Ever since President Joe Biden & Vice President Kamala Harris took office in January 2021, they’ve endured attacks about their fitness for the job. Vice President Harris has taken the brunt of these attacks. There’s been a coordinated effort these past two years to make it seem as if the first female vice president is invisible and inept at the scope of her job. It first surfaced on social media and conservative radio & TV airwaves. Now, it’s a talking point even echoed by Democrats and Biden supporters who are lobbying that VP Harris should be removed from the 2024 reelection ticket. It’s unfair how narratives become so powerful and take on a life of their own. These lies threaten to affect the discourse around the 2024 Presidential Race and even Vice President Harris’s political future as she remains a key contender for the Democratic Nomination for President in the future.
This week on HBCU Pulse Radio where I gave a State Of The Union about our HBCUs and their relationships with the federal and state government, I did a “Randall’s Thoughts” editorial about Vice President Kamala Harris. I asserted that she is one of the best, if not the best, Vice Presidents of all time and cited that she’s done her constitutional duties with excellence and often does even more to advance important causes for the Biden Administration that isn’t a part of her job description. As always, there’s so much more to speak on that we can’t possibly put in our 28-minute weekly SiriusXM Program so I wanted to lay out more accomplishments that Vice President Kamala Harris has achieved in her two-year tenure with the Biden Administration.
This article will be updated as VP Harris achieves more. I hope that this helps in counteracting the toxic narratives about her job performance and highlights how effective she is at governance and that she’s ready to be President on day one if we give her a fair opportunity. I also urge you to follow @whereiskamala as they routinely give updates about what Vice President Harris is doing amid the talking points that she is invisible.
As promised, here’s the first of many #VPHarrisMonthlyRecaps designed to defeat the false narrative that she is invisible.
Vice President Harris has been able to successfully confirm all the nominees that President Joe Biden has appointed, which is key to the administration being able to effectively do the work needed to advance their agenda.
Vice President Harris serves as the Biden Administration’s main representative for diplomatic relations abroad. Vice President Harris is the first U.S. Official to visit Palawan, a providence of the Philippines.
Vice President Harris has advocated for increased HBCU funding as an alumna of Howard University, pushing the Biden Administration to allocate billions of dollars in funding to HBCUs, continuing her support of HBCUs that she showed previously as a U.S. Senator.
Vice President Harris was been instrumental in the passage of the American Rescue Plan, which included a $2 Trillion COVID relief stimulus bill, that had previously been stalled by Senate Republicans.
Vice President Harris has been a champion of maternal health and has toured the country advocating for a woman’s right to choose amid the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in the Summer of 2022.
Vice President Harris has been an effective leader in criminal justice reform and has championed the need for continued investment in early childhood education.
Vice President Harris has been an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education.
Vice President Harris is a strong advocate for the middle class and has been an outspoken critic of President Trump’s policies that benefit the wealthy and hurt the working class.
Vice President Harris has been outspoken in her support for the Affordable Care Act, and has worked to build up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Additionally, Harris has spearheaded initiatives such as The Justice is Coming Home Campaign, which aimed to improve access to mental health services for veterans. Additionally, Harris has proposed new legislation that would make it easier for people to sue financial institutions and big businesses.
Vice President Harris has been a vocal supporter of voting rights, using her platform as Vice President to call for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
As the Vice President, Harris is responsible for overseeing many of the most important aspects of the U.S. government, such as healthcare, immigration, and education. She has championed progressive policies, such as expanding healthcare coverage to millions of Americans and increasing the minimum wage.
Vice President Harris has helped to increase diversity in government by appointing more women and people of color to key positions.
Vice President Harris has been a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform, which she believes is key to reducing the number of people in prison and improving rehabilitation programs. She has also worked to reduce gun violence, including through her work on the bipartisan assault weapons ban and expanding background checks.
Vice President Harris has championed environmental causes, such as increasing renewable energy production and combating climate change. She has also worked to improve infrastructure, such as increasing funding for transportation and developing a plan to combat climate change.
Vice President Harris has worked to promote economic justice, by advocating for policies that help low-income Americans access affordable healthcare, housing, and education. She also believes that debt-free college is a key part of improving the economy for all Americans.
Vice President Harris has helped to address the southern border “crisis” which had seen a surge in the number of immigrants from Mexico and Central America seeking unauthorized entry to the country.
The federal designation of HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) was created by the passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965, giving federal support and protection to higher education institutions created before 1964 that were accredited with the mission of educating African Americans. The support from the federal government has always varied by the President and his administration that leads the Executive Branch of the United States Government. However, it seems as if we’ve never truly seen support from the State Governments that our public HBCUs reside in. State HBCUs have had to fend for themselves, given minimal support from state legislatures and often accusations of mismanagement and fund misappropriation from the same governing body meant to equitably support all institutions that tax-payers help fund.
Theres no better example than the 19 land grant black colleges in our nation today and their fight with the state government for appropriate funding and support. Recently on HBCU Pulse Radio, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Antonio McLaren, Vice President of Innovation & Program Implementation for the 1890 University Foundation. The 1890 University Foundation, established in 2016, was created to support and advocate for all of our Land Grant HBCUs. My conversation with Dr. McLauren was amazing and he shined light on several issues that our land grant institutions are confronted with.
However, our conversation was confined to the current 28-minute format of our radio program on SiriusXM Channel 142 HBCU. There were several aspects of the history of Land Grant HBCUs that we were not able to touch on due to time constraints. This information must be presented to the world so we can be well-versed in our fight for the sustainability of HBCUs.
So, on today’s HBCU Pulse Radio Editorial, we take a deeper look into the creation of Land Grant Institutions, Land Grant HBCUs and how these HBCUs have been robbed of billions of dollars.
Listen To The “HBCUs vs. The State Government” episode on SiriusXM Channel 142 HBCU Friday 2/24 @ 5 PM EST, Sunday 2/26 @ 2:30 PM EST & Tuesday 2/28 @ 6 PM EST. You can also check out the full episode below and on Apple Podcast, Spotify, iHeartRadio and wherever you get your podcasts.
A Brief History Of Land Grant Colleges
The Land Grant College System was created in 1862 by the passage of the Morrill Land Grant Act. The Morrill Land Grant granted states with land that could be used for profit with the funds being used to establish a college in the state that would teach agriculture & mechanical arts. The first land grant colleges were segregated. In 1889, these land grant colleges sought federal funding but were tasked with integrating. The heads of these institutions as well as state government leaders did not want to integrate their institutions, so they elected to create specific agriculture and mechanical colleges for black people. The colleges that were created paled in comparison to their white counterparts.
This led to the passage of the Second Morrill Act Of 1890, signed into law by the 23rd President of the United States Benjamin Harrison and sponsored by Vermont Senator Justin Morrill. The said goal was to expand educational opportunities in the field of agriculture and mechanical arts. State governments were mandated to give equal financial appropriations to these land grant black colleges as they did predominately white land grant colleges. However, it was up to the discretion of the state government to determine what “just and equal” funding appropriation was.
This caused a problem as predominately white land grant institutions were given more state support than land grant HBCUs. A perfect example is Tennessee State University. Tennessee State was underfunded millions of dollars while the University of Tennessee, the only other land-grant institution in the state, was funded appropriately. An investigation into this by the State’s Office of Legislative Budget Analysis in 2021 showed that Tennessee State had been underfunded for decades and that the institution is owed between $151 million to $544 million in land-grant funding.
Tennessee State isn’t the only HBCU that has endured this. in February 2022, Forbes published their article “How America Cheated Its Black Colleges”. The article, often cited by HBCU alumni as we attempt to showcase how HBCUs have been underfunded for decades, features a table that shows how much money our HBCU land grant institutions have been underfunded by. The table lists the amount of money underfunded from 1987 to 2022 and totals $12 Billion.
The Problem Land Grant HBCUs Are Faced With
Public HBCUs are largely funded by state and local government appropriations, with tuition payment, alumni giving and endowments. State government appropriations are important to the sustainability of these public HBCUs. Without equitable money allocation, HBCUs are left to do more with less. Often times, the lack of resources for housing and capital improvements is held against HBCUs and use to paint black institutions as unprepared to properly support students. This philosophy then supports the state’s attempt to take over these institutions, citing financial and operations mismanagement.
Recently, Tennessee State University has been the target of an alleged takeover by the Tennessee State Government. It has been recommended that Tennessee State’s current Board Of Trustees be dissolved to allow the Tennessee Board Of Regents to control oversight of the university. Tennessee State University, via the Office of Communications, responded to the move.
State takeovers of HBCUs have been attempted for years. Many have been targeted specifically at our 1890 Land Grant institutions.
In 2019, the Georgia State Senate pushed to merge Fort Valley State University, Albany State University and Savannah State University to form the Georgia A&M University system. The move would’ve created a Georgia A&M University system that would be directly under the control of the state government instead of the University System Of Georgia (Fort Valley State, Albany State & Savannah State are the only three public HBCUs in the system, FVSU is the 1890 Land Grant in the state).
In 2009, then Governor Haley Barbour proposed to merge Alcorn State, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State. Barbour attempted to use a $700 million budget shortfall Alcorn is a 1890 Land Grant institution.
As we detailed in July, Florida Governor Ron DesSantis is fighting for more control over the state colleges and universities in Florida. FAMU, a part of the State University system and the only public HBCU in the state (also an 1890 Land Grant), finds itself vulnerable to political action based on DesSantis’s “Stop W.O.K.E” act and a decades long talks to merge FAMU with neighboring public institution Florida State University. An unsuccessful attempt was made in 1967.
As HBCU Land Grant institutions continue to uplift our students as well as the community they reside in, we will continue to fight for their sustainability and viability. We will also continue our coverage of the fight via HBCU Pulse Radio.
Make sure to tune in next week for the HBCU State Of The Union and a deep dive into the accomplishments of Kamala Harris as the Vice President Of The United States.
There is a misconception that HBCU students, alumni and supporters have always had to fight against that dominates our conversations about sports. We always hear that HBCU sports programs are less than their PWI counterparts and that HBCU athletes do not get drafted out of black institutions. Many point to 2021 as an example of this fact. No HBCU players were drafted in 2021, prompting a visceral response from HBCU stakeholders around the nation. 2022 saw four HBCU players drafted but several talented prospects were left off the board.
Since 2021, I wanted to do a deep dive into the history of HBCU Players drafted to the NFL. After extensive research, I found that a full list of HBCU football draftees hadn’t been published or isn’t currently public at this time This Black History Month, I decided to make this project a reality. Below is a definitive list of HBCU Players drafted to the NFL. I ask that you review this list and allow it to further inform conversations about the direction of HBCU athletics and the sports professionals we produce at the highest level. Also, make notes of the trends that the data and information provides as it can inform us on what’s to come in the future.
Note:
*The AFL (American Football League) & NFL (National Football League) merged on June 8, 1966. From 1967-1970 the two leagues had joint drafts. The merger became official in 1970 and the AFL became the AFC (American Football Conference).
*Bishop College is an HBCU that unfortunately closed in 1988
1950
1950: Bob Stonewall Jackson, North Carolina A&T, FB/LB (New York Giants, Round 10, Pick 202)
1951
1951: George Rooks, Morgan State, B (Green Bay Packers, Round 11, Pick 125)
1951: Obie Posey, Southern, B (Los Angeles Rams, Round 15, Pick 180)
1951: Alvin Hanley, Kentucky State, B (Los Angeles Rams, Round 30, Pick 361)
*Matthew Teague was selected in the Supplemental Draft to the Atlanta Falcons in the 7th round. He went on to play for the Atlanta Falcons as his original selection by the Dallas Cowboys became invalid because of a college eligibility issue.
1984: Zack Barnes, Alabama State, DT (San Diego Chargers, Round 9, Pick 230)
1984: Dave Windham, Jackson St., LB (NWE, Round 9, Pick 251)
1984: Heyward Golden, South Carolina St., DB (NYG, Round 10, Pick 257)
1984: William Frizzell, North Carolina Central, DB (DET, Round 10, Pick 259)
1984: Tommy Norman, Jackson St., WR (ATL, Round 11, Pick 287)
1984: Mike Jones, North Carolina A&T, RB (MIN, Round 12, Pick 321)
*The NFL had a special supplemental draft on June 5, 1984 for college seniors who had already signed with the USFL or CFL. Robert Smith was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the Supplemental draft but played for the USFL’s Arizona Wranglers until the league ended. He then joined the Vikings in 1985.
*Alvin Powell, similar to Robert Smith, was drafted in the supplemental draft and played in the USFL for the Arizona Outlaws. He then joined the Seahawks in 1987.
1985
1985: Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State, WR (San Francisco 49ers Round 1, Pick 16) (Hall Of Famer & Pro Bowler)
1985: Isaac Holt, Alcorn, DB (Minnesota Vikings, Round 2, Pick 30)
1985: Chris Burkett, Jackson St., WR (Buffalo Bills, Round 2, Pick 42)
1985: Arnold Brown, North Carolina Central, DB (Seattle Seahawks, Round 5, Pick 128)
1985: John Bostic, Bethune-Cookman, DB (Kansas City Chiefs, Round 6, Pick 149)
1985: Reggie Langhorne, Elizabeth City, WR (Cleveland Browns, Round 7, Pick 175)
Update (1/27/23, 7:30 PM EST): Bethune-Cookman University released a video this afternoon recapping a meeting that Interim President Dr. Lawrence M. Drake II and Athletic Director Reggie Theus had with the current Wildcat Football players. The duo were accompanied by Bethune-Cookman football alumni who also got the opportunity to play in the NFL. In the meeting students got to ask questions and received clarity on the hiring of a new football coach. Dr. Drake assured the football team that a new head coach will be named within the next 10 days.
Players laid out concerns for the administration about obtaining better nutrition, on staff trainers, a training facility and voiced concerns about sharing helmets and cleats and better campus conditions. In the video, Dr. Drake says he was unaware of several of the things that the football players presented to him in the meeting. Also, Theus announced that plans are in place to create an on-campus practice field and also a $3 million investment into the stadium locker rooms. He says both will be done by August.
Update (1/26/23, 8 PM EST): Students continue their protest of unsafe living conditions at Bethune-Cookman University. On Tuesday, student protesters were informed that Interim President Dr. Lawrence M. Drake II will speak with student leaders at some point next week to address student demands. The student protesters held a peaceful demonstration inside of White Hall on campus the same day.
“My last meeting with the university president that was in person was back in the beginning of August…August 10th to be exact,” said Stubbs to Martin during his appearance on the show. Roland Martin will be hosting a town hall specifically about the Bethune-Cookman protests next Friday from 6 PM-8 PM at Greater Friendship Baptist Church located at 539 George W. Engram Blvd. in Daytona Beach, Florida. Doors open at 5 PM.
The students have released a list of demands in advance of a meeting with Interim President Dr. Drake. The list of demands as obtained from student leaders is below.
List Of Student Demands
NON- NEGOTIABLE DEMANDS
INVESTIGATION OF ADMINISTRATION
A detailed investigation of the leadership of our campus will aid in locating the main problem. As we don’t feel included in the direction our university is headed in. We feel as if the Board of Trustees led by Judge Belvin Perry Jr. has not been completely transparent with us. Being that we don’t feel valued, heard, or supported by the administration we are DEMANDING the immediate revision of these roles. WE DEMAND STUDENT AND ALUMNI REPRESENTATION ON THE BOARD
Create a better method of requesting maintenance requests.
1a. There needs to be staff appointed in CIT or Facilities to ensure these claims are being addressed in a more timely manner
Enforce better safety regulations on campus
2a. There needs to be better safety measures in place to protect the safety of students suffering from crises: physical injury, emotional distress, and sickness or illness.
Improve screening measures for employees of the university.
3a. There must be set criteria for employment at the university and employees must represent Dr. Bethune’s legacy by exemplifying her core values. FIRST
Release detailed financial statements for each student account
4a There has to be a better format for the balancing of accounts. Without the direct presence of a financial analyst in the administration, we have suspicions regarding the use of funds. Provide detailed explanation with supporting documentation for the removal and non-authorization for scholarship funding.
Amend the student handbook and code of conduct.
5a. There should be a revision of regulations regarding attending the university and the way students are expected to behave.
Renew vendor contracts
6a Delegating specific individuals within the administration to ensure contracts are renewed to ensure the upkeep of the university. Food and beverage contract renegotiation with Sodexo. As they are ultimately responsible for basic amenities on campus; Dining hall, Maintenance and Facilities, and on-campus services.
Formulate direct and frequent communication with the administration
7a. Creating a relationship amongst students to ensure their voices are being heard and respected.
Restore the tradition of the university.
8a Formulate a plan to ensure the university still demonstrates its founding principles despite dismay.
Protect the Interest of students
9a Amplify student leaders and encourage students to engage in activities that will aid their improvement.
Remain a Family
10a Enforce that Students, Administration, Professors, and community members all must treat each other with respect.
First, let me begin by saying that I was very proud of the manner in which our students handled themselves during yesterday’s student gathering. It was orderly and represented the best intentions of students sharing their voices. While social media and media outlets have seized on not continuing negotiations with NFL Hall of Fame player Ed Reed, many of our students chose to use this moment to voice their concerns. This administration takes no issue with this. In the coming davs. I will meet with student leaders to ensure that we address many of the students’ concerns and answer their questions as honestly as possible.
To close the chapter on Mr. Reed, he was a tremendous player. Still, as we continued to observe him, we felt that his behavior was not aligned with the traditions of our founder Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and the university. We have over 50+ inquiries concerning our Head coaching position and are very excited about our candidate pool. Many of them possess not only knowledge of the game and the ability to assist in raising funds for the program. Still, they are disciplined leaders who have demonstrated their steadfast commitment to our Christian values. They also have the leadership skills to mold successful young men who are also student-athletes.
We’ve also added a football player representative to join the search committee, giving the football team aa stake and a voice in choosing our next Head Football coach.We hope to announce our selection of a new Head Football Coach in the next week to ten days.
Next, Issues and concerns: Over the last year, Bethune-Cookman University has begun a complete assessment of all its facilities for fitness, renovation, and teardown, as well as the construction of new facilities to enhance our campus. We’ve enlisted the assistance of CT Construction, an Orlando-based firm with extensive HBCU campus experience, our facilities partner Sodexo, and several environmental and architectural engineering firms to continue the assessment of over lOU buildings.
Simultaneously, we have begun to prioritize necessity and cost, as financial resources are limited. For some buildings and facilities, in light of two unprecedented weather events, Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole, and enrollment growth, we have begun renovation and construction immediately. As with any process, facility age, building conditions, time to remedy, weather impact, and expense are paramount. To ensure we are thorough, this phase will likely not be complete until late summer or just before the FY23-24 school year. Once school begins in the Fall, we will work around student movement and will likely require moving students around, which could be disruptive to their living and learning. Student logistics, campus housing, and instructional classroom spaces are keys to the university meeting its academic requirements.
While I believe the truth and transparency are always the best courses, some “facts” are not always friendly! However, we have to do what is right even when it’s not popular. Our Founder Dr. Bethune once remarked, “The progress of the world will call for the best that all of us have to give.” We will continue to move to be the best version of ourselves and truly appreciate the patience of our students and al concerned as we work to improve our community.
“Hail Wildcats”!
Sincerely,
Lawrence M. Drake II, Ph.D.
Students are continuing protests today as they plan to protest in front of White Hall on campus.
A student quoted in Edinger’s article wrote, “What started off as my dream school turned into something that’s far less than what I thought.”
Fox 35 also obtained pictures of unsatisfactory living conditions on campus sent by students. The pictures showed mold that has grown on bedding and other furniture, clothes and the dorm walls. Another student, who is asthmatic, spoke about how the mold in the dorm triggered her asthma and sent her to the hospital.
Obtained By Fox 35
The protest, which is still taking place as this article is written, features students speaking about their issues as well as publicly requesting the removal of the Board Of Trustees. Several students some tearfully, recount unpleasant experience and their displeasure with on-campus conditions.
Bethune Cookman University students filled the street outside campus Monday to protest dorm conditions, alleged mismanagement of tuition funding and the recent decision by the school to back out of hiring NFL HOF’er Ed Reed as head football coach. @WFTVpic.twitter.com/yvijKMo5gs
At this hour,@bethunecookman students holding campus protest, shouting board of trustees has to go. This after university cut off contract negotiations w prospective football coach Ed Reed. Reed criticized campus conditions on social media posts pic.twitter.com/MPPTNYkeqD
At this time, Bethune-Cookman has not released a statement about the protest or the status of the Board Of Trustee members. We will continue to update you on this story as more information is presented.
Talladega College is the latest HBCU to form a Women’s Gymnastic team. According toa a release, Talladega is partnering with Brown Girls Do Gymnastics (BGDG) to launch the gymnastics team and will also host the 8th Annual BGDG Conference, which will be held July 18 – 21, 2024. The Alabama-based HBCU joins Fisk University, who also partners with BGDG and the HBCU Gymnastics Allicance for their team as the only HBCUs to currently have HBCU Women’s Gymnastics teams. The partnership was announced during the HBCU Gymnastics Alliance Collaboration in Atlanta, Georgia on January 14th.
“This historic moment will have a lasting impact. Establishing a women’s gymnastics team at Talladega College will expand opportunities for HBCU student athletes to compete in a rewarding sport that fosters discipline, confidence and success,” said Talladega College President Gregory J. Vincent says in the release. “Developing our first-ever women’s gymnastics team will also promote student and alumni engagement and pride; enhance the college’s brand; and help create a pipeline of diverse gymnasts.”
Michael Grant, Talladega College Vice President and Athletic Director, also added, “While there are over eighty intercollegiate women’s gymnastics teams in the nation and many gymnastics clubs, Talladega will be one of only two HBCU teams. Having a team will give our athletes greater visibility and recognition.”
We would like to congratulate Talladega College on the creation of their women’s gymnastics team and will update you with more information as it is presented.
Update (1/21/23, 10 PM EST): Bethune-Cookman has released a statement about deciding to move on from Ed Reed and resume their search for a permanent head coach for the Wildcat football team.
The statement from the press release reads:
“Bethune-Cookman has announced that it has decided not to proceed with contract negotiations with Ed Reed to become the next head football coach at B-CU.
After undergoing a detailed assessment and review of the state of our football program, we have determined that it is in the best interest of our university, athletics program, and football student-athletes to reopen the search and identify the next leader of Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Football.
Bethune-Cookman University was founded with core guiding principles centered around integrity, accountability, and mutual respect for others. These guiding principles have and will continue to weigh heavily on all decisions made that impact our university.
While we appreciated the initial interest in our football program displayed by Mr. Reed during the course of recent weeks, we are also mindful of the qualities and attributes that must be exhibited by our institutional personnel during what has been uniquely challenging times for our campus as we recover from the impact of two hurricanes during this past fall semester.
We remain steadfast and committed to building a championship caliber football program that excels on the field, inside the classroom, and within our local community.
Our university community has placed the upmost trust and faith in us to continue to advance our institution and we will continue to strive to live up to the high standards that have been set for all individuals affiliated with our illustrious university.
A national search to fill the football head coach position at B-CU has resumed as the university seeks to identify a permanent replacement in the coming days.”
Read The Original Reporting On The Article Below
Less than a week after his expletive-filled tirade about the conditions of Bethune-Cookman University, Ed Reed says he no longer will be head coach of the Wildcats. Ed Reed was announced as head coach on December 27th via Bethune-Cookman Athletic’s Twitter account. A contract had not been finalized between the parties in the time since. According to Reed, the University informed him that they will not move forward with finalizing his contract.
“However, after weeks of negotiations I’ve been informed that the University won’t be ratifying my contract and won’t make good on the agreement we had in principle, which had provisions and resources best needed to support the student athletes,” Reed said in his statement, “Iwas committed to coaching and cultivating a relationship with the University, Players, Community and the Fans. It’s extremely disappointing this won’t be happening.”
Reed also took to IG Live to release a statement, which was joined by former Jackson State head coach and current Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. In his IG Live, Ed Reed says that he did not withdraw his name and that Bethune-Cookman didn’t want him as coach because he “told the truth”.
“The frustrations and anger that both Sanders and Reed may have felt about what comes with the jobs they willingly accepted are more than understandable. However, what isn’t, is that two grown men — who are also two of the greatest players in football history — ran to the internet, or a friend with a microphone posing as a journalist, to air unnecessarily dirty laundry in a way that is reminiscent of teenagers trying to get their “likes” and “engagement” up on TikTok,” Phillips said in his op-ed, “For the smart people in the room that always understood that Sanders would never be the so-called savior of HBCUs, Reed’s rants are exactly what we meant when we said that Sanders didn’t make things better for HBCUs as a whole.”
This situation is breaking and we will update you on any new revelations.
Morris Brown has been granted $2.9 Million in Federal Funding per an announcement at a university press conference earlier this week. The $2.9 million, the largest grant received by Morris Brown in 20 years, will be used for restoration of buildings on campus and funding for academic programs. $500,000 will specifically go towards the restoration of Founder’s Hall.
The allocation of federal funding was led by Georgia U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, who secured a federal funding package for Morris Brown College. Senator Ossoff fulfilled a campaign promise that he made in an appearance on Morris Brown’s campus in December 2020 to secure funding for the Atlanta-based HBCU.
““I want to pledge to you, Mr. President, that as Georgia’s United States senator, I’ll be at your fingertips. I’ll work tirelessly to deliver the resources that this institution needs, not just to get back to where it has been, but to achieve higher and higher heights.” said Senator Ossoff in a campaign rally on Morris Brown’s campus in December 2020.
Ossoff also publicly supported the reaccedidation efforts of Morris Brown College and assisted in brining back eligibility for student veterans to attend the institution. These moves aided in what President Dr. Kevin James calls “#thehardreset” for the institution. Since losing it’s accreditation in 2002 through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and a bankruptcy filing in 2012, Morris Brown has grown under James leadership.
During James’s tenure, which began in 2020, Morris Brown:
Regained accreditation via The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), which allows students to apply for federal financial aid.
Grew university enrollment from 20 students to 270
Partnered with Rapper T.I. and Moolah Wireless to give out free tablets to students
Continued fundraising efforts for campus restoration
Added several academic programs for students
The grant will surely continue aiding Dr. Kevin James in #thehardreset of the storied institution and add to the already great accomplishments during his three years as Morris Brown’s President.
Tennessee State University, the only land grant HBCU in the state of Tennessee, is getting a historic one-time investment from the state government. The Nashville-based HBCU released a statement detailing plans for the $250 million allocated from the state government. The investment, the largest granted to an HBCU by a state in history, will be used to cover expenses needed to upgrade academic and student service buildings. The money will also be used to upgrade the electrical and HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems.
Per the statement, renovations started last Fall and will continue with the following buildings being upgraded:
Boswell Science Complex
Davis Humanities
Elliott Hall
Jackson
Harold Love, Sr. (LRC)
McCord
“We are excited to share with you our plans for using this historic funding that will assist with TSU’s continued growth and campus development as we provide students with the best academic environment possible,” Glover said in the statement. “This will allow us to enhance our campus for further sustainability as we continue our service to our students.”
Student leaders on campus also expressed excitement for the on-campus upgrades that will be tended to by the money.
“Today we are seeing that dream come to fruition as we are seeing six buildings being renovated to uplift TSU,” said SGA President Kenneth Rolle, II. “I am glad to be on this side of history to say I was here when we started this project.”
SGA Vice President Aliyah Holmes added, “As a student…the building I am most excited about, is the Davis Humanities Building. We use that building a lot.”
Tennessee State is still owed hundreds of millions by the state legislator. However, this is a step in the right direction that will help Tennessee State University in its continued growth.
Watch our interview with Tennessee State University Alumni President Charles Galbreath Jr. about the Tennessee State’s historic underfunding by the state on our YouTube!
Note: This is a transcript of HBCU Pulse Founder and HBCU Pulse Radio on SiriusXM host Randall Barnes’s interview with WURD’s Charles Ellison and the subsequent podcast episode recapping it. Listen to the interview below or on HBCU Pulse YouTube.
What’s going on, everybody? This is Randall Barnes, the founder of HBCU Pulse and the host of HBCU Pulse Radio in the building for another special edition of the show on today where, man, I’m not even going to lie, man. I’m having a Jordan flu game right now. I don’t think I have the flu, but as I’m talking right now, I am sick. So if I sound crazy, please forgive me. If I don’t sound as energetic as I normally am, please forgive me.
But I had to hop on and talk today. I’m supposed to be on break. But it didn’t work out like that because Ed Reed is now the coach of Bethune-Cookman. He’s doing amazing things down there. He’s a football savant. He was at the University of Miami as the chief of staff. And of course, with that, he has administrative experience. So, I hopped back on Twitter. I’m supposed to be on a social media fast. I’ve broken it a couple of times just because of what’s been going on. And, as I was on Twitter at three in the morning because I couldn’t go to sleep, I saw that there was a conversation about BET airing HBCU football games again by folks that I respect. And it doesn’t make sense that we continue to try to get BET to air HBCU games when they don’t want to. That is not what they’re trying to do with their product.
When we’re talking media, y’all have to make the money make sense in your ideas. Linear TV is dying. The plan is to use that to our advantage by touting our viewership #’s to CBS/ABC/NBC/Fox to get more games on TV,
BET isn’t an option guys, this isn’t 1993 or 2003.
They’re a lifestyle brand, and they’re trying to acquire and produce and create reality TV programs and also scripted TV programs to primarily appeal to black women ages 18 to 34 and also 18 to 49. They’re trying to go for a younger demographic. So sports does not fit in to that at all to be 100% honest with you. So I did a thread where I talked about why that doesn’t make sense, why we shouldn’t be looking at BT to give our sports right to and why we should have a better conversation with Amazon Prime, sort of have conversations with them, have a better conversation with ESPN, and then include in NBC and CBS and Fox Sports and Apple TV+ And you have, of course, Amazon Prime Video. We should be including them in this as well. That’s all I’m saying. You know what I’m saying? So I did a thread on that.
I had Mr. Charles Ellison, who is a radio host for WURD, the only black owned radio station in Philadelphia reach out. He hosts Reality Check from 10:00 A.m to 01:00. P.m. Weekdays, and he invited me on the show. It was the last minute. But I love radio, and WURD is dope! I’ve listened to them many times before. So I hopped at the opportunity, even while I was sick, to come on and talk about HBCU sports media rights. So this is my conversation with Mr. Charles Ellison. Hopefully, I represented well for the HBCU community and shed some light about what was going on and also how we can really get more out of these HBCU sports media contracts. So make sure to stay tuned. You listen to HBCU Pulse Radio. Here’s my interview on Reality Check with Charles Ellison.
Charles Ellison: Progressive black talk media on air, [email protected], that’s throughout the nation, throughout the world. You’re tuning in. You’re listening in at Word radio. Also watching us on Word TV. Your Word app on Philadelphia radio. We’re 96.1 FM 900 a m. I’m Charles Ellison, still on Twitter at Ellison Report. Also on LinkedIn as well. Joining us now is Randall Barnes. He is the founder CEO of HBCU Pulse, an online magazine that follows the historically black college and university community. So go to hbcupulse.com. He just started a new program on SiriusXM satellite radio, if I’m not mistaken, in the same name, HBCU Pulse. Is that correct? Randall, congratulations on that, because I think that just started recently, your HBCU Pulse program on SiriusXM, is that correct?
Randall: Yes, sir. So HBCU Pulse radio is on SiriusXM Channel 142 HBCU, and it’s going to start on January 6th at 5 PM and every Friday at 5 PM EST/4 PM CST after that. So I’m super excited for that.
Charles Ellison: That’s what’s up. Okay. Yeah. Congratulations. Yeah, @authorrandallb on Twitter, on social media and @thehbcupulse as well. So I noticed you were sharing some thoughts about HBCU sports on what you call linear TV. Some people call it mainstream. I don’t like to use the word mainstream because I think that, like, black media, like ours, like WURD, that’s mainstream. But I like the way you describe it, linear TV. Basically, there’s a big debate going on about whether or not HBCU sports, like football and HBCU football is growing, should be aired or should be exclusively, almost should be shifting more towards channels like ESPN, CBS, NBC, other major linear TV sports channels. Talk about that. How big is that debate?
Randall: It’s a huge debate because we’re in a society where streaming is the new normal. And now because of streaming, because of the Internet and social media, normal folks are able to get into the business and have a voice. And the streaming apparatus is not fully formed yet. It’s not fully ready to take over the traditional dominance of TV and radio. But it’s a great time for us to get into it. So, for me, I saw a lot of amazing people that I respect talk about BET once again. It’s happened almost every few months about BET getting HBC sports, and it’s not going to happen. And I work in media now. I have a radio show on SiriusXM, I worked as an account executive selling advertising for a radio station. And I love media. I study media. I’m up at 3 AM reading about it and tweeting about it. That’s why I tweeted about it. So, like, it just doesn’t make sense to say, “hey, BET, get sports” when BET is geared towards black women ages 18 to 49. It just simply doesn’t make sense when sports is a predominantly male product. So you want to put it on ESPN, you want to engage NBC Sports or Fox Sports or CBS Sports about it, because that’s where sports fans are. And I wanted to explain that because we have to have real conversations about our media rights and where we can go, because it’s a great conversation. It’s a great conversation, and it’s a lot of good faith arguments, and folks have their hearts in the right place, but we have to talk about things productively, and we have to be realistic.
Charles Ellison: Yeah, we have to be realistic. That conversation does come up because, I guess the ideal situation, I guess in a perfect world, we could say, right, Randall, to have black football games on black oriented TV or black oriented cable seems like the perfect fit, just culturally and just visually right. But BET is not black owned anymore. That’s the thing that people forget. I think that as we’re having this conversation, because I’m like you, I see it popping up occasionally as well. And when I notice as I look at the depths of it. I think people forget or they don’t know. Bet is not black owned anymore. It’s straight up a white owned channel, just black oriented or maybe trying to get it with other channels. But we’re also trying to, right Randall, speak to that. There’s some great things that happen in HBCU football. You have some great talent coming out of HBCU football and other HBCUs sports programs that actually go to the pros, the professional leagues. So you want as much exposure as possible. You want to start viewing HBCUs also as not just black colleges, but as part of the broader mainstream community of colleges.
Randall: Exactly. And it’s so crazy because on Christmas, which is my birthday, I want to say that Christmas is my birthday. I announced the radio for my birthday. But the Decobie Durant had a great game versus a Hall-of-Fame quarterback in Russell Wilson. He went to South Carolina State and he was a part of that team that beat Deion Sanders and Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl. There’s so much talent at HBCUs on the Division I and Division II level. You have Joshua Williams that plays for the Chiefs. He went to Fayetteville State University. So there’s so many amazing players and such great football that happens at HBCUs. And all we want as an HBCUs community is to have America and the world see that and we want a part of that media pie. So the BET conversation and having other stations, we say Aspire TV, we say Bounce TV, we say TV One. It’s a good faith argument, but we have to make it make sense because we want a piece of the money pie. We don’t want to be messed over as far as our media rights and also want to make sure that the Decobie Durant’s and the Joshua Williams’s, we want to make sure that they get seen and they get drafted. And that’s what we want to do with our media rights.
Charles Ellison: Right. How much money stands to be made? How much money are we talking about at stake here?
Randall: Honestly, we’re talking about hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars, because we have to look at. It at face value. We know that the FCS is, as far as viewership, a bit of a step down from the FBS. We know that. I don’t believe that the play is as big of a step down, but we’re looking at hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars in media rights that we can get if we just have the right conversations with the right people and use data and numbers that support that. The Celebration Bowl got 2.4 million viewers a couple of Saturdays ago, and that’s amazing. And that wasn’t even the highest viewed. Celebration bowl 2016 was. Grambling & North Carolina Central when North Carolina lost the game 10-9 on a blocked field goal kick. That got 2.7 million views. So we have these numbers to command. Now is the time to say, hey, we see you all want content. We see that it’s a huge swath of sports consumers that are moving to streaming and they’re cutting the cord. So now is the time to say, hey. 2 million viewers on ABC. We had over 700,000 viewers for the Bayou Classic that was back on basic cable. NBC, can we get another game in? Can we get Jackson State/Alcorn? Can we get the Florida Classic with the Bethune-Cookman with Ed Reed now and FAMU? Can we get that on ABC or NBC or Fox Sports? We have to have the conversations based on the numbers that we do have because there are players in the industry that have been working with us and have been airing our games even this year. So we have to just make it make sense in that way and have productive conversations that can help us out.
Charles Ellison: So with those numbers and, just educate me here, right? Are there HBCUs games, like, for example, HBCU football games that get more viewers than some of those so called mainstream or linear TV games or games between predominantly white institutions routinely?
Randall: Let’s talk about the Orange Blossom Classic this year. That featured Travis Hunter’s first game at Deion Sanders second Orange Blossom Classic against FAMU that almost got a million views on ESPN. 958,000 viewers on that Sunday game. A game on a Sunday that was like so, like, there’s people that are watching and we just have to put HBCU football in the right lane to number one, have it seen to get visibility, to get sponsorship and ad dollars, but also to have our athletes spotlighted aand our institution spotlighted our culture and history. There were about ten to twelve HBCU games out on TV this year. The Bayou Class was on basic cable, NBC, and when I say NBC, I mean like basic cable, like NBC, like Channel Four on some places, not like BET Channel 35 here in middle Georgia. But of course you have the Bayou Classic and you have the Celebration Bowl. That’s only two games on network television, but there were more of that one cable. You saw games on CNBC, you saw a game on NFL Network, you saw games on ESPNU, ESPN2 and ESPN. So we have games that are on cable, but we want more. And honestly, there’s no reason why, and we have to engage other suitors. Why don’t we engage Fox Sports? Have a game on Fox Sports 1. Why don’t we engage Amazon Prime? They’re trying to create a standalone app where now their sports are going to be a standalone app. So why can’t we engage them for that? I think that these are the conversations that need to happen.
Charles Ellison: Yeah. Amazon prime. YouTube also getting in on the NFL act, right? YouTube going to be like? YouTube TV streaming NFL games? Let me ask you, so what do you mean? You did say that, and you said that you hit at it earlier, and you said that on a thread you did on Twitter this morning. And that’s why I reached out to you and said, you know, I got to talk to his brother about this. What do you mean when you say we need to make sure we’re making sense in our media rights conversations. What does that mean exactly?
Randall: So when I say make it make sense, I mean this, right? So, I want us to make sense as far as who we’re talking to. BET has no interest in airing HBCU football. BETT is owned by ViacomCBS. CBS might be a little bit interested, maybe a CBS Sports situation, maybe having a game or two on CBS. They might be interested If we present the right package, we come in with a realistic number in our head and say, hey, these are our best games. Which one do you want? We can have those conversations. But BET is not a realistic destination. They’re not trying to get HBCU football. They’re trying to invest in scripted and reality content. They are a lifestyle network. So. College Hill, for example. They brought back College Hill. It was at Texas Southern, now is going to be at Alabama State. It got a bunch of viewers, 800,000 viewers, when they premiered the first two episodes after the BET Awards this year. They’ll invest in that. Maybe we can try to get the “Why Not Us” series maybe syndicated on BET if Disney is cool with that. That’s a better conversation. That’s a realistic conversation because “Why Not Us: Southern Dance” is a lifestyle show. It’s athletics but, at the same time, it’s lifestyle. That’s a more realistic conversation than BET. Like putting in hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars to produce a quality HBCU football game broadcast every week, paying commentators, paying camera people and the whole entire nine yards. That’s resources. And then even if you look at certain games, like you’ll see, for example, you have the Fox game, they had the Eagles versus the Cowboys, and they were promoting hey, Skip and Shannon: Undisputed that’s a Fox Sports property that connects perfectly with Cowboys fans because Skip Bayless is a Cowboy fan. So I’m promoting that on the channel. What am I going to promote during an HBCU football game that a swap of men want to watch maybe College Hill, you know what I’m saying? So it doesn’t even make sense as far as the product tie in. It just simply doesn’t make sense. So I want us to have conversations that make sense in the way of, hey, this realistically can happen. This isn’t me dreaming. This isn’t a fantasy. This isn’t me being stuck in 1993 or 2000. This is me having a conversation rooted in 2023 and beyond.
Charles Ellison: Yeah. What are the risks here? Right? So if HBCU games and I know that that part of the conversation comes up and we have to address it, it’s like black people in speaking of, like, having a conversation back in the 90s, remember the 80’s and 90’s when hip hop was coming into suddenly becoming more mainstream. And you have all these artists, even to this day, people look back and they’re like all these artists, even to this day, taken advantage of by the industry. So what are the risks? What are sort of the pitfalls that HBCUs as institutions have to look out for so they’re not taking advantage of so they’re able to maximize as much of the revenue generation as possible because these are going to be very complex, sophisticated conversations and negotiations that they’re going to engage in with these major corporate and frankly, just white dominated, white owned sports channels that are looking to make a dollar. And they also are going to look at, okay, well, just like they do with black athletes, how can we take advantage of them? So what are some pitfalls or some red flags that HBCUs as institutions need to look out for?
Randall: That’s an amazing question because there are honestly only a few, because the risk is us not doing it. But one of the risks, and you brought it up and use the music industry as a perfect example, is not valuing ourselves and getting in bad deals. That’s really the problem that we’ll run into because we want validation from outside of our community. That’s really where a lot of these conversations about HBCU Usports and other folks seeing our content: we want validation outside of ourselves. And that is the problem. What I want in these conversations is for more black folks that might not be fans of HBCU football or they might not know about HBCU football like me or other HBCU alumni. They might learn about Eddie Robinson. They might learn about Jerry Rice. They might learn about the success of Bethune Cookman’s football program before Ed Reed got there, or learn about Fort Valley and the Doug Porter years and Rayfield Wright. We want to have that exposure to other fans that have similar interests to us. But a lot of the conversations devolve to clout and attention, but also validation from other communities that really don’t care about what we have going on until it gets hot. Now they want to watch it. So we rush into these rooms and say, hey, anything, just put us on TV. We want millions of people, Just, whatever. Just put any clause in. You own all the content XYZ. And then now we’re like, “Oh, wait a minute. What happened? I just missed over a billion dollars. I signed for $5 a game.” That becomes the problem. And that’s happened historically. Now there’s a value in HBCU football. Now you have more competitors because streaming is now competitive. Now you have Apple and Amazon Prime that are competitors so we can command more money and also more stuff from these companies to where they can help us in promoting the product. So that’s what I’m afraid of. I want us to go in with tact and strategy, because if we go in with tact and strategy and be prepared to get up and walk out and they say, wait, now we’ll do it. We’ll do it for this number. Now we’re ready, because we’re not desperate. Always say this. HBCUs aren’t the slums. We can command more.
Charles Ellison: That’s right. All right. Randall Barnes is founder, also CEO, publisher of HBCU Pulse. Go to hbcupulse.com for more information, more content there. Also now HBCU Pulse Radio on SiriusXM that starts up on January 6, right? January 6. So check that outl. What was that channel again?
Randall: Channel 142 HBCU. It’s operated by Howard University in partnership with SiriusXM. So I’m super excited for that, and I appreciate Howard University!
Charles Ellison: Excellent, brother. We got to bring you back, so I hope we can have you back so to continue these conversations. Absolutely. I really appreciate that and on such short notice. I appreciate that, Randall. I appreciate the energy as well. A lot to unpack there. Unfortunately, we ran out of time, and I got a bunch of other questions, but I can ask you later. Randall Barnes at @authorrandallb on Twitter, on social media, but more importantly, go to @thehbcupulse, hbcupulse.com. Randall, thanks so much. Happy holidays to you.
Randall: Thank you so much.
Charles Ellison: Be safe, brother. Thanks again. All right, let’s take a break. We’ll be right back with more Reality Check here on WURD.
“It’s a job to me, that No. 1, is going to serve as a sounding board, as an advisor to me. Another set of eyes, somebody who sometimes can see things that I can’t see at practice, see things I can’t see at a workout and kind of come to me and say, ‘Hey, I’m not liking the body language of this guy,’ or might have something to say about an interaction between a player and a player or an interaction between a player and a coach,”
He might be a guy that can go into the locker room after practice and put his arm around a player and kind of talk about, ‘Hey, what’s going on in your life? What’s going on?’ He can serve as a mentor to our players because he’s not in that direct role of being on the coaching staff.”
Diaz added, “His ability to understand locker room dynamics, who wouldn’t benefit from having that in their football program, in addition to all he knows about the game and then a great mentor to our players.”
Reed was also a standout player for the Hurricanes in his time there from 1998-2001. He was a four-year starter, leading Miami to a national championship in 2001. He had 288 tackles and 21 interception in his college career. He was then drafted number 24 overall in the 2002 NFL Draft to the Baltimore Ravens. He won a championship alongside Ray Lewis in 2013.
