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 […]
Education
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, HBCUs, Politics & Policy, Student Loans
Fate of HBCU Funding Uncertain as Trump Moves to Dismantle Education Department
In a move that could have disproportionate impacts on Black students and families, the Trump administration announced this month that it will relocate certain responsibilities out of the U.S. Department of Education in an effort to strip the agency of much of its authority. This includes plans to transfer several key programs — including those […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Education, Gun Violence, K-12, Partner Content
Does Closing A School Contribute to Gun Violence in Philadelphia?
Originally published by MindSite News. KIPP North Philadelphia Academy charter school has been operating since 2018 in the red brick school building on North 16th Street at Cumberland Street. Bright KIPP banners hang off the four-story building, but you can still see the fading letters “M Hall Stanton” on the facade. That’s because KIPP only […]
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 […]
Posted inEducation, HBCUs, Higher Education, Voting
Inside Blexit’s Bid to Win Over Young Black Voters at HBCUs
BOWIE, Maryland — On one of the last stops on the Educate to Liberate tour, conservative influencer Siaka Massaquoi and other supporters stood behind the student center on Bowie State’s campus for nearly four hours asking students about their ideologies and thoughts on being Black. “It was a surprising, on-the-spot type of thing,” said Daniel […]
Posted inHBCUs, Public Safety
Deadly Homecoming Weekend Prompts HBCUs to Rethink Campus Safety Plans
BOWIE, Maryland — Bowie State University junior Tamia McClorin remembers people running after a shooting near campus during her first homecoming two years ago. It’s an image she can’t forget. “I literally saw a guy that was shot and just lying in the ditch. … I was just freaking out,” McClorin recalled. “It was literally […]
Posted inEducation, HBCUs
Jackson State Alumni Say Leadership Instability Is Costing the School Its Future
For the fourth time in less than a decade, Jackson State University is searching for its next university president — and its alumni are calling for more transparency in the search process. The university’s presidents are picked by the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, which oversees public universities in Mississippi. The board consists […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Black Virginia School Board Member Censured After Turning Point USA Clash
Weeks after a heated debate over the possibility of starting a high school chapter of deeply conservative Turning Point USA, a Black Virginia school board vice chairman has been censured for “unbecoming” conduct after a board meeting. Prince William County School Board member Tracy L. Blake is accused of being “aggressive” and bullying another board […]
Posted inEducation, Politics & Policy
Federal Layoffs Put Head Start, FAFSA, and Civil Rights Investigations at Risk
The U.S. Department of Education has begun laying off more than 450 employees — many of whom oversee special education and civil rights enforcement. After the layoffs, a federal judge in San Francisco on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from firing government workers. While the judge’s decision has temporarily prevented more cuts to government […]