HBCU
Fisk Jubilee Singers co-headline Ryman Auditorium for annual Spring Sing concert with India.Arie
NASHVILLE PRIDE — Four-time Grammy award winner India.Arie will co-headline Ryman Auditorium with the world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers.
By Pride Newsdesk
Four-time Grammy award winner India.Arie will co-headline Ryman Auditorium with the world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers on Saturday, March 23, at 8 pm. Proceeds from this year’s Spring Sing concert will benefit the Fisk Jubilee Singers’ scholarship fund.
The annual Spring Sing concert will feature the Singers’ traditional repertoire under the direction of Paul T. Kwami, D.M.A.
Shannon Sanders, the Grammy, Emmy and Dove award-winning producer, will serve as co-musical director for the concert with Kwami.
“The Fisk Jubilee Singers and Ryman Auditorium are two of Nashville’s greatest institutions and I am honored to again work alongside Dr. Kwami and the Singers to present a great night of music for the Nashville community,” said Sanders.
Multiplatinum singer/songwriter India.Arie emerged on the music scene with the release of 2001’s RIAA double-platinum certified Acoustic Soul. She continued her trail of successful releases with 2002’s platinum-certified Voyage to India, 2006’s gold-certified Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship and its 2009 sequel Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics. She has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. Her latest single, ‘That Magic,’ currently sits at #6 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart.
The Fisk Jubilee Singers, organized as a choral ensemble in 1871, have played an important role in introducing and sustaining the tradition of the Negro spiritual to the world. The ensemble traveled throughout the world in the 1800s, singing songs that were sacred to them and raising money to support Fisk University. Today, the ensemble continues to travel globally and is comprised of Fisk University students who are selected annually through an audition process. This ensemble has received numerous awards, including induction into the Music City Walk of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame. The Fisk Jubilee Singers were also awarded the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest artistic honor, in 2008 at the White House by former President George W. Bush.
This article originally appeared in the Nashville Pride.
#NNPA BlackPress
Biden Administration Focuses Money on HBCUs After Bomb Threats
NNPA NEWSWIRE — On March 16, in a small auditorium at the Old Executive Office Building next door to The White House, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke on the plan. The allocations, coming from existing money from the Department of Education budget, comes to about $150,000 per school.

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor
Shifting funds from the Department of Education to assist Historically Black Colleges and Universities experiencing sporadic bomb threats, several top officials in the Biden Administration spoke out. Over the last two months repeated bomb threats have been made against several HBCUS including Morgan State, and Howard University.
On March 16, in a small auditorium at the Old Executive Office Building next door to The White House, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke on the plan. The allocations, coming from existing money from the Department of Education budget, comes to about $150,000 per school.
HBCUS have received a record amount of funding from the federal government over the last year into the billions.
“At the Justice Department, we believe the time to address illegal threats is when they are made, not after tragedy strikes. We also know that the threat against HBCUs and their students has deep, historical roots… In the over 150 years since the founding of the Department, the threats posed by hate-fueled criminal acts have taken on many different forms. But our task remains the same: to use our resources and our legal authorities to prevent and confront bias-motivated violence and threats of violence,” the Attorney said in front of education officials, reporters and supporters of HBCUs.
Black Press USA asked Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH) and Senior Advisor Cedric Richmond about the historic allocations.
“If you look at our Administration, if you look at what we’re doing we’re making sure we empower our universities. They’ve done great with less for far too long,” Richmond said standing in the White House driveway.
Members of the CBC received a briefing on the bomb threats from Department of Justice officials in early March. In an era of divisive politics and a former President, Donald Trump, who negatively openly targeted Black members of Congress and cities with large Black populations such as Baltimore and Philadelphia, concerns for HBCUs have remained high.
“The threats made against our nations Historically Black Colleges and Universities are far from new, and I commend the Administration for finally allocating the necessary attention and resources to HBCUs as we work to end the string of threats and bring the perpetrators to justice,” said Rep. Frederica Wilson in a statement.
“Our administration is sending a very clear message that intimidation will not stand and we will not be intimidated. We will do everything in our power to protect all our communities from violence and from hate,” said Vice President Harris.
Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is a political analyst who appears regularly on #RolandMartinUnfiltered. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke
The post Biden Administration Focuses Money on HBCUs After Bomb Threats first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
Crime
Assemblymember Demands Probe into Bomb Threat at California’s Only HBCU
Earlier this month, there were bomb threats at approximately eight historically Black colleges across the country: Spelman College in Atlanta; Howard University in Washington, D.C.; the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Florida Memorial University; Norfolk State University in Virginia; North Carolina Central University; Prairie View A&M University in Texas; and Xavier University in Louisiana.

By California Black Media
Following a racist bomb threat Jan. 11 that disrupted operations and terrified students, faculty and staff at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) in Los Angeles, Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) is calling on state and federal authorities to investigate.
CDU is the only historically Black college in California. It is also designated a “Minority-Serving Institution” by the U.S. Office for Civil Rights.
“As I heard about the violent threat leveled against California’s current and future doctors, nurses, and first responders, I was utterly enraged and pissed off! How can anyone threaten to take the lives of those who have committed themselves to provide life-saving services? This makes me sick to my stomach,” said Gipson in a statement.
Located in the Willowbrook community in Los Angeles, CDU prides itself on its high enrollment of minority students. Its student body is 80% students of color. About 71% of its faculty is Black, Latino or another ethnic minority.
“In light of the seriousness of this threat and the threats against Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the nation, I’ve contacted the Governor’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, the Federal Department of Justice, and President Biden to take action against this racist attack NOW,” continued Gipson.
Earlier this month, there were bomb threats at approximately eight historically Black colleges across the country: Spelman College in Atlanta; Howard University in Washington, D.C.; the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Florida Memorial University; Norfolk State University in Virginia; North Carolina Central University; Prairie View A&M University in Texas; and Xavier University in Louisiana.
On Jan. 11, CDU officials say they discovered a bomb threat that had been e-mailed to a generic university e-mail address on Jan. 9.
The sender identified himself as a “Neo Nazi Fascist” and wrote: “…I will detonate all 3 of the Titanium Nitrate Sulfuric bombs. My reasoning … I want to show the Black Population what the White Man can do, we will take back our land!”
“The threat claimed that explosive devices had been planted on the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science campus in South Los Angeles. Out of an abundance of caution, CDU immediately closed the entire campus and notified authorities,” read a CDU statement.
CDU Campus Safety and local law enforcement completed a review of the grounds and facilities and determined that the campus is safe.
The campus reopened for operations Jan. 12, according to Jonathan Zaleski, CDU director of Communications.
Founded in 1966, CDU has trained more than 8,000 health care professionals, including doctors, nurses and public health specialists.
#NNPA BlackPress
IN MEMORIAM: Cheryl Hickmon: National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Dies
NNPA NEWSWIRE — THE BURTON WIRE — Hickmon, a beloved and celebrated member, served the organization for 39 years. The Connecticut native was initiated into the Alpha Xi Chapter at South Carolina State University in 1982 and was an active member of the Hartford (Conn.) Alumnae Chapter. The national office of the sorority released a statement announcing Hickmon’s death which reads as follows, in part: “It is with great sorrow that Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. shares the passing of our beloved National President and Chair of the National Board of Directors, Cheryl A. Hickmon. President Hickmon transitioned peacefully on January 20, 2022 after a recent illness.

By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D, NNPA Newswire Culture and Entertainment Editor
The nation is mourning the passing of Cheryl Hickmon, national president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, the nation’s largest African-American sorority. Hickmon was elected president of the organization dedicated to sisterhood, scholarship and service November 21, 2021 at the 55th national convention held in Atlanta, GA.
Hickmon, a beloved and celebrated member, served the organization for 39 years. The Connecticut native was initiated into the Alpha Xi Chapter at South Carolina State University in 1982 and was an active member of the Hartford (Conn.) Alumnae Chapter. The national office of the sorority released a statement announcing Hickmon’s death which reads as follows:
“It is with great sorrow that Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. shares the passing of our beloved National President and Chair of the National Board of Directors, Cheryl A. Hickmon. President Hickmon transitioned peacefully on January 20, 2022 after a recent illness.
President Hickmon was a devoted member of Delta Sigma Theta since 1982 and served in various capacities at the chapter, region, and national level before being elected National President. She is remembered not only for her role as a leader but for being a colleague, friend, and most of all, sister.
The entire sisterhood of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated mourns the loss of President Hickmon. During this difficult time, we ask that you respect her family’s privacy and keep them in your prayers.”

Hickmon’s bio reads, “Cheryl lives her life by the motto … ‘Don’t measure life by the number of breaths you take but by the number of moments that take your breath away.’” She was 60.
-
Digital Issues1 day ago
Oakland Post: Week of May 25 – 31, 2022
-
Digital Issues1 week ago
Oakland Post: Week of May 18 – 24, 2022
-
Digital Issues2 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of May 11 – 17, 2022
-
Digital Issues3 weeks ago
Oakland Post: May 4, 2022
-
Digital Issues4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: April 27 – May 3, 2022
-
Arts and Culture4 weeks ago
Every 28 hours. A breakthrough that’s overdue.
-
Activism4 weeks ago
State’s Only Black Female D.A. Announces Decades-Old Cold Case Solved
-
Bay Area5 days ago
Teachers Unions Countywide Criticize County Supt. L.K. Monroe for not Informing Board of Ed of $600,000 in COVID Stipends to Managers