Morehouse College freshman Adrian “Panama” Malvaez said he can still picture the horrific dream from earlier this year in which, on a typical day of working in his school’s dining hall, he was abruptly taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. “Everyone was like, ‘Wait, no, no, don’t take Panama!’” the 18-year-old […]
Higher Education
Posted inEducation, Higher Education, K-12
How Georgia’s $36 Billion Budget Will Impact K-12 Schools and Higher Education
Budget season has officially wrapped for the state of Georgia, and Gov. Brian Kemp has released his finalized Governor’s Budget Report. The massive 420-page document details a $36 billion budget that will fund more than 40 state agencies, six judicial level entities, and four legislative bodies in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. For more than 2 […]
Posted inHigher Education
Morehouse President David A. Thomas Announces Retirement
Morehouse College’s top man will hang up his hat at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. David A. Thomas, 69, announced his retirement in a statement released by the college late Friday afternoon. A veteran educator with more than 30 years of experience, Thomas was selected as Morehouse’s 12th president in 2018. His last […]
Posted inHigher Education, Incarceration
We Need More Prison Education Programs. But Is the Money There?
When Kimberley Pugh was released after a 13-year term in Habersham County’s Lee Arrendale State Prison, her college classes were the only thing that felt “normal” about the outside world. “Everything around me was in complete chaos, but I had to focus on my reading, my writing, and make sure I had all my assignments […]
Posted inHigher Education, Politics & Policy, Religion
Black Jewish Students and the On-Campus Divide Over Gaza
Life on campus at the Atlanta University Center has been more complicated for Spelman freshman Sara Scherlinder since the Gaza humanitarian crisis began more than six months ago. In a 24-hour period earlier this month, the 19-year-old Scherlinder, a Washington, D.C., native, attended a leadership forum for students who are both Black and Jewish, which […]
Posted inHigher Education, Politics & Policy
Planned Biden Morehouse Visit Angers Black Student Gaza Supporters
Morehouse College students packed a campus auditorium Tuesday evening to voice their anger at the decision to invite President Joe Biden to deliver the historically Black institution’s commencement address next month. Most of the estimated 50 students in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting expressed outrage and frustration at Biden’s support for Israel in its war against […]
Posted inEducation, Higher Education
CultureCon at Clark Atlanta Shines Light on HBCU Education and Community
Against a backdrop of vibrant greens and blues, hundreds of HBCU students clad in cropped denims, bolded letterman jackets, and trendy telfars flooded Clark Atlanta University’s campus for the inaugural CultureCon on Campus student conference. The student-centered event is under the umbrella of CultureCon, a conference that fosters community and connection for Black creatives and […]
Posted inHigher Education
Rising Rents, Housing Shortage Create Crisis for HBCU Students
Leron Thomas is one week away from the start of his junior year at Morehouse College, but the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native has no idea where he’s going to live. This would be Thomas’ fifth semester at Morehouse — and his first with no housing. He entered the school’s housing draft but wasn’t among the […]
Posted inHigher Education
How Black College Students in Atlanta Are Reacting to Affirmative Action Ruling
Black college students in Atlanta are not mincing words after last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling to end affirmative action in higher education. They say the decision — which limits colleges from considering race in admissions — is just another in a long list of challenges keeping scholars of color from gaining access to colleges […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Higher Education, Policing
Why Atlanta College Students and Professors are Chanting, ‘Stop Cop City’
At a rally on Emory University’s quad earlier this week, Maresah Malcom, a senior from Decatur, joined just over 100 fellow students in protesting the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, also known as “Cop City.” Malcom said she came to the Stop Cop City demonstration because the facility is being built in the area where […]