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Students Rally in Maryland’s Capital to Resolve Longstanding HBCU Lawsuit

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Individuals from Bowie State, Coppin, Morgan State, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore arrived early and filled the streets chanting and demanding that lawmakers and Gov. Larry Hogan settle the longstanding dispute.

Published

4 years ago

November 30, 2019

Oakland Post

"The students from all four universities are communicating with each other for one purpose, and that is to have Gov. Hogan withdraw the appeal — he and only he has the power and authority to do so." (Photo: Governor Hogan Presides At Board Of Public Works Hearing by Joe Andrucyk at Governors Reception Room, 100 State Circle, Annapolis MD 21401 / Wikimedia Commons)

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Students and alumni from Maryland’s four historically black colleges rallied near the state Capitol building in a call for a resolution to a 13-year-old federal lawsuit over disparities in academic programs.

Individuals from Bowie State, Coppin, Morgan State, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore arrived early and filled the streets chanting and demanding that lawmakers and Gov. Larry Hogan settle the longstanding dispute.

Inside the complex of government buildings, members of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland were urging lawmakers to stand behind a nearly $600 million settlement previously reached by the state and the Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education.

Hogan has offered to pay the HBCUs about $200 million over ten years to settle the dispute in which coalition members have argued that Maryland has underfunded its four HBCUs, while allowing other state schools to duplicate their programs, placing pressure on enrollment.

Courts have urged the two sides to settle.

“We call upon Governor Hogan and the legislature to stop the foot-dragging and delay, and act quickly to find the funds to rectify this long-festering injustice,” said Del. Charles E. Sydnor III (D-Baltimore County), who led the rally along Bladen Street.

The Coalition filed a lawsuit in 2006, claiming that the state had failed to “dismantle vestiges of segregated higher education,” including by underfunding the four HBCUs.

The suit notes that the state has allowed traditionally white universities to continue creating new degree programs that were duplicative of programs at the historically black schools.

In 2013, a federal judge found that the state violated the Constitution because it had maintained a dual and segregated education system.

The two sides have since held several mediation sessions that were ordered by the court. However, the Coalition has objected to what it said were unfair terms, including the amount offered by the state.

Currently, there are no future court dates on the docket.

“The students are very actively advocating on behalf of all four of the HBCUs in Maryland,” Zattura Sims-El, one of many advocates for HBCUs in the state, told NNPA Newswire before the rally.

“The students from all four universities are communicating with each other for one purpose, and that is to have Gov. Hogan withdraw the appeal — he and only he has the power and authority to do so.”

Lawsuits like the one in Maryland “remind all of us how an uneven playing field yields underfunded colleges, declining federal funding, and endowments that lag behind those of predominantly white institutions,” Pete Buttigieg, a Democratic presidential candidate, wrote in an op-ed for the Baltimore Sun.

The op-ed appeared on the morning of the rally.

“Left without remedy, injustice does not heal,” Buttigieg wrote while pledging to increase funding for HBCUs and other minority-centered institutions by $50 billion.

Maryland House Speaker, Democrat Adrienne A. Jones, also urged Hogan to agree to the $577 million settlement. “I know what can and can’t be done,” Jones told the crowd.

“I’m on the House Appropriations Committee, I should know what we can afford, and I’m in support, and I’m just as anxious as you are,” she stated.

Maryland Democrat, Del. Darry Barnes, the chair of the black caucus, told reporters that plans are in the works for legislation that would compel Hogan to settle the lawsuit.

“This is not just good for our HBCUs, but this is good for the state of Maryland,” Barnes said.

Michael Jones, an attorney who has been representing a coalition in support of the schools, said Maryland continues to ignore a court order to provide its HBCUs with funding for programs, marketing, and scholarships.

“That’s exactly what this is about,” stated Jones, who has asked that the state pay $577 million to its HBCUs to finally settle the case. “They can do so over a reasonable period,” Jones stated.

In a statement, Hogan said he’s merely acting on his responsibility to protect the state budget because Maryland is bracing for an economic slowdown.

“My desire is to resolve it,” Hogan, a Republican, stated earlier this year. “We do have offers on the table. We’re hoping that both parties can reach an agreement.”

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.