This story has been updated.The Trump administration said it will redirect $435 million to historically Black colleges and universities and tribal campuses as it defunds grant programs for other minority students at other institutions. On Monday, the Department of Education also announced it will invest more than $160 million in American history and civics education […]
Alecia Taylor
Alecia Taylor is the national education reporter at Capital B.
Posted inEducation, HBCUs
At South Florida’s Only HBCU, a Leadership Feud Ends in Court
A Florida judge has put an end to a monthlong controversy at South Florida’s only historically Black university, ruling a former board trustee is the institution’s next president. Florida Memorial University found itself in the news when Brandon K. Dumas, the now-former chairman of Florida Memorial University’s board of trustees, alleged that “rogue” board members […]
Posted inHigher Education, Public Safety
HBCU Lockdowns Lifted After Day of ‘Terroristic Threats’
Several Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country have lifted lockdowns after a series of threats. Early Thursday morning, Hampton University and Virginia State University said they received terrorist threats. Later, the list grew as Alabama State University, Clark Atlanta University, Southern University in Louisiana, and Bethune-Cookman in Florida reported threats. Spelman College ordered […]
Posted inHBCUs, Sports
HBCUs Are Keeping Black Baseball’s Legacy Alive With Limited Resources
Cydney Cooper has been playing softball since she was 5 years old. Playing the sport in South Carolina came with being the only Black girl on the team, or one of a few Black players. As a shy, dark-skinned girl, Cooper said people often thought she had an attitude, but she was just quiet and […]
Posted inHBCUs
Howard President Resigns Amid Housing Crisis and Student Outrage
Howard University will soon be on the hunt for a new university president for the second time in just two years. The school’s 18th president, Ben Vinson III, will step down on Aug. 31, the board of trustees announced Friday. His tenure was short-lived, as he stepped into the role just two years ago in […]
Posted inHistory
Black Tourists Defend History as Trump Targets the Smithsonian
WASHINGTON — When Ronnie Underwood heard President Donald Trump’s claim this week that the Smithsonian Institution is “out of control” and focuses on “how horrible our country is,” he grew angry, he said. The way Underwood, 65, sees it, if we don’t know our past, how can we learn from it? He’s from Bessemer, Alabama, and […]
Posted inPolicing, Politics & Policy
Black D.C. Residents Say Trump’s Tactics Bring More Fear, Not Safety
WASHINGTON — As a young Black woman, Kaylei Thomas has always been urged by her parents to be careful when out in public. The 18-year-old has learned to avoid causing “unnecessary problems” that might attract the attention of the police. Thomas, a student at Howard University, was reminded of this warning earlier this week, after President […]
