Dr. Tashni Dubroy will become the next president of Shaw University this August.
Dr. Dubroy is a native of Jamaica, is 34 years “young”, and will be the 3rd female president of the university. More information and a video regarding this news can be found here: I AM Jamaican
If college is the marketplace of ideas that should be open to freedom of expression and diversity of ideals, was it really right to remove a mural depicting Assata Shakur from a “remote” area on the campus of Marquette University? Furthermore, was it appropriate (or right) to fire the Director of the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (who was responsible for the creation of the mural)? Some regard Shakur as a terrorist, cop-killer, and dangerous black militant, especially after her murder conviction and escape from prison in the 70’s. However, some regard her as a powerful black activist, a leader, and a feminist leader.
A statement was released on behalf of Marquette University recently regarding the removal of the mural and the dismissal of a well-respected campus administrator:
“This is extremely disappointing as the mural does not reflect the Guiding Values of Marquette University. It is being removed immediately. We are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the mural and will take appropriate action.”
This year over 600 candidates were nominated by over 200 institutions of higher education for the Truman Scholarship, awarded and funded by The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. Of the 58 students selected for this prestigious honor, 11 are African American and represent a wide range of colleges and universities across the nation. According to www.truman.gov, “students were selected based on their records of leadership, public service, and academic achievement.” Continue reading
I usually do not post or disseminate information like this, but honestly, this made me sigh, shake my head, and honestly chuckle a bit so I had to share:
A video of a Georgia Principal went viral over the weekend after a graduation ceremony where she looked to have become upset with the attendees. Apparently she skipped over the valedictorian’s speech during the ceremony and became upset when people attempted to leave before she could make up for it by allowing him to give his speech. The situation escalated when she made a remark about “Black people leaving” in front of the entire audience and several people left in an uproar.
Later, she went on to apologize stating that “the devil made me say those things”…and ironically, her son posted a comment on twitter addressing the “niggers” who had an issue with her comment….What a wonderfully, well trained, diverse group of professionals we have in education (yes, that is sarcasm). Feel free to post thoughts and comments! Links to the video from the commencement ceremony and a story regarding the young man are available below.
Some public institutions of higher education in the state of Texas have requested funding from the state legislature to cover or subsidize the cost of tuition for veterans. Under the Hazlewood Act, Veterans and their dependents and spouses are exempt from paying tuition for up to 150 hours at certified institutions. Even though the act is mandated by the state government, the institution or system has the responsibility of paying for the tuition. The University of Houston system has requested full funding from the state legislature because of the great expense the university system has had in the past covering tuition. Here is a link to a story from The Cougar regarding this matter: http://thedailycougar.com/
In lieu of recent protesting and more specifically, the “riots” in Baltimore, let us take some time to think back on the birth of our nation and the struggles that people had to endure for the American Revolution. We do indeed have a history of violence in this country. There were protests, riots, and looting. Remember this? Sons of Liberty
Alvin Irby (former educator) created the “Barbershop Books” program, as an initiative to promote literacy for young black males. The program is also targeted at helping Black boys associate books and reading as a part of their identity. According to Irby, the idea is simple: identify barbershops that Black families frequent, and set up a shelf of children’s books. Continue reading
USA Today will expand on the initiative that Starbucks has taken to promote conversations and understanding on Race in America. What are your thoughts? Article Link
Expulsion seems like the right thing to do, and seems to be a punishment that fits the bill for what these college students did and allowed to happen; however I disagree. It gives them the opportunity to bow out, and off campus without having to face those who they offended and those that can teach them something about their actions and possibly challenge their thoughts and beliefs as well. A few days after the incident became widespread news, there was a community discussion regarding race relations within the OU community. Several people attended and it seems that a great dialogue took place, but this is not enough.
I have attended numerous panel discussions, community conversations, townhall meetings, open forums etc. related to race relations, diversity, and inclusion, and what I have noticed is that you see the same people on college campuses and within communities participating time and time again. Those who are already becoming part of the solution, are open-minded, wanting to bring about change, or are already change agents, show up and speak up. Other people who truly NEED to attend do not, and so it becomes the same conversation with the same people who hear the same messages. No new action is taken, and not much changes.
Those young men expelled from OU should have been required to attend. They should have also been required to attend other cultural competence seminars, workshops, and they should have been forced to sit in a room among those who spoke out about their poor decisions and actions and felt offended in the first place. If they shamed the OU community, make the face the OU community and learn how and why what they did was shameful. More of these conversations and experiences are going to have to be forced in order for them to occur and for people to exchange more meaningful dialogue that is not one-sided. Young people today are still very frightened, apathetic, and unable to communicate effectively to build better interpersonal relations. It’s time to push people out of their comfort zones and get the learning and understanding process going before more incidents like this one occur and college campuses become further divided.
Update: 2 OU students have been expelled from the University by President Boren for playing a “leadership role” in the video that went viral over the weekend
OU’s President, David Boren, expels two students after SAE video surface