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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.
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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Tunisia: Raja Amari’s ‘She Had a Dream’ Doc Premieres on AfroPoP
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Amari is one of these artists and Ghofrane is an activist. Exploring how racism has shaped her life in all aspects including her early school days, her romantic life and everyday activities, Amari’s film showcases how Ghofrane uses her experiences as impetus to work to bring change to her country for all people. A compassionate and hopeful exploration of the life and aspirations of Ghofrane, She Had A Dream sheds light on women’s roles in Tunisia’s changing society and one woman’s battle to create change for her community.
The post Tunisia: Raja Amari’s ‘She Had a Dream’ Doc Premieres on AfroPoP first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D, NNPA Newswire Entertainment and Culture Editor
The documentary She Had A Dream by Tunisian filmmaker Raja Amari premieres on AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange series tonight at 8 p.m. EST on WORLD CHANNEL. Season 14 of the acclaimed documentary series captures Black artists and activists shaping and reclaiming culture, advocating for change and mobilizing for brighter futures. She Had A Dream offers an intimate portrayal of one young Black Tunisian woman’s quest for political office and her fight against racism and oppression in a society that often seeks to overlook both.
The documentary follows Ghofrane, a 20-something Black woman from Tunisia as she walks the path of self-discovery of young adulthood while running for political office in a homeland where many still view her as an outsider.
Watch the trailer below:
A dedicated, charismatic activist and a modern, free-speaking woman, Ghofrane in many ways is the embodiment of contemporary Tunisian political hopes still alive years after the Arab Spring. She Had A Dream follows Ghofrane as she works to conquer her own self-doubts while attempting to persuade close friends and complete strangers to vote for her. As audiences follow her campaign, they also follow the dichotomies of her life as a woman striving for a role in politics in the Arab world and as a Black person in a country where racism is prevalent, yet often denied.
“The 14th season of AfroPoP shines a light on the collective power, strength and resilience of Black people and movements around the world,” said Leslie Fields-Cruz, AfroPoP executive producer. “Viewers will see artists use their platforms to push for progress and human rights and see ‘ordinary’ people do the remarkable in the interest of justice.”
Amari is one of these artists and Ghofrane is an activist. Exploring how racism has shaped her life in all aspects including her early school days, her romantic life and everyday activities, Amari’s film showcases how Ghofrane uses her experiences as impetus to work to bring change to her country for all people. A compassionate and hopeful exploration of the life and aspirations of Ghofrane, She Had A Dream sheds light on women’s roles in Tunisia’s changing society and one woman’s battle to create change for her community.
She Had A Dream airs on AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange Monday, April 11 at 8 p.m. ET on WORLD Channel and begins streaming on worldchannel.org at the same time.
AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange is presented by Black Public Media and WORLD Channel. For more information, visit worldchannel.org or blackpublicmedia.org.
This article was written by Nsenga K. Burton, founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news site The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter or Instagram @TheBurtonWire.
The post Tunisia: Raja Amari’s ‘She Had a Dream’ Doc Premieres on AfroPoP first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Nairobi: Water Crisis Exploits Women & Girls
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “Sextortion” refers to sex being used as currency instead of money for services or products — in this case water. According to the Water Integrity Network (WIN), the testimonies collected from women over the past five years in Kibera and Mukuru Kwa Njenga, which are some of the largest informal settlements in Nairobi, point towards an invisible, unspoken, and sinister consequence of corruption in the water sector i.e. sextortion. Sex for water is not a new phenomena.
The post Nairobi: Water Crisis Exploits Women & Girls first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

BBC Africa is reporting Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, is facing a water shortage because of changing weather patterns and aging water facilities. The article reports, “Residents in informal communities like Kibra pay private vendors for water, meaning they now control the supply and access to water in the community.” The privatization of water access has led to an increase in the exploitation of women and girls in exchange for water.
“Sextortion” refers to sex being used as currency instead of money for services or products — in this case water. According to the Water Integrity Network (WIN), the testimonies collected from women over the past five years in Kibera and Mukuru Kwa Njenga, which are some of the largest informal settlements in Nairobi, point towards an invisible, unspoken, and sinister consequence of corruption in the water sector i.e. sextortion. Sex for water is not a new phenomena. Check out the 2018 ANEW documentary short below:
The water crisis and the sexual exploitation of girls and women as a result of the water crisis shows no signs of slowing down.
This news brief was curated by Nsenga K. Burton, founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news site The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter or Instagram @TheBurtonWire.
The post Nairobi: Water Crisis Exploits Women & Girls first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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#WordinBlack: Schools and Black Students’ Mental Health: The Kids Aren’t Alright
THE AFRO — Prior to the pandemic, in 2019, suicide was the second leading cause of death for Black youths ages 15 to 24, according to the Office of Minority Health. The same report found Black high school-aged girls were 60 percent more likely to attempt suicide than their white peers. And, by June 2020, the CDC saw the rate of Black respondents who reported having “seriously considered suicide” was significantly higher.
The post #WordinBlack: Schools and Black Students’ Mental Health: The Kids Aren’t Alright first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

By Maya Pottiger, Word in Black
It’s no surprise that we’re living through difficult times. After two years, we’re still in a global pandemic, which has predominantly impacted people of color. In addition, Book bans, attacks on critical race theory, and partisan political fights target everything from Black youths’ sexuality, to history, to health.
And we’re seeing the effects.
Prior to the pandemic, in 2019, suicide was the second leading cause of death for Black youths ages 15 to 24, according to the Office of Minority Health. The same report found Black high school-aged girls were 60 percent more likely to attempt suicide than their white peers. And, by June 2020, the CDC saw the rate of Black respondents who reported having “seriously considered suicide” was significantly higher.
For a variety of reasons — ongoing stigma, lack of insurance, most accessible — Black students often rely on the mental health services offered at school.Outside of a mental health-specific practice, Black students were nearly 600 times as likely to get mental health help in an academic setting compared to other options, according to 2020 data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
In fact, mental health services in schools have been steadily gaining popularity among students since 2009, before dropping slightly in 2020 when the school year was interrupted, according to the SAMHSA report. As a result, the rate of students receiving mental health care through school decreased by 14 percent in 2020 compared to 2019.
So how are schools changing the way they address and prioritize mental health — and the specific needs of Black students — since 2020?
The Renewed Focus on Mental Health
For school-aged people, the majority of their time is spent in a school building — about eight hours per day, 10 months out of the year. To help address mental health during academic hours, schools are trying to focus on social-emotional learning: self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills. This includes teaching kids how to be in touch with their emotions and protect against adverse mental health outcomes.
But it’s been difficult.
Though there’s been more conversation, the implementation is challenging, says Dr. Kizzy Albritton, an associate professor of school psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. There was already a shortage of school-based mental health professionals before the pandemic, which has now been exacerbated, as have mental health issues. In addition, though schools clearly recognize the importance of mental health, they aren’t always provided adequate resources.
“Unless there are more resources funneled into the school system, we’re going to see a continued catch-up issue across the board,” Albritton says. “And, unfortunately, our Black students are going to continue to suffer the most.”
In a survey of high school principals and students, Education Week Research Center found discrepancies in how principals and students viewed a school’s mental health services. While 86 percent of the principals said their schools provided services, only about 66 percent of students agreed. The survey did point out it’s possible the school offers these services and students aren’t aware. The survey also found Black and Latinx students were less likely than their peers to say their schools offered services.
Dr. Celeste Malone, the president-elect of the National Association for School Psychologists and a Howard University associate professor, says she hasn’t previously seen this degree of attention to mental health in schools.
“I see that a lot in my role for a school psychology graduate program: the outreach and people contacting me with openings where they didn’t exist previously,” Malone says. “With this increased push in funding to hire more, that’s definitely a very, very positive movement.”
Mental Health Is Not One Size Fits All
Just like with many aspects of health, Black youths need different mental health support from their peers of other races. They need a counselor who understands their lived experiences, like microaggressions and other forms of discrimination or racism, without the student having to explain.

For example, in order to best address the specific mental health needs of Black students, districts need to provide information breaking down mental health stigmas; focus on hiring Black counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals; and fund anti-racist and trauma-informed mental health practices, according to the Center for American Progress.
While she hears a lot of talk, Albritton says she isn’t seeing widespread evidence of these solutions in practice.
“There needs to be a willingness, first of all, to understand that our Black students, their needs look a lot different,” Albritton says. School officials need to understand where Black students are coming from — that their families and households experience systemic and structural racism, which are known to trigger anxiety and depression. The effects of the racial wealth gap also play a role, from the neighborhood kids are living in, to the schools they can attend to the impacts on their health. Students might be bringing worries about these challenges to school, which could be reflected in their behavior. This is why, Albritton says, it’s crucial to also work with students’ families.
The post #WordinBlack: Schools and Black Students’ Mental Health: The Kids Aren’t Alright appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers .
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