PVAMU's $500,000 Mellon Foundation Grant matched by anonymous donor gift

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas, PRNewswire/ -- The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) a grant of $500,000 to support its efforts to establish an African-American Studies Initiative which will be housed in its Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences. Inspired by the Mellon Foundation award, an anonymous donor pledged an added $250,000 to help fund this Initiative. This generous donation is eligible for a $250,000 university match, bringing the total support for the Initiative's launch to $1 million.

The project, Enhancing the Humanities at PVAMU Through An African-American Studies Program Initiative, is designed to selectively infuse African-American Studies content throughout the university's liberal arts offerings. The initial concept for the program was conceived when Prairie View President Ruth J. Simmons called for the creation of an African-American Studies program in her first campus-wide address. Having directed Afro-American Studies at Princeton and Chaired the African-American Studies Department Visiting Committee at Harvard, President Simmons expressed surprise and disappointment that, given the University's cultural legacy, it did not have a formal program in African-American Studies.

The Enhancing the Humanities at PVAMU through an African-American Studies Program Initiative 

The primary intent of the proposed program is to infuse PVAMU's STEM focused university with curricular content and programming that emphasizes the centrality and benefit of the Humanities and Social Sciences in undergraduate education. Funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, along with additional gifts and donations, will allow faculty to revise and expand existing courses in the PVAMU Core Curriculum, in addition to developing new courses within and across the disciplines, to form and propose an African-American Studies Program (AAS).

The Initiative will provide an interdisciplinary study of the experiences of people of African descent in America and abroad. Scholarly activities will provide students, faculty and the PVAMU community with a fundamental understanding of the social, economic, cultural and historical issues framing the contribution of African-American communities in America.

To ensure the success of the Initiative, highly respected scholars will work with a select cohort of PVAMU faculty to act as advisors, assist in establishing program priorities, review core course themes and hold public lectures and workshops reflecting their respective fields in African-American Studies.

"By strategically embedding African-American theme-based courses within the core curriculum, all students will have an opportunity to select courses that expand their academic interests while enhancing their engagement in the humanities," explained James Palmer, interim provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs.

 

 

Deborah Catchings-Smith

CARY, N.C.  - National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) announced the installation of Deborah Catchings-Smith, International President, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, as chair of the NPHC’s Council of Presidents (COP) for a one-year term effective immediately. 

Black media professionals honored at 2018 BOMA Awards.

MIAMI – It’s not often that you’ll hear a faith-based economist quoting the rapper Drake or have the opportunity to sit in a room filled with 150 of South Florida’s most talented black media professionals, but that’s exactly what happened Thursday, September 20, at 11 a.m. when the Black Owned Media Alliance (BOMA) held the Second Annual BOMA Awards at Miami’s Hilton Airport Hotel.

Experts from various aspects of the industry came together to honor the multi-talented individuals who have dedicated their careers to not only authentically telling the African Diaspora’s stories, but also creating economic opportunities to build its wealth and strengthen its core.

WMBM’s Debra Toomer served as the Mistress of Ceremony and Dr. Lance McCarthy – a nationally recognized Faith-Based Economist and Investment Advisor with a specialty in Urban Development – delivered the keynote.

After giving some staggering statistics, McCarthy challenged the audience to implement the 3Cs of consciousness, currency and communications to enrich the Black community.

“We’ve had the DNA of black business owners since the beginning of time. We know black history, but not black business history. …We don’t need any more programs, we need projects. How do we put information out there continuously on black wealth? How do we create a platform to be able to move our agenda forward,” McCarthy asked.

“The sin is not being blind, the sin is not being deaf, the sin is not doing what God called you to do,” McCarthy continued, saying Drake got it right when he said “YOLO (You Only Live Once),” “God’s Plan” and “Started from the Bottom Now We’re Here.”

Honorees included: Teri Williams, President of OneUnited Bank as BOMA Champion of the Year; Bernadette Morris, Founder and Chairman of Sonshine Communications as BOMA Icon of the Year; Publix as BOMA Advocate of the Year; Sandy Walker, Publisher of The Gospel Truth, as BOMA Vanguard of the Year; Peter Webley, Publisher of Caribbean Today, as BOMA Visionary of the Year; and John Yearwood, Yearwood Media Group, as BOMA Luminary of the Year.

Award winners included:  Hip Rock Star, Marketing Firm of the Year; S.A. Nelson & Associates, PR Firm of the Year; WOW Factor, Advertising Agency of the Year; The Mosaic Group, Black Advertising Agency of the Year; Calibe Thompson, Blondie Ras Productions, Inc., Best TV Communicator of the Year; Lynda Harris, Independent Financial Advisor, Best Radio Communicator of the Year; Russell Motley, MIA Media Group, Best Print Communicator of the Year; Tracy Timberlake, Timberlake Ventures, Best Digital Communicator of the Year; LaShannon Petit, PRPL Miami, Best Social Media Communicator of the Year; David Muir, Photo/Video Journalist of the Year; and Arriale Henry, The Westside Gazette, BOMA Rising Star Award.

In addition to serving as the MC, Toomer received the President's Award for her commitment to excellent service and BOMA President Dexter Bridgeman received the first Spirit of Dexter Bridgeman Award, an annual award created in his honor as the organizing founder of BOMA.

Bridgeman said the organization was created in 2015 to address the disparity that exists in South Florida for black-owned media outlets when it comes to receiving viable economic and financial opportunities.

Under the leadership of Miami-Dade County School Board Member, Dr. Steve Gallon III, the education community is excited about the relaunch of the Miami-Alliance of Black School Educators Black School Educators (MABSE), the local affiliate of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE). You don't want to miss their inaugural Legacy of Excellence In Education Awards Dinner & Membership Drive, on Thursday, September 6, 2018 at NoMi Bar & Grill, 738 Northeast 125th Street, North Miami, FL 33161. The evening has been designed to reinvigorate the local community's premier organization advocating for education of all children of African descent and to honor outstanding Educators from Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.

Congratulations to the 2018 MABSE Excellence in Education Honorees:

Dr. Solomon C. Stinson
Dr. Geneva Knowles Woodard
Ms. Johnnie Batist
Ms. Valtena Brown
Dr. Derick McCoy
Ms. Bernadette Toussaint Pierre
Mr. Derek Negron
Ms. Cisely Scott
Ms. Tawana Akins

Tickets can be purchased online at ExcellenceInEducation2018.eventbrite.com. Seating is limited and there will be no on site ticket sales. For more information, contact Vanessa Woodard Byers at info@mabse.org or (305) 879-6442.