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Section: Demographics > 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

African-American

More Black Local Broadcast, Cable Channels Possible, Firm Reports

More Black Local Broadcast, Cable Channels Possible, Firm ReportsNEW YORKAccording to a recent story in Broadcasting and Cable online, a leading U.S. media buying firm has documented the financial viability of local TV channels targeted to the African American community as well as additional cable networks. Though African American audiences tune into Black Entertainment Television […]

October 6, 2004

African-American

Coppin State Researchers Investigate Weather

Coppin State Researchers Investigate WeatherPatterns’ Influence on the Middle PassageBALTIMOREA team from Coppin State University is using images from space satellites to investigate how the patterns of winds and ocean currents may have influenced the forced migration of Africans to the Americas. The project began on June 1 and ran through Aug. 31.Coppin State University […]

October 6, 2004

African-American

Report: Uncertain Future for African Americans Despite Past Gains

Report: Uncertain Future for African Americans Despite Past GainsWASHINGTONWhile important gains have been made during the past decade, African Americans still have a long way to go to achieve equality in America, according to a new report by UCLA professor Michael Stoll. While the 1960s through the 1980s were characterized with gains in civil rights, […]

September 22, 2004

African-American

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Dedicated in CincinnatiCINCINNATIOhio Gov. Bob Taft, Sen. Mike DeWine, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Congressman Rob Portman joined a broad range of leaders from the entertainment, academic, government and business communities who participated in the grand opening dedication of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Aug. 23. Aug. 23 […]

September 22, 2004

Leadership & Policy

Breaking Down the Walls

Breaking Down the WallsN o one was surprised when Dr. Marcus Cox’s Ph.D. in history from Northwestern led to job offers from Ohio State and Illinois State universities. But it came as quite a surprise to his friends when Cox passed on those schools to go to The Citadel — a small Southern military college […]

September 8, 2004