By Bettye Thomas-Gilkey Courtesy Photo-Ward Beard Ward “Skillz” Beard is a graduate of the Historically Black College, Alabama A & M University, located in Normal, Alabama, near Huntsville. He decided as a high school student to attend a Black college and knew this was the school for him when participating on the Annual Lansing Black College Tour by Fred Porter and Amel Eiland.They visited several colleges, but he was drawn to Alabama A &M because of the beautiful campus and

Courtesy Photo-Jan Henderson When Jan Henderson attended West Virginia State University in Norfolk, Virginia, everyone was required to live on campus except students who already lived off campus with their families. Jan was raised in the small town of Sulphur Springs, Virginia, whose population was about 2000 people. There was one traffic light, a bus stop, a grocery store and a Five and Ten store. Butter was purchased one stick at a time. Milk was in a glass bottle with a p

KENT, OH- February 7, 2018 - On March 16th, 2018, the hottest new college app “Fresh” will be available to download. The app will offer two services: student services and buy/sell/trade. Some of the student services include students who do hair, nails, makeup, photography, tailoring etc. Students would have the opportunity to service other students on campus if they didn’t have transportation to go off campus or money for a professional. The buy/sell/trade feature is good for

Courtesy Photo-Randa Darwood I am a proud alumna of The Virginia State University, a university that has been building a better world since 1882. HBCU’s like VSU are still very relevant and very important. HBCU’s have acted as a safe space for Black students to grow, learn and express themselves. As one of VSU’s founders Alfred W. Harris stated, “I want a place where all may go and drink from the fountain of knowledge”. I chose VSU as my home because that’s exactly how I fe

Courtesy Photo-Deana Newman Deana’s college career initially began at Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and although she enjoyed the opportunity, she experienced great difficulty in being so far from Chicago. It was her first time being away from home and Deana’s mother passed away within months of her high school graduation. At the depth of despair, she went to visit friends who attended Kentucky State University and found solace in the beautiful campus there. “

Courtesy Photo: Ralph Riddle Jr. graduate of HBCU Fisk University Ralph Riddle Jr. chose Fisk University because of its rich history that boasted of many great African Americans attendees. “I readily identified with its powerful legacy that resonated during the time I graduated high which was at the peak of the civil rights/social justice movement. It was important for me to position myself amidst what I considered some of the strongest minds and advocates for social change a

Courtesy Photo-Brian T. Jackson and daughter Brielle Jackson All three of Brian’s early educational experiences were predominately white. He graduated high school from Sexton in 2003 and began college at Western Michigan University. Jackson eventually earned his Bachelor of Arts degree and completed graduate work at Indiana State University where he participated in Varsity Football and Track/ Field as an Academic All- Conference athlete. When it came time for professional

I believe it was radio personality Tom Joyner who coined the phrase “Black History is 24:7”, meaning it should be celebrated every day of...