Sharing silenced voices and untold narratives with my reporting
With my reporting on HBCUs and Blackness, I introduce voices and perspectives of students, alumni and community members that help amplify the beauty of Black excellence that these institutions create with education, culture and history. Stories about HBCUs serve as a reminder that these institutions have existed for decades despite underfunding, corruption and white supremacy.
Check out some of my latest articles.
Viral smash-and-grabs, unfounded crime hysteria and the impact on communities of color
While the smash-and-grab happened on December 1, videos like this frequently populate social media feeds and capture sensationalized headlines during holidays and election season, raising the specter of skyrocketing retail theft by shadowy organized crime networks in American cities.
The year of the side gig: DoorDash, Uber top state lists of most popular side hustles. What are the others?
Some call it a side hustle. Others call it a part-time. Regardless of its name, more Americans than ever this year have picked up extra work in addition to their full-time jobs to make ends meet.
In the wake of pro-Palestine activism, Florida Republicans propose reporting students to Homeland Security for ‘promoting terrorism’
Florida college students could be investigated for supporting “foreign terrorism” threats under a new legislative proposal.
Why HBCU students are stepping up pro-Palestine activism on campuses and beyond
Rokiyah Darbo had never planned a protest before, but after the Israel-Hamas war broke out something made her sit down and make a flyer to bring together a half dozen student organizations and pro-Palestinian groups across Atlanta.
On October 20, Darbo led a crowd of more than 1,500 supporters that rallied in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park.
Morehouse students get $10M of student debt wiped out, thanks to the Debt Collective
Today, the Debt Collective, the nation’s first debtor’s union, canceled close to $10 million in student debt for Morehouse College students, a private men’s HBCU in Atlanta.
Student debt has kept nearly 3,000 Black men from receiving their diplomas, accessing transcripts and pursuing a higher education.
Can Biden call a climate emergency to pause student loan payments?
Two questions have been trending all summer: Why is it so hot outside? And when is the student loan pause ending?
Climate change experts and student loan abolitionists believe the Biden administration can address both questions with one solution: declaring a national emergency for climate change.
Black women have to fix everything, so why not the student debt crisis?
Black women are drowning in a collective $35 billion of student loan debt. And the problem only grows larger every day.
This debt can make reaching financial freedom seem like a myth, especially since the average debt burden is almost $32,000, but Bri Franklin the founder of The Prosp(a)rity Project.
Despite Supreme Court killing affirmative action, many colleges still far from racial equity
Even though the U.S. Supreme Court dismantled the use of race as a factor in admissions for public and private institutions of higher learning, many public American colleges and universities have a long way before achieving racial parity, data show.
The Gen Z Cliff: Why young Americans are mobilizing on abortion and LGBTQ rights
With hate crimes and other attacks against the LGBTQ+ community happening all the time and more states passing laws to restrict reproductive freedom across the country, members of Gen Z face increasing levels of anxiety.
Why Lena Vann is tackling period poverty and menstrual health stigma — in two states
Buying a box of tampons for $12 is one thing, but walking a half mile to Walgreens just to find them is another – this is the reality for a lot of students at North Carolina A&T State University, in Greensboro, and other HBCUs across the country.
The Gen Z Cliff: Why student loan debt and high cost of living has them stressed tf out
Financial instability is powerful enough to impact the entirety of a person’s life and with 46% of Gen Z living paycheck to paycheck, according to a survey from Deloitte, the reality of covering everyday bills like rent could quickly become unrealistic with any unplanned, inconvenient expense.
Sunday’s Best: the evolution of the Black lady church hat
Imagine it’s Easter Sunday: You walk through the church doors to a rainbow of bold extraordinary hats painted throughout the pews. As you find a seat, hints of cocoa and shea butter tingle your nose, and before you sit down someone has already handed you a program and welcomed you into the sanctuary.
The story behind MLK Blvd in Chicago, DC and Portland
There are thousands of Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards, drives, avenues, streets and roads across the country and many, if not all, reside in Black communities. Stereotypes about their location allude to their geography – MLK streets as an entrance to the “hood.”
Battle of the Bands: HBCUs tell us why they’re taking the crown — through memes
HBCU pride and competition have brought students, alumni and fans together for more than 19 years at the annual Honda Battle of the Bands. This year will mark the first time the event has been held on an HBCU campus, Alabama State University in Montgomery.
How to do the bare-ass minimum when navigating uncomfortable holiday family gatherings
Nat King Cole (literally a Christmas song guru) once sang “Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright.”
While we love Nat, my boy wasn’t exactly right about that. The beauty and frill of holiday traditions aren’t always strong enough to gloss over the sometimes uncomfortable, triggering and even traumatic conversations that can arise at the family holiday gathering.
Meet Taylor Alxndr a leading voice in Southern Fried Queer Pride’s LGBTQ+ community
Often people overlook the fact that the South has one of the largest LGBTQ+ populations in the country, according to data provided by the Public Policy Institution of California. Groups like Southern Fried Queer Pride make it their mission to not only provide a voice but also a space where a community can thrive and exist for queer folks across Atlanta.
‘I am super unapologetic’: the story of The Abortion Diva
Beyoncé said “a diva is a female version of a hustler” and that’s just what people call Kenya Martin, The Abortion Diva. She takes every opportunity to share her abortion story and encourages others to do the same.
HBCU historic sites are being preserved by the National Park Service
The National Park Service recently awarded $9.7 million in grants to 21 preservation projects at 19 HBCUs like North Carolina A&T State University, Mississippi Industrial College and Selma University.
Meet O.N.E The Duo, a Black mother and daughter country music group
O.N.E The Duo, a Black mother and daughter country and Americana music group formed last year after Prana Supreme Diggs, the daughter of Wu-Tang Clan’s producer RZA, and Tekitha the Wu-Tang’s female vocalist, convinced her mother that they should make music together.
‘Gorilla grip bonnets’: The story of the non-slip bonnet
MNJSales, a Black-owned bonnet and durag company that has gone viral for their non-slip bonnet videos, says protective caps that fall off don’t have to be your reality.
What Bennett College debt cancelation means to three HBCU women
The Debt Collective, a debt-elimination advocacy group, and their Rolling Jubilee Fund partnered to cancel $1.7 million in student debt for former Bennett College students, a private women's HBCU in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Why Telfar bags are the new HBCU ‘Material Girl’ staple
Students at historically Black institutions (HBCUs) throughout the country are meeting up on campus for what they are calling Telfar Tuesday.
North Carolina’s Battle of Hayes Pond viral moment and what it teaches us about history
Rep. Charles Graham created a viral campaign video about the Battle of Hayes Pond, when the KKK thought they could gather, terrorize, and intimidate communities of Robeson County, N.C., but they were met by more than 400 Lumbee, Black and white community members to defend themselves and drive out white supremacy.
Today’s HBCU bomb threats echo past white supremacist violence on Black campuses
It is evident that bomb threats against HBCUs have a legacy rooted in white supremacy that can be traced throughout history and hate has fueled these threats as a way to deter Black excellence and education.
'Who keeps us safe?' An HBCU roundtable on violence and accountability
Following a string of bomb threats at HBCUs nationwide, current and former students are examining what student safety means on campus.
Rev. Brandon Wrencher: Revolutionizing the church with dissident discipleship
Dissident discipleship led Wrencher and other Greensboro, N.C., faith leaders to form the Good Neighbor Movement, a spiritually-rooted activist group influenced by Black, multiracial and queer Southerners.
This ‘Hippie’s Daughter’ uses Appalachian sayings to inspire art
In 2017, Elizabeth Elswick created Hippie's Daughter, a lifestyle brand built to express nostalgic Appalachian phrases and culture through stickers, key chains and macramé. She sought a way to be authentic and found it through art and her Appalachian roots.
‘Trans in the South’ directory helps navigate the unsafe legacy trans Southerners face
The Campaign for Southern Equality's guide helps Southerners find more trans-friendly resources: Trans in the South: A Directory of Trans-Affirming Health & Legal Service Providers.
Why Ashlee Inscoe, an incarcerated intersex, trans woman is fighting for her safety
Ashlee Inscoe's life could be in danger. She is an intersex, trans woman living in a North Carolina men’s prison, where she and people advocating on her behalf see her safety as increasingly concerning.
'It doesn’t have to be this way': North Carolina cities explore alternatives to police response for non-violent emergency calls
Cities across North Carolina are working to change how they police communities by focusing on alternative policing measures and implementing mental health experts and crisis intervention training into their plans.
Fighting for legacy and Durham’s Black Wall Street
The entrepreneurial efforts of Black businessmen fueled Durham, North Carolina’s Black Wall Street -- creating lasting institutions for excellence despite the threat to decimate Black communities with plans of urban renewal, highway construction and segregation.
‘Student debt is morally illegitimate’: How one group wants to abolish $511 billion in college loans for Southerners
Borrowers in Southern states collectively owe more than $511 billion in federal student loans. With reforms like free public college and full student loan debt cancellation, Southerners could have a better opportunity of narrowing the wealth and education gaps.
Sha’Carri Richardson teaches us to love all Black women’s colored hair, long nails, lashes and tattoos
I know all too well that Black women are no stranger to the confusing ways that this country exalts our beauty and appropriates our culture then turns around and condemns our style and versatility.
How an Appalachia youth coalition is creating a region where people can and want to STAY
Groups like The STAY Together Youth Appalachian Project, a diverse youth coalition in Central Appalachia, are providing young people in Appalachia an opportunity to challenge systems of oppression and build more diverse, inclusive, and healthy communities.
Student journalists at an HBCU campus newspaper took on racist local
media—and won
Tired of racist tropes in local media, NC A&T's student newsroom called for accountability, and surprised themselves with results.
Click here to read the rest of the story on scalawagmagazine.org
HBCUs are keeping the rest of the South safe
Even as their communities face higher risks and lower access, HBCUs are providing COVID-19 testing, virtual communities, and vaccinations.
Click here to read the rest of the story on scalawagmagazine.org
