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#Faithworks: How today’s college students are leaning on their faith and support systems

By Jared Still, Special to the AFRO From worries about class performance to the daily prospect of violence in a major American inner city environment, college students across the country are embracing prayer and building their own support systems. Founded as the Centenary Biblical Institute in 1867, it’s no surprise that Morgan State University students […]
The post #Faithworks: How today’s college students are leaning on their faith and support systems first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

6 months ago

October 19, 2023

AFRO Staff

By Jared Still,
Special to the AFRO

From worries about class performance to the daily prospect of violence in a major American inner city environment, college students across the country are embracing prayer and building their own support systems.

Founded as the Centenary Biblical Institute in 1867, it’s no surprise that Morgan State University students are not shy about their faith and how it helps steady their mental and emotional health.

“My faith teaches me that everything happens for a reason,” Mohammed Yusuf Adedayo, a 24-year-old marketing and multiplatform production double major, told the AFRO.

“Your life is destined the way it’s supposed to go. Anything that comes your way or any obstacle or challenge can be confronted,” the Lagos, Nigeria native said, insisting that his faith is key to his survival and stability.

“Whenever I’m in need or facing a challenge, I always go back to my faith. I always seek help from Allah. I pray, talk to him and usually he’ll come through and things get done for me,” he said.

As president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at a historically Black college or university (HBCU), Adeyayo acknowledges that times can be tough for students whether they are on and off campus. Prayer helps, he said.

“I believe that if something negative happens – while other people may see it as, ‘Oh God, why are you doing this to me–’ I just see it as ‘Oh yeah, this is destiny. I’m supposed to go through this with prayer and keep a strong belief in my faith.’ I go through it like it’s another thing to go through in my life.”

Adedayo said that MSA has worked with many on campus to build a strong community of Muslims.

“I don’t think people take faith as seriously as they should, but having other people with the same faith having friends or attending meetings with different religious organizations helps in strengthening faith.”

For other students, life’s wild ride presents an opportunity to deepen devotion and reliance on prayer.

Candyce Beazer, 21, a multiplatform production student from New York City, told a reporter she joined Connected Through Christ (CTC) and proclaimed Christ as her savior in February.

“I’ve been going to church since the age of 14. I went to church when I was younger on and off with my grandmother, but it was nothing like now.”

“In that church I wasn’t really saved,” said Beazer, “I was still doing what I wanted to do and I wasn’t following any Christian practices,” she said.

Now, she said, “Faith has brought me up in school and helped me address my identity and be accepting of who I am through Christ, and I’ve found my community here with CTC.”

Yet, religion remains a tough sell to some students.

When Justin Holland, 22-year-old civil engineering major from Calvert County, Md. reflects on events from campus shootings to threats to world peace, he remains skeptical about the role of prayer in his life.

“The more I think about it, I’ve been agnostic my whole life. I grew up in a Christian background, specifically Baptist, but when I really started to ditch Christianity it was around 2020 when the pandemic hit.”

“Since we were on lockdown, I wasn’t going to church like I used to and I already had my doubts about Christianity growing up. Once COVID, hit I left Christianity behind,” he said. “I was never one to pray much or talk to God when I needed things, so switching to agnostic didn’t really change much.”

To those who try to sell him on organized religion, he says he has “already made up [his] mind.”

“I don’t understand why Christian people have an inclination to try and convert people.”

Still, Candyce Beazer is sold on prayer.

“My faith has really boosted me as far as confidence, self-esteem [and] identity. [I] know who I am through Christ and what God has done for me in my life. [I’m] not living in darkness like I was before–living the same life I was living like two years ago,” she said.

“My faith helps me by trusting God more with my future,” she said. “I used to worry a lot about what I would do after school, what job I would get after I graduate [and] what path I’m going to take. Now, with me stepping into faith and really trusting God, I don’t need to worry about these things. I know He has a plan for me and I know that whatever road He chooses to put me on after school–I’m going to be great regardless.”

Beazer says that prior to deciding to lean into her faith, she went through what she describes as “an alone period.”

“I wasn’t really going out. I wasn’t talking to the same people I usually talked to,” she said. “I was able to come out of that darkness, find my community and get put back in the church and now I attend church more often.”

“God was able to pull me out of the headspace and situation I was dealing with before I got saved.”

Jared Still is an AFRO Intern from Morgan State University.

The post #Faithworks: How today’s college students are leaning on their faith and support systems appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers .

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

The post #Faithworks: How today’s college students are leaning on their faith and support systems first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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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

3 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

3 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.

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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.