HAMPTON, Virginia – As part of Zuri Murph’s urban policy class at Hampton University, she was assigned a question: Do Black people deserve reparations. Murph wrote about how reparations should be paid back to Black land grant colleges. “Reparations should be paid in part to HBCUs, since y’all are already scamming us,” the graduating senior […]
Alecia Taylor
Alecia Taylor is the national education reporter at Capital B.
Posted inHBCUs, History
Smithsonian Exhibit Highlights the Power and Joy of HBCUs
Photos by Kuwilileni Hauwanga/Capital B “Beautiful culture.” “Beautiful art.” “Great representation.” Those are phrases museum goer Dajanae Prude, 28, used to describe the new Black college exhibit at National Museum of African American History. The exhibit uses sounds, artifacts, documentaries and pictures to tell the story of how historically Black colleges and universities have remained […]
Posted inCulture, HBCUs
HBCU Bands Bring Big Sound to Mardi Gras Parades
Get ready for Mardi Gras as Black college marching bands’ thunderous sounds are felt throughout the streets of New Orleans. From Southern University’s veteran parade performers to newcomers such as LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee, these bands are already captivating people on TikTok and Instagram. Earlier this week, Southern University’s Human Jukebox did their rendition […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Culture
Bad Bunny’s Cultural Reach Extends From Stadiums to Syllabi
For Bijou-Elyse Wallace, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance will represent more than just music. Wallace, a Howard University student and devoted fan of the Puerto Rican superstar, is getting ready to host a Super Bowl watch party for the first time ever alongside Changó, the Afro-Latin association at Howard, and the university’s student association. In […]
Posted inHBCUs
Morris Brown President Returns After Abrupt Termination
In an abrupt reversal, Morris Brown College reinstated its former president Tuesday, after dismissing him without explanation. Kevin. E. James, who had served as Morris Brown’s chief administrator since 2019, was fired by college officials on Jan. 12 — a move that James called “deeply concerning” on a social media post. On Tuesday, however, the […]
Posted inEducation
New Orleans School Named After Renowned Louisiana Chef to Remain Open
The Leah Chase School got a lifeline this week after the Orleans Parish School Board decided to keep the district’s only direct-run public school open for the next two years. On Jan. 8, parents, teachers and community members packed a room in the office space where the school board meets to demand the district keep […]
Posted inBlack Businesses
Where to Find Black-Owned Bookstores Across the U.S.
Black-owned bookstores are popping up around the country, offering spaces and access to books that may not be on the shelves at chain bookstores. Larger corporations like Amazon and Target sometimes sell books at a lower price compared to independent Black bookstores. Five bookstore owners told Capital B their stores provide community, something large corporations […]
Posted inHBCUs, Higher Education, Public Safety
Black Colleges Enhance Security in Response to Bomb Threats
This story is a collaboration between Capital B and Open Campus. HAMPTON, Virginia — Just weeks into the start of the fall semester, Nick Jones was walking back to his Hampton University dorm when he got an alert that the campus was on lockdown. “Yo … should I be outside?” he thought to himself, but really, he was […]
Posted inCommunity, HBCUs
The HBCU Students Staying on Campus During the Holidays — And Loving It
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Xavier University alumna Destinee Kerr remembers being a broke freshman, barely scraping by to pay a phone bill and her out-of-state tuition. She dreamed of attending the Bayou Classic, an annual Thanksgiving weekend event and football game in New Orleans. While Kerr always wanted to go, she could never afford it, let […]
Posted inEducation, Higher Education, Politics & Policy
Republicans Allege Discrimination at George Mason, but the Data Tells a Different Story
FAIRFAX, Virginia — Amani Banks, a George Mason University freshman, sat on the south side of the campus last week and pointed out that the student body is more diverse than her professors. When the college’s president, Gregory Washington, arrived on campus in 2020, he encouraged the hiring of more people of color through what […]