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Pride Gayla Holds Court for LGBTQ Community

Photos by Iniko McNeil & Jordan Booker Iniko McNeil Data News Weekly Contributor It’s Homecoming Season for schools across the city. For most Historically Black Universities, the Annual Coronation to crown a Mr. and Misses are a traditional feature of Homecoming activities, marked with ballgowns, tuxedos and sashes. Often left out from the traditional nature […]
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Photos by Iniko McNeil & Jordan Booker

Iniko McNeil Data News Weekly Contributor

It’s Homecoming Season for schools across the city. For most Historically Black Universities, the Annual Coronation to crown a Mr. and Misses are a traditional feature of Homecoming activities, marked with ballgowns, tuxedos and sashes. Often left out from the traditional nature of these activities are non-binary and LGBTQ students.’

Introducing: The Pride Gayla. (sub)
Honorary Queen: New Orleans native and artist-in-residence: Laveau Contraire.

Pronouns: “Any” “Yeah! She, her, they, whatever I look like at the time,” Contraire said as she headlined the second ever Pride Gayla organized by the Office of Inclusion and Social Justice at Xavier University of Louisiana, the country’s only Black and Catholic HBCU, where officials said they are working to ensure that university and its activities welcomes and reflects all students.

The Pride Gayla on Oct. 12th in the university’s Ballroom focused on the theme “Visible Voices” celebrating the work of LGBTQ artists and activists like Contraire. It was the centerpiece of a full Pride Week from Oct. 11th – 18th, that included resources from medical professionals on sexual and mental health and navigating gender, a “Barber & Beauty Shop” talk on the norms of masculinity and femininity, a yoga session to promote well-being and ending with an “HBCU Out Day” in collaboration with the Human Rights Campaign to promote confidence in students affirming their identity.

“It’s amazing because I didn’t get to go to an HBCU so to have this love at an HBCU was just so monumental for me because it makes me feel at home, and I am giving back to the community and people that look like me, so it is just mine blowing,” Contraire said at the Gayla.

Attendees at the Annual Gayla enjoyed a three-course meal while networking and creating community with fellow LGBTQ+ community members along with allies, determined to be themselves and share an intentionally created safe space.

“I think events like this such as our Pride Gayla are super important for our voices and our students’ voices to be heard and tonight’s theme is visible voices,” said Glenn Caston, Xavier’s Inclusion and Social Justice Officer in the Division of Student Affairs.

“What we are trying to do is create institutional change and policy so using these platforms to hear from our students and to really welcome them into the space to ensure their voices are seen in everything they do is what our office focuses on,” said Caston, who also serves as the Head Cheerleading Coach at Xavier.

While legislation in many Southern states is making initiatives around inclusion and equality in the classroom harder for educators, Caston said it is even more important for educators and administrators to allow space for classroom curriculum and environment to reflect all students in the classroom.

“A you can see; legislation right now is pushing out these curriculum … In my opinion it is absolutely necessary to have our students in discourse. They need to be finding themselves wrestling with tough concepts and tough curriculum so that they know not to repeat it.”

Affirmation is not only about being comfortable speaking and standing in one’s truth. It also entails having visual, physical, relatable representation. Contraire embodied that self-acceptance at the Pride Gayla, transforming as a self-described “drag queen extraordinaire.”

The event held a sacred place for Contraire, who said she was inspired to see that institutions in her native city are creating space and celebrating all genders and gender identities, even when historically, they may have been isolated or marginalized.

“The option to be more free and be more daring,” Contraire said. “Because, I always say if I can get on stage looking like this, and doing all that you can, be bold in your everyday life and maybe you’ll wear that extra outfit that you thought was a little too much for the function but if you can come to a Laveau Contraire Concert and see her doing that then maybe you can step out in your sparkles or whatever.”

This article originally appeared in New Orleans Data News Weekly.

The post Pride Gayla Holds Court for LGBTQ Community 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.
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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.

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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 …
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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.

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