Monday, March 29, 2021
A Sharecropper's Child Gifted $50 Million to Black College
An excerpt from Bloomberg Equality -
Ivy League Star, a Sharecropper’s Child, Revives a Black College
But even a $50 million gift can’t reverse generations of state discrimination.
By Janet Lorin
Lawrence’s historically Black college, Prairie View A&M in Texas, had suddenly come into the kind of money once reserved for Harvard and the other richest schools. Over a month starting in November, students behind on their bills — one out of 10 undergraduates — got this year-end lifeline from economic turmoil in the pandemic. As much as $2,000 apiece, it was the first installment of what will ultimately be $10 million worth of “Panther Success Grants,” named after their school mascot.
It’s part of the unlikely homecoming and valedictory act of Prairie View’s president, Ruth Simmons, one of higher education’s most prominent Black leaders. Simmons is using her clout and connections — and the current U.S. reckoning with systemic racism — to create a renaissance at a school long neglected by its state.
“We don’t want our students to give up,” says Simmons, who will be Harvard’s commencement speaker in May. “We know what's waiting for them at the other end when they do finish and have a brilliant career. They get to lift their families out of poverty and have incredible lives. We don't want them to give up too soon.”
The youngest of 12 children in a family of sharecroppers, Simmons grew up in Texas, just a couple of hours north of Prairie View. She then rose to the pinnacle of the academy, as a French literature scholar with a Harvard Ph.D, a dean at Princeton and later president of Brown, the first Black person to lead an Ivy League school. She was a star fundraiser, sought after in corporate board rooms, where she was a director at Chrysler, Texas Instruments Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-03-19/ivy-league-star-a-sharecropper-s-child-revives-a-black-college
Blistering Indeed
From Mediate -
WATCH: Tiffany Cross Delivers BLISTERING Commentary on Sharon Osbourne and Her ‘Complicity to White Supremacy’
By Tommy Christopher
https://www.mediaite.com/news/watch-tiffany-cross-delivers-blistering-commentary-on-sharon-osbourne-and-her-complicity-to-white-supremacy/
Two neighbours playing piano between a wall - Giorgio and Emil
It’s rare to see a league partner activate on both NBA & WNBA rights in the same ad spot, but love how this turned out and need more of it. pic.twitter.com/cwT8LK4x4U
— Avish Sood (@AvishSood) March 28, 2021
Sunday, February 28, 2021
Sunday, February 21, 2021
Only 4 Black Fortune 500 CEOs
An excerpt from GoBankingRates -
There Are Only 4 Black Fortune 500 CEOs
See the leaders who are carving a new path.
By John Csiszar
In spite of all the progress made in Black representation in America, these advances have yet to translate to the C-suite in corporate America. With the resignation of Tapestry CEO Jide Zeitlin in July 2020, the number of Black CEOs among the Fortune 500 dropped to a woeful four. One person will soon be added to that list as Rosalind Brewer, Starbucks’ chief operating officer, will take over as the CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance. She will be leaving Starbucks at the end of February and will then be the only Black woman CEO at a Fortune 500 company. Unfortunately, this list will shrink again when Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier retires in June 2021.
Over the complete history of the Fortune 500, which dates back to 1999, there have only been a total of 18 Black CEOs leading America’s Fortune 500 companies. The peak year for representation was 2012, when a still-anemic total of six Black CEOs led corporate America’s most prominent companies. As Black History Month unfolds, it’s a good time to take a closer look at the four Black CEOs paving the way for future leaders of color.
https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/business/fortune-500-includes-only-4-black-ceos/
Racial Gaslighting
An excerpt from Your Tango -
How To Know If Someone's Racially Gaslighting You — And 10 Ways To Respond
By Angelique Beluso
Experiencing racism can be a lonely experience at times. And It's exhausting to have to defend your experience. But in moments like these, it's important to stand your ground and speak your truth.
There are ways to respond to racial gaslighting that allows you to stand up for yourself while encouraging a healthy discourse.
Here are a few ways to respond to racial gaslighting:
1. “My experience is not up for debate.”
2. “This is my truth of what happened, please don’t try and invalidate that.”
3. “I would never question if you experienced racism, please don’t question if I did.”
https://www.yourtango.com/2021340295/how-to-know-if-someone-racially-gaslighting-you-ways-to-respond
Monday, February 15, 2021
More HBCU Love
From Newsone -
Black History In The Making: 21 HBCU Graduates Who Are Changing The World In 2021
By Bruce C.T. Wright
https://newsone.com/playlist/hbcu-graduates-changing-the-world/
Love This Momma!
🎶 SINCE U BEEN GONE 🎶
— Maryland Basketball 🐢 (@TerrapinHoops) December 12, 2018
"Mom please sto-"
🎶 I CAN BREATHE FOR THE FIRST TIME 🎶 pic.twitter.com/4b5DQ7SzdE
Sunday, February 14, 2021
The Black Panthers Revisited
From the NY Times -
Stay Close
From the NY Times -