It has been an honor serving you as the 14th Mr. Blue & White and Court. Although we are saddened by the discontinuation of Mr. Blue & White and Court, after meeting with administration we are content. The role of Mister Blue & White and Court was intended to be escorts and support Miss Spelman College and Court. This year, we made it so much more than that and we are excited to share some of the highlights and accomplishments.
This year we were able to make history by becoming Mister Historically Black Colleges and Universities and become one of EBONY’s HBCU Top 10 Campus Kings. ln addition, we have upcoming events for the semester that we are excited about. One of the even ts brings awareness to gender violence and the other one is about facing you r insecurity and owning your individuality.
While this is the end of Kingship at Spelman, we are glad that we w ere able to create history and leave a lasting impact for years to come. We will ensure that the remainder of our reign as a Court is both unified and productive, and we promise to give you the best Semester that we can. We love you all and appreciate your love and support through this time. Continue to make the choice to change the world, because your brothers will be behind you every step of the way-regardless of a crown.
With Love,
The Mister Blue & White and Court 2018-2019
Jauan Durbin
Quinton Bennett
Keylen “King” Lyons
Follow @hbcupulse on Instagram, as we will be speaking to Jauan about this on our Instagram live on tomorrow!
December 11, 2018 was a normal day for me on Instagram. I was handing HBCU Pulse duties, trying to expand our reach to other HBCUs. I was scrolling through my timeline and saw that Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University had their Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation extended for another 10 years. I was enthused seeing the news. FAMU has always been a school that has shifted the culture and set the standard academically so I wasn’t surprised at the news. I always find out about the latest and greatest news about the highest of the seven hills from Imani Cooper, Miss FAMU and my 4th cohort HBCU All-Star Ambassador peer turned best friend.
I expected this night to be no different from other nights on Instagram. Things changed, however, as I continued to click through Imani’s Instagram Story. That’s when I first encountered the #standwithbennett movement.
Even though the #standwithbennet movement was new to me, I was already familiar with Miss Bennett College Brooke Kane. Brooke was an avid supporter of HBCU Pulse and interacted with our Instagram story all of the time. So, to see that Bennett was on the verge of closing its doors was concerning to me. The concern caused me to think about my own HBCU Fort Valley State University, as we’d just had an accreditation warning lifted. I thought about about how fearful my peers felt after learning the news.
I remember how the jokes from rival institutions stung and struck a nerve. Through all that we felt, we were on a warning. Bennett, however, was facing the threat of SACS revoking their accreditation. The byproducts of this decision would be generation altering. Not only would we be losing another one of our HBCUs, but a historic safe space for black women. We were in jeopardy of losing the first all-women’s college founded in 1873, eight years before the more prominently known Spelman College.
Seeing that Bennett College was going through ate at me. I couldn’t sleep. I found myself clicking through Brooke’s Instagram Story trying to become more well-versed about the issue of Bennett maintaining its accreditation. I brainstormed on ways that I could help through HBCU Pulse, not nearly the purveyor of HBCU student centered content that we’d eventually become in such a short time. I immediately reached out to Brooke to offer my assistance in any way I could. At that point, I didn’t know what I’d do to help. I also didn’t know that the next month and a half would be a roller coaster ride of historic media activism and national prominence from the #standwithbennett movement that sparked from various aspects of coverage on the various Bennett Belle’s IGs, other HBCU Student Leaders and HBCU Pulse’s social outlets.
To properly tell this story, we must go in chronological order and cite the prominent student events that aided in Bennett College raising $8.2 million dollars. Don’t ever get it twisted, this was unequivocally a series of events powered by the students. If you listen to mainstream media outlets, that came late in the game to cover the astonishing success of the movement, they attribute the factors of success to everything but the Bennett Belles and the various HBCU students that stood for this historic institution. Those that don’t know history are doomed to repeat it but those that don’t write their history are bound to be erased from it. Allow me to explain how #standwithbennett was, and will always be, a student led movement.
The Ebony Campus Queen Competition Part I
We can’t talk about the student’s contribution to the #standwithbennett movement without talking about the Ebony Magazine Campus Queen competition. The competition, which has been in inception since 2012, allows for campus queens from HBCUs around the nation to compete in a competition to be featured on their top 10 list and tentatively in one of their print issues. The queens are required for a period of four months to push students, alumni and unique visitors to their social media profiles alike to vote for them as many times as they possibly can on a custom link created for them on Ebony’s website.
You literally couldn’t go onto Facebook, Twitter or Instagram as an HBCU Student without being smacked in the face with promotion of the Ebony Campus Queen competition from the various queens you’d follow, their courts and notable student leaders at their institutions. The Ebony Campus Queen competition always occurs without interruption or controversy every year. It’s been that way for the past seven years. However, Bennett’s accreditation crisis occurred during what was initially the final days of the competition. Brooke, who was campaigning to be one of the top ten queens featured on the list, was tasked with promoting her campaign and making sure her institution stayed open.
I stayed out of the Ebony Campus Queen fray at first. That was, until I observed how hard the queens were campaigning to be featured on the list. They were investing nearly the same amount of money into the Campus Queen competition that they did to campaign to become a campus queen at their HBCU. What really pushed me to action was seeing the reaction of Miss Albany State University Janese Bibbs to dropping out of the top 15 in the leaderboard update.
I’d just connected with her leading into the Fountain City Classic, the big rivalry football matchup between Fort Valley State University and Albany State University. I’d conducted an exclusive interview about her rise to being Queen at Albany and befriended her, offering her the opportunity to be the first official Queen Ambassador for HBCU Pulse. She then went on to cover the Sigma probate of Joshua Era, Mr. Albany State University, that was seen by over 20,000 people on the HBCU Pulse Twitter and Instagram pages. That was a huge win for HBCU Pulse, something that put us on the track to be noticed by several HBCU students that are now avid supporters of our platform. So, because of her tremendous work, I wanted to pay it forward. I had to find some way to help her get back into the top 10 of the Ebony Competition.
That’s when we talked about doing another takeover in promotion of her Ebony Campaign. That’s when I put out the call to all the queens that I’d help them with their Ebony Campus Queen campaign by offering them the opportunity to take over the HBCU Pulse page. Immediately the first person to contact me was Courtney Landrum, the reigning Miss Tuskegee. Then Kendall Chalk, Mr. Prairie View A&M University, contacted me about doing a takeover for his Ebony Campus King competition. After that, things started to roll quickly.
Brooke Kane, The Centerpiece of the Movement
Of course, the first person that I reached out to about doing an Ebony campaign promotion takeover outside of Janese was Brooke. I also offered for her do an interview here on hbcupulse.com spotlighting her time at Bennett College and explaining what was going on and how we could help. That led into the well-anticipated Christmas Day takeover of the HBCU Pulse page by Brooke and her fellow Belle sisters. The official Bennett College social media account even got involved!
In my estimation, the Takeover was key. We were able to showcase the brilliance of the oasis of black girl magic. We got the attention of students at HBCUs around the nation and informed them about what Bennett College was facing and ways that we, as students, could help. After that takeover, I saw more students outside of Bennett and North Carolina sharing the Cash App for the #standwithbennett movement. I also noticed that Bennett was being talked about more and Brooke’s daily messages and pictures in support of Bennett that she was posting were getting shared around by a lot of HBCU social media pages. After Christmas, I noticed a tide shift. Something was brewing and it was more grassroots than it was administrative or corporate. Basically, students were starting to understand their power and how we could use our collective social media clout to save Bennett College.
The Ebony Campus Queen Competition Part II: Jada Brown, Miss NCAT, Drops Out Of The Race
January 10, 2019 was an important. If anything, this day set more of a precedent than anything in the #standwithbennett student movement. The Ebony Campus Queen competition was all of a sudden extended from December 31st to January 31st. The Queens were still pushing to be featured by Ebony and Brooke was still pushing to keep Bennett College’s doors open and reach the $5 million dollar goal needed to show SACSCOC that they can raise the necessary funds to maintain accreditation. The conversation around Bennett was still going.
Pastor Jamal Bryant, a Morehouse College graduate, called on his congregation at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to donate money to Bennett. We spotlighted this video on J5 (Kappas Founders Day, Dr. Bryant is a Kappa) and he shared it on his Instagram Story. Brooke still was pushing, using her social media as a local news outlet to inform concerned HBCU Advocates about the continuous fight to maintain Bennett’s accreditation as the February 1st deadline approached. Then, J10 rolled around. We’re gonna call it “J10” because this day is a notable point in history as well.
Jada Brown, Miss North Carolina Agricultural & Mechanical University, decided to take a break on her social media fast to come back to her Instagram and do an IG Live broadcast stating that she would no longer be participating in the Ebony Campus Queen competition and that she wanted her votes to be transferred to Brooke so she could have the opportunity to be featured in the magazine. Jada said in her video that she’d be writing a formal letter to charge them to utilize their platform to give Brooke a chance to be seen and heard, advocating for her HBCU. She even floated the idea to Ebony about making Brooke the 11th Queen featured on the winners list.
Jada then started making calls to her fellow sister queens at other HBCUs about joining her in the fight to support Brooke and stand with Bennett College. She even talked to the Kings about supporting the movement. The queens came up with the idea of writing a letter to Ebony showing solidarity with Brooke and charging them to act on behalf of Bennett. To that point, their calls were largely unheard.
Once again, I wanted to stay silent and continue to support Bennett by giving Brooke and the other Belles a platform to speak on the brilliance of their HBCU. However, Jada said something in one of her IG Lives on her page that struck a nerve with me.
She said that there were people that disagreed with her dropping out of the Ebony competition, saying that she was losing an opportunity and “she doesn’t know who she’d meet at Ebony that could help her get where she wants to go”. Jada handled it with grace, as a queen should. She responded to the comments saying that, “What God has for you is for you.” I was offended that anyone would even come to Jada, the literal mother of a whole sector of a social movement, and say something as ignorant as that. So, I took the gloves off and hopped in the fray.
HBCU Pulse vs. Ebony Magazine, Brooke Speaks & Getting Celebrity Support
Oh, and everybody telling Jada and other Queens that they’re losing an opportunity and “you don’t know who you’ll meet at Ebony”, y’all are dead wrong! Jada and the other queens are not doing this for clout. What God has for them is for them. Plus, have you seen their social media followings? Jada has 6,000+ followers. She’s getting a psychology degree this semester from one of the top HBCUs in the nation. I don’t think she needs to kiss up to Ebony/Clearview executives for a shot. She’s gotten this far. The same goes for all the other HBCU Queens. Clearly, they’re doing something right. You can’t go on IG without seeing a promotion for an Ebony Campus Queen campaign.Even moreso, we’re here for them. I’m here. Pulse is here! Online black media outlets that unapologetically serve HBCUs are here. We don’t need them!
(Linked Above: Jada becomes a member of Forbes The Culture a couple of weeks after dropping out of the Ebony competition)
After that article, I then started to hear sources that said that Ebony mismanaged previous Campus Queen cohorts. That’s when I was tipped off to the information that the 2017-2018 Ebony Campus Queen Top 10 winners weren’t flown out to New York City to have a photoshoot. They submitted headshots, answered about 3-4 interview questions and that was their feature in Ebony. They weren’t featured on the cover and the other queens that campaigned were also featured in the magazine.
Through it all, I still saw that Ebony was the trending topic amongst the student group on social media instead of what Jada initially stood for on J10. Ebony wasn’t the focus of why she dropped out of the competition and wanted to transfer her votes. She did it to make a statement that everyone was so worried about the Ebony campaign that no one was pushing to assist Bennett in keeping its doors open. Her standing was a charge to everyone to keep that same energy for Bennett that they did for the Ebony Campus Queen competition. The support from her sister queens moved Brooke to writing her own letter to Ebony and exclusively publishing it on hbcupulse.com on January 13. In the letter, she said:
We ask that Ebony Magazine and the Ebony HBCU Campus Queens Competition supports Bennett College and myself, and allow us to claim a place in the magazine while standing with Bennett. This grand opportunity could possibly grant donations to Bennett, generate more publicity and most importantly, bring the chance to sprinkle a little more magic for current and future Belles to come.
Shortly after, Imani Cooper submitted the official letter that Jada and the other Queens sent to Ebony Magazine in support of Brooke and published it exclusive on hbcupulse.com. A list of queens that stood through this time and even dropped out of the competition goes as follows:
Angelica Perkins-@afro_angie_ (Top Votegetter In Ebony Campus Queens Competition)
Shania Jackson-@__cookiieb
A new movement was then sparking. Celebrities such as Keke Palmer, Vanessa Bell Calloway and Loretta Divine were standing with Bennett College. However, people started to do rapid tags of celebrities to see if they could garner their support in donating to Bennett College or, at the very least, raise awareness. That’s when we published “An Open Letter To Beyonce, Charlamagne Tha God, Chance The Rapper & HBCU Alumni Celebrities (Support Bennett College)”. We wanted to focus our strategy, targeting celebrities that actually show support to HBCUs or even attended a black institution. I compiled a list on MLK Day that featured:
Beyonce & Jay Z (The Carters)
Chance The Rapper
Charlamagne Tha God
Charles Barkley
Diddy (Howard)
DJ Envy (Hampton)
Wanda Sykes (Hampton)
Taraji P. Henson (NCAT/Howard)
Common (FAMU)
Will Packer (FAMU)
Rob Hardy (FAMU)
Erykah Badu (Grambling)
Ruben Studdard (Alabama A&M)
David Banner (Southern University)
Terrence J (NCAT)
Yolanda Adams (Texas Southern)
Shannon Sharpe (Savannah State)
Marquette King (FVSU)
Students from all HBCUs started to tag the celebrities featured on this list and even added other celebrities like Oprah, Tiffany Haddish, LeBron James, Nick Cannon and Steph Curry. Other celebrities and dignitaries in the community started to step up. Two notable members of our list, Charlamagne and DJ Envy, started to discuss Bennett College on the nationally syndicated The Breakfast Club. Charlamagne even said that he donated some money to Bennett. The tide was changing even more and Bennett was started to receive an outpouring of well deserved support.
The sheer power of the students was seen several ways. None more notable than Ebony Magazine finally deciding to honor Brooke by giving her an #11 spot on the winners list. Bennett went on to secure $8.2 million dollars, up from the $5 million dollars that was initially asked for. Brooke then went on to win the Miss UNCF pageant. Bennett started to get the recognition that it truly deserved. However, the story is still being written. The fight isn’t over.
Dr. Phyllis Dawkins, president of Bennett College, and her administration are set to meet with SACSCOC about maintaining their accreditation within the next few days. The meeting is important, as it will be forth-telling of what’s to come. However, we can proudly say that Bennett College now has more than it did on December 11, 2018. And, it’s all because of the students. The students pushed, the students prodded, the students paid then partied when we found out that Bennett exceeded her goal. Let that now and forever be the narrative. We have power in this generation. If we use it correctly and work as a collective, we can change the tide of history.
It’s just about that time! Campaign season is approaching and Fort Valley State University is hosting it’s annual Royal Court Showcase on February 13th. Recently, FVSU Office of Campus Life released the full list of who’s running for student leadership at FVSU. The list goes as follows and the elections are February 25-March 1!
Candidate NamePosition
Ronnie Lawson Class King (Sophomore)
Antonio Dwanye Bunkley jr Class King (Sophomore)
Chardarius Fambro Class King (Senior)
Yatile B. Patterson Class King (Junior)
Janei Dortilus Class Queen (Sophomore)
Brittany Robinson Class Queen (Senior)
Josie Williams Class Queen (Senior)
Kianna Anderson Class Queen (Junior)
Takandris Jordan Class Queen (Junior)
Khyia D. Brown Miss FVSU
Tykerriah Moore Miss FVSU
Raven Wright Miss FVSU
Kederick Quimbley Mister FVSU
Ryan Thurman Mister FVSU
Aries Grandberry SGA Assistant Secretary
Alexander Lowe SGA Business Manager
DeAndre Reddick SGA Chief Justice
Ny’Tia Dupree SGA Chief Justice
J’Lan Day SGA President
Kierra Beale SGA Secretary
Johnathan Jones SGA Vice President
Derod Moore SGA Vice President
Voting starts on February 28 and ends on March 1st! We will be your home for FVSU elections, as we will give you up-to-date info on what’s occurring! We also have take overs planned for the HBCU Pulse Instagram for the FVSU Candidates that we will be announcing the week of elections! Stay tuned
Make sure to check out “A Queen’s Pain” and “Election Season: The Story of True HBCU Queens”, about the election process at HBCUs!
Order “A Queen’s Pain” at our HBCU Pulse store! Or, you can order it on Amazon!
(Fort Valley, GA)-With American Heart Month looming, discussion has been raised by several health organizations about ways to prevent heart disease and maintain good health. Healthfinder.gov, released an article on February 1st detailing the severity of heat disease and how it can be prevented. The website reported that 1 in 4 deaths in American are caused by heat disease every year and urges for discussions to be held in various communities around the nation about ways to prevent the disease.
Healthfinder.gov created a list of ways to raise awareness about heart disease in our everyday lives.
Encourage families to make small changes, like using spices to season their food instead of salt.
Motivate teachers and administrators to make physical activity a part of the school day. This can help students start good habits early.
Ask doctors and nurses to be leaders in their communities by speaking out about ways to prevent heart disease.
For more information on American Heart Month and ways to prevent heart disease, visit healthfinder.gov.
I also spoke with Ms. Karlisha Booze, former news anchor and current Media Studies Professor at Fort Valley State University, about the importance of American Heart Month.
You know what’s so amazing about what I do here at HBCU Pulse. I’m covering breaking news that broke on HBCU Pulse! The dichotomy here is amazing! As first reported on HBCU Pulse Instagram Live by Miss Bennett College Brooke Kane, Bennett College has exceeded it’s mark of $5 million dollars that’s needed to maintain its accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools! This comes after a month long social media campaign aptly titled #standwithbennett.
This news is so amazing for us here at HBCU Pulse because we’ve been on top of this story from the day that we heard that Bennett could possibly lose its accreditation and close its doors! This story became personal for me. Speaking with the Belles about what Bennett College meant to them gave me a sense of purpose. I became obsessed with figuring out what I could do to aid in the maintaining of Bennett’s accreditation. I wasn’t in a position to donate money so I, in turn, used all of our outlets to give these amazing women a voice to address the world about why this oasis of black girl magic deserved to be saved.
This should be a lesson to everyone, especially media personalities and owners in the HBCU space. We must stand by all HBCUs. And, I charge all media outlets to continue to post news and updates about Bennett College. The fight isn’t over! We must continue to tell her story and give the Belles a platform to be heard by the world!
My name is Raina Gee, a Freshman marketing student and first year member of the Blue Squad Cheerleading team. During the fall semester, I was raped by a graduating senior and former drum major of the Blue and Gold Marching Machine. Upon reporting my case to the Cheerleading coaching staff, I was met with lack of empathy and responsibility for my situation.
Additionally, my coaches failed to follow proper protocol and report the incident on my behalf. I would like to express my deep disgust and disappointment for the negligence and utter disregard that the Cheerleading coaching staff displayed towards my sexual assault case.
In the Sexual Misconduct Handbook, Section 5 lists athletic coaches as responsible employees that are required to report any incident regarding the sexual assault of a student. This means that once a student expresses that they have been sexually assaulted, the LEGAL response from a coach and/or staff as stated in the Sexual Misconduct Handbook is: NC A&T is “onnotice” once sexual misconduct has been reported to you. As a ResponsibleEmployee, you are expected to report to the Title IX Coordinator within 24 hours ofreceiving the report.
The Aggie Cheer Staff blatantly failed to do so and further ignored my attempts to discuss the situation with them. Moreover, the month of January will mark two months in which the coaching staff has failed to address and report this incident. I am deeply appalled by not only the blatant negligence, but also their disregard for my safety as a student on this campus. Because of my sexual assault, I have been bullied by members from the Blue Squad Cheerleading team and made to feel as though I am at fault for my assault. I refuse to allow this culture to perpetuate on this campus or within any athletic program.
The treatment that I have received throughout this process from my coaches has not been conducive to my mental and emotional health. Because of the maltreatment that I have experienced and the neglect shown by the cheerleading coaching staff, I am calling for their immediate removal from the North Carolina A&T Cheer Program. It is my belief that if the coaches remain in place, that the culture of sexual assault and victim blaming at the expense of protecting the brand of program will continue.
It is my sincere desire that the university and athletic department further discuss the protocol in place to address sexual assault and that there is thorough training to assure that all employees and athletes are well educated. There is a crucial need for implementation workshops and training related to sexual assault on campus. The lack of support on behalf of the NC A&T cheerleading coaching staff further affirms that we need to actively work to dismantle this cycle of rape culture and oppression of women on this campus! Iam here to say…this ends with ME!
Talk about coming through in the clutch! As I write this Bennett College is one day away from reaching their deadline to raise $5 million dollars in the hopes of maintaining their accreditation, granted by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It’s been a fight to gather attention for this amazing cultivator of Black Girl Magic. I know personally here at HBCU Pulse we’ve made it our mission to give the Belles such as Brooke Kane, Miss Bennett College, a platform to address the nation about why they need support to keep their HBCU open.
Within the past week, Bennett has received an outpouring of support from mainstream media outlets and corporate donor bodies. Papa John’s donated $500.000 to the HBCU on last Thursday, giving the #standwithbennett supporters the hope that we can pull off this miraculous feat. Now, less than a week later, we see that Bennett has another noteworthy donor. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated has decided to donate $1,000 to the college, pushing Bennett closer to its goal of $5 million dollars. Bennett has received over $1 million dollars of donations since last Thursday!
As reported on HBCU Buzz:
“Bennett College President Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins was notified of the gift in a letter from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. International President Dr. Glenda Glover, who said the sorority wanted to support Bennett because of its national goal to support and make an impact on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The endowment will be presented at a Black History Month gathering of HBCU presidents at Alpha Kappa Alpha’s International Headquarters in Chicago. “As an HBCU graduate and someone who has dedicated my life’s work to the HBCU community, I personally know the impact that establishing an endowment has on a student’s enrollment or graduation prospects,” said Glover. “Our organization has established the AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund with the goal of investing in the future of our young people and the sustainability of our treasured Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Over the next four years, we have pledged to donate a total of $10 million towards the endowment. We are honored to provide Bennett College with their full endowment immediately to support their fundraising goals.”
If this isn’t living by the creed of “Service And Scholarship To All Mankind” I don’t know what is! Then, a day after celebrating J29, the day that Alpha Kappa Alpha was incorporated! Great job ladies! We’re still not done though! Bennett needs all the support we can give it! Keep donating!
“A Bennett Belle is a phenomenal woman and she will never stop historically ringing.” – Brooke A. Kane, 39th Miss Bennett College.
We are contacting you in regard to the fact that our beloved institution – a historically black college for women, Bennett College, is in danger of closing its doors. The news of the possible loss of our accreditation was distributed to students on December 11th, 2018 and as a result, our college President, Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, is doing everything in her power to ensure that the Oasis (how we lovingly refer to our school) remains for many generations to come. Many students, known as Bennett Belles, have dealt with this possibility as they possess the greatest fear and tension in their own hearts because this impending threat that we are facing coming February 1st, 2019, from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Bennett College was founded in 1873 as a school that assisted in educating freed slaves during the era of Reconstruction and then, became an all-women’s institution in 1926. It is one of the only two safe havens for black women seeking an education in a world that has seemingly pushed these very women against a wall, clawing at an opportunity to be acknowledged and recognized for their intellect and talents.
Since the year of 1926, Bennett has gone onto produce women that are not only phenomenal in their own right but also, leaders who are destined to shape the very world they live in such as actress Mildred Natwick, artist Beverly Buchanan, surgeon Dorothy Lavinia Brown, Carolyn R. Payton: the 1977 Director of the United States Peace Corps, and so many more beautiful Belles that have carved their names in Herstory.
As of today, there are only 101 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in operation today and we do not wish to see this number drop any further. As a result, we wish to preserve this place we call home and our institution has since launched a social media campaign titled #StandWithBennett that has not only promoted awareness to many individuals on various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but has given us a following that has pulled together various Historically Black Colleges and Universities to stand with our institution in this troubled time.
It is our hope that this correspondence reaches you in good health and prompts you to show your support for not only our institution, but for all Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Be it a monetary donation or introducing these institutions for higher learning to your network of those who wish to give back to their communities. The values of teamwork, integrity, civic engagement, leadership, and imagination that Bennett impresses upon her students are just some of the amazing things that not only produce productive members of society, but also allows for the development of lifelong bonds of sisterhood and friendship which she prides herself in.
We cannot imagine a world where Bennett College is no longer standing. We are mentally incapable of envisioning this because we know, in our hearts of all hearts, that the Land of Black Girl Magic will reign supreme, that the Belles of past, present, and future will still have a place to call home and that they will be able to wave their wands and create magic for a lifetime, in whatever path or profession they choose.
It has been stated time and time again that while at Bennett, the girl you are will meet the woman you will become; where you find your purpose and learn that strength, wisdom and compassion are the fruits of our labor.
We hope that this letter has resonated with you in some shape, form or fashion. Please consider the fact that 465 young women are currently seeking an accredited liberal arts degree with the hope that they are to make a productive difference in this world when at times they are told that they are inferior.
There are a lot of people who like to say that students who attend HBCU’s are not being challenged or are not likely to acquire certain job positions, but this Fayetteville State University Alumna is an example of the black excellence that HBCU’s produce. Masceline Petitlubin is an FSU chemistry graduate and she is currently obtaining her MBA. Petitlubin was offered a position within the Information and Logistics Management Division of NASA, she began her new position on January 22. Her new position is under a program by the name of Pathways, this allows Petitlubin to gain the proper training for her new position and still be able to pursue her MBA.
She obtained a lot of research experience due to a number of programs during her undergraduate years such as; North Carolina Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (NC-LSAMP) and I-TEST. Petitlubin has expressed her passion for STEM and is the owner of the Science, English, and Mathematics Academy (SEMA) which provides tutoring services to students K-12 in a variety of subjects. Among her many achievements, she is a co-author of the STEM Learning Communities, which explored different strategies that were put in places increase retention, enrollment, and graduation in the STEM fields at FSU.
Masceline Petitlubin is paving the way not only for FSU students but black students everywhere!
Many of us begin to find ourselves in relationships with people without knowing how they love or how they want to be loved. There are many ways to express your love for someone but if it’s not their love language you aren’t going to make them feel loved. There are 5 different ways people love and they are called Love Languages. If you want to, read with your partner to figure out their love language!
Words of affirmation: This could simply just be telling your partner that you love them, or reassuring them about your love for them. Telling your girlfriend that she looks beautiful or that you love the smell of your boyfriend’s cologne are things that are considered words of affirmation.
Quality time: Sometimes just spending time with your partner can make them feel loved and valued. Even if you’re just running some errands and you ask them to join you can be considered quality time. Try spending time with your partner or just inviting them to be around you, if this is their love language they will feel loved.
Receiving gifts: For some people, this could be a no-brainer, because who doesn’t love gifts? Well, it’s actually much simpler than that. When dating someone who loves receiving gifts, don’t think of it as spoiling your partner but think of it as expressing your love in the form of tangible items. So if you’re on your way to see them, try picking up their favorite food or something that they might like.
Acts of service:Does your partner have a busy schedule? Try helping out around the house or assisting them in things that might make their day a little easier. People who prefer acts of service feel loved if you do things like this. If your partner is out running errands try taking out the trash or keeping the house clean, so they don’t have to worry about it when they get back home. Maybe even help them with their homework for a class to make things less stressful for them.
Physical Touch:Some people require feeling their partner skin to skin. This could mean that in order to express your love effectively to your partner you would have to possibly give them kisses, hugs or engaging in sexual acts. Physical touch isn’t just sexual either, it could even be putting your arm around them while you go shopping together or holding hands can make your partner feel loved!
Now that you understand what love languages are, try taking a test with your partner to determine your love languages. This test was created by Gary Chapman, a marriage counselor who wrote two books outlining what love languages are to make couples understand their partner’s needs better.
