring role in a new TV show or because of a multimillion-dollar gift to a college or university, but for his comments surrounding low-income African Americans at an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board […]

December 29, 2004

African-American

The Soul of David Levering Lewis

The Soul of David Levering LewisAward-Winning Scholar Contemporizes Black Intellectual TraditionBy Ronald Roach At the 20th anniversary gala of Black Issues In Higher Education this past June, Dr. David Levering Lewis was honored with an inaugural John Hope Franklin Distinguished Contributor to Higher Education award. Lewis’ prize-winning scholarship played no small part in his selection […]

December 29, 2004

African-American

New Book Scouts Spots Where Langston Hughes Spent Youth

New Book Scouts Spots Where Langston Hughes Spent YouthLAWRENCE, Kan.While researching a new book identifying Lawrence locations significant in the life of Langston Hughes, Dr. Denise Low and T.F. Pecore Weso made an interesting discovery. “Every place in Lawrence that Langston Hughes mentioned, or his biographers mentioned, that a racial injustice occurred to him is […]

December 29, 2004

African-American

Alternatives to Greek-Letter Organizations Warrant Second Look

Alternatives to Greek-Letter Organizations Warrant Second Look By Marc C. DavidBecause of the discriminatory practices and lack of appeal of many predominantly White Greek-letter organizations, students of color sought the development of their own. Alpha Phi Alpha, Rho Psi, MALIK Sigma Psi, Lambda Theta Phi, and Alpha Pi Omega set the stage for later African […]

December 15, 2004

African-American

‘Staying Black’ While Attending College

‘Staying Black’ While Attending CollegeBy Dr. Dena R. WallersonSome of our Black students today face a peculiar dilemma when they arrive at college. They must negotiate the demands of proving that they have not forgotten their “roots” and must demonstrate their “Blackness” to others while getting a college education. For Black students attending schools where […]

December 15, 2004

African-American

‘In the Front Yard of the U.S. Capitol’

‘In the Front Yard of the U.S. Capitol’U.S. Rep. and legendary civil rights activist John Lewis, D-Ga., has long pushed for an African American history museum to be constructed on the National Mall in Washington. However, many officials say that the new National Museum of the American Indian occupies the last site on the Mall. […]

December 1, 2004

African-American

Ohio African Americans Cast Important Votes in Presidential Election

Ohio African Americans Cast Important Votes in Presidential ElectionDid African American voters help tip Ohio to President Bush’s column in the 2004 election? A respected analyst thinks so.Bush captured 16 percent of the African American vote in that swing state this year, up from just 9 percent in 2000, says Dr. David Bositis, senior research […]

December 1, 2004

Students

Hazing and Pledging — Not Synonymous Terms

Hazing and Pledging — Not Synonymous TermsThis is a response to the question asked by Dr. (Ricky) Jones in the Oct. 21, 2004, edition of Black Issues (see “BI Forum”) “Is it time to disband Black fraternities and sororities?”This question reminds me of the often-heard refrain, “Is it time to disband HBCUs?” At this historical […]

December 1, 2004

African-American

Furious Flower Poetry Conference Causes a Bit of Fury

Furious Flower Poetry Conference Causes a Bit of Fury Anniversary celebration brings together creative and controversial forcesBy Kendra Hamilton HARRISONBURG, Va. Most of the 370 poets and scholars of poetry who descended on James Madison University for the 10th anniversary celebration of the landmark “Furious Flower” conference had no idea that the organizers were expecting […]

November 17, 2004

Faculty & Staff

Growing Black Ivy

Growing Black IvyColumbia conference explores Black presence at elite schools By Ronald RoachNEW YORKOne of the many education access struggles waged by African Americans since the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic Brown v. Board decision has proven to be one over Black representation at the eight Ivy League universities. Relating both the Brown legacy and the […]

November 17, 2004

African-American

Uncovering Frank Yerby

Uncovering Frank YerbyJourney to the Ph.D. leads one scholar to Madrid, Spain, to unravel the complexities of an expatriate best-selling novelistBy Robin V. SmilesI was working to finish the first chapter of my dissertation when the opportunity arose to travel overseas. The deal — to chaperone a group of college students to Athens, Greece. Once […]

November 3, 2004

Students

Documenting the Diaspora

Documenting the DiasporaHistorian couple investigate Central Africa’s place in world history, rooting Black studies in an international contextBy Ronald RoachTraveling to the Vatican to study documents once belonging to a 17th-century central African diplomat may seem an unlikely project for professors in an African American studies program. But for Drs. John Thornton and Linda Heywood, […]

November 3, 2004

African-American

Gordon Parks Returns to Hero’s Welcome in Hometown

Gordon Parks Returns to Hero’s Welcome in HometownFORT SCOTT, Kan. The town that wouldn’t let Gordon Parks sit with the White people when he was growing up made it up to him in a big way with a four-day celebration of his life.In the downtown theater where, as a boy, Parks had to sit in […]

November 3, 2004

Students

Is it Time to Disband Black Fraternities and Sororities?

Is it Time to Disband Black Fraternities and Sororities?A couple of weeks ago, one of my favorite former students — now an administrator at Fisk University — called to inquire how quickly I could get Fisk on my speaking schedule. He informed me that my fraternity brothers on the campus had become the latest victimizers […]

October 20, 2004

African-American

A Year After Reburial of Slaves, Debate Over Memorial

A Year After Reburial of Slaves, Debate Over MemorialNEW YORK When more than 400 slaves were reburied last year at a site unearthed by construction workers in lower Manhattan, the occasion was marked by singing, dancing — and promises for an elaborate memorial. Today, the site is marked by only one small sign. While a […]

October 20, 2004

African-American

Events

OCTOBER Oct. 14-16American Association of University Professors (AAUP)Fifth Annual Conference on Governance“Degrees of Quality”The Marriott DowntownMemphis, Tenn.Web: www.aaup.orgOct. 16The National Visionary Leadership Project2004 Intergenerational Summit on the State of Black AmericaLibrary of Congress, Coolidge AuditoriumWashington, D.C. Phone: 202-331-2700Toll-free: 1-888-680-6857 (NVLP)Oct. 27-31National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME)2004 Conference Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board […]

October 6, 2004