by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

July 22, 2021

Simone Biles Becomes First Female Athlete With Her Own Twitter Hashtag Emoji

There have been many people who have been labeled as G.O.A.T.s (greatest of all time) over the course of the years.

We can’t forget “The Greatest,” aka boxer Muhammad Ali, and many others like rapper LL Cool J who is know as the self-proclaimed “greatest emcee,” and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan who has certainly earned his place among the greatest athletes of all time.

But, none of them have ever been acknowledged as such on a social media platform… until now.

Twitter has announced that it has created a custom hashtag emoji for the greatest gymnast of all time, Simone Biles. This achievement makes her the first female athlete and first Olympic athlete to get such acknowledgment on the Twitter platform.

“Witness greatness Tweet with greatness #SimoneBiles #Simone“

She was even given an iconic symbol of a goat, which would signify her status as one! Yes, the greatest of all time!

According to Twitter, Biles ranks second place when it comes to tweets pertaining to Olympic conversations that were sent globally between Jan. 1, 2021, and July 15, 2021. She remains the top American Olympic athlete on that list and the only American in the top five, while the other 4 represent Japan (Naomi Osaka comes in at third).

Some Twitter users responded and congratulated the decorated athlete.

How Social Activist Khary Lazarre-White Is Helping Black and Latinx Young People
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

July 22, 2021

How Social Activist Khary Lazarre-White Is Helping Black and Latinx Young People

Khary Lazarre-White is a social activist, entrepreneur, novelist, and attorney who is spearheading change in his local community in New York City.

He currently serves as executive director and co-founder of The Brotherhood Sister Sol, a nonprofit youth organization empowering Black and Latinx young people to examine their roots, define their stories and awaken their agency.

Lazarre-White’s dedication to social activism stemmed from a long family history of incredible changemakers who fought for justice. “I come from a family of people who always fought for change – for equity, equality and freedom,” he explained to BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“My family served as organizers and activists from within government and from the outside. They made change as artists as well as everyday people who stood up.”

Inspired by his family’s impact and dedication to large social movements, Lazarre-White made it his mission to pour back into his local community in NYC. The social entrepreneur then co-founded The Brotherhood Sister Sol, which provides important support and programming to youth members within the community. “My family was involved in the civil rights movement, the women’s liberation movement, and the labor movement. This history provided a foundation for me and for all that I do,” he explained.

Social Activist Khary Lazarre-White
Social Activist Khary Lazarre-White at a community event. (Courtesy)

“When I co-founded The Brotherhood Sister Sol alongside my childhood friend Jason Warwin, it felt like a part of this legacy – a calling – that we had to engage in the work of justice. We grew up together in NYC and saw its beauty, culture and diversity. We also saw the inequality, pain and oppression that was a lived reality.”

Starting the Harlem nonprofit organization was no easy task and required a great amount of adversity and dedication. However, Lazarre-White understood the important role social activists played in society and kept driving forward. “When we began The Brotherhood Sister Sol, I did not know of all the difficulties of running a nonprofit, such as the constant and unending pressure of fundraising, the complicated efforts to manage different people and keep the collective aligned and mission focused. To run a nonprofit for 26 years, during the early years as a collective and now for many years as the sole executive director, it is a constant challenge.”

As a social entrepreneur, Lazarre-White made it his mission to utilize the process as a learning experience that would further help him elevate and build upon The Brotherhood Sister Sol. Today, he continues to serve as a leader within the space.

“Being a social entrepreneur means that one is always learning, developing new skills, and seeking new and innovative solutions,” he stated. “We as nonprofits are expected to seek solutions to inequities that in many ways the government has abdicated – responding to poverty and inequality, inadequate housing, poor schooling, a lack of investments in low income communities, and lack of access to employment. These are massive and complex challenges, and solutions take multiple generations, staying power and deep commitment.”

He continues to seek inspiration from his daily ventures and the incredible impact the organization has made within its community. “One of the most rewarding aspects of our work is, of course, the young people. Their bravery, their strength and resilience. It is a wonder to witness them learning, growing, succeeding and seeking change,” he stated.

Lazarre-White continues to serve others through the organization’s efforts while encouraging others to do the same. “The issues we face are many. They are deep and far-ranging. We need more people committed to an equitable and just world involved. We need more of you.”

by Andrea Blackstone

July 22, 2021

A Breastfeeding Olympian, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Fought to Bring Her Daughter to the Toyko Games

Imagine accomplishing the significant feat of heading to the 2020 Olympic Games, only to be left feeling worried because of being a nursing mother who could not take a baby along.

Aliphine Tuliamuk, Molly Seidel and Sally Kipyego were “the top three finishers of the Olympic Marathon Trials qualified to compete at the Tokyo Games,” according to Women’s Running.

Tuliamuk qualified for the U.S. Olympic women’s marathon team, but since she was breastfeeding, she found herself among other Olympian mothers who felt concerned about being unable to bring their infants  to the Olympics because of COVID-19 restrictions that barred athletes’ family members, according to Good Morning America. In January, the 32-year-old athlete gave birth to her daughter, Zoe.

 

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“When they put restrictions in and sent us an email that she wasn’t going to be able to come, I was really devastated,” Tuliamuk told Good Morning America. “What do they expect us to do? I can’t just leave my breastfeeding child behind.”

 

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The Olympian said that she “sent a letter to the head of the International Olympic Committee,” in addition to openly voicing her concern about the restriction, in the interview with Good Morning America.

“I had been putting off thinking about Zoe not coming to Tokyo with me for a while now, but I had to start to, at team processing a week ago in Eugene, and I have cried a lot since. I know that I will be leaving her for only 10 days, and she will be just fine, and that so many other moms have done the same, but I can’t even imagine being away from her for half a day,” Tuliamuk wrote on Instagram.

Women like Tuliamuk led organizers to reconsider their plight of “being forced to choose between the Games and their young children,” Reuters reported.

An email was sent from this year’s Olympic organizers to the news outlet.

“However, after careful consideration of the unique situation facing athletes with nursing children, we are pleased to confirm that, when necessary, nursing children will be able to accompany athletes to Japan,” the correspondence said, according to Reuters.

Tuliamuk’s baby is coming with her. Olympic organizers decided to allow nursing children to come along with their mothers.

“ZOE’s VISA ARRIVED TODAY! What a relief it feels not to have to imagine my breastfeeding daughter being miles away from me,” Tuliamuk wrote on Instagram.

 

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McDonald’s, Corporate Partners Sign New Diversity Equity and Inclusion Commitment To Boost Purchases With Diverse Suppliers
by Derek T. Dingle

July 22, 2021

McDonald’s, Corporate Partners Sign New Diversity Equity and Inclusion Commitment To Boost Purchases With Diverse Suppliers

McDonald’s announced today that the world’s largest restaurant company would join roughly 20 of its largest U.S.-based suppliers as signatories of its new Mutual Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to significantly boost purchases of goods and services from diverse vendors.

According to company officials, the expansive MCDEI is expected to result in its U.S. system increasing procurement spend with such companies by nearly 10% by 2025. Officials stated that the expansion represents a quarter of its domestic spend—roughly $3.5 billion with more than 385 diverse-owned suppliers, ranging from food services companies to financial services firms. In 2020, the company and domestic franchisees spent about $14 billion throughout its domestic supply chain.

“We’re proud of our leadership position and storied history in supplier diversity, dating back to the 1980s. McDonald’s partnership with our vast network of suppliers is not only fundamental to delivering on our purpose to feed and foster communities—it’s also key to realizing our diversity, equity, and inclusion ambition,” SVP and Chief North America Supply Chain Officer Marion Gross said in a released statement. “Collaboration is in our DNA as a brand—and through these industry-leading commitments with our supply chain, we’re able to create more equitable opportunities across the many industries that serve our communities. We look forward to continuing to lead well into the future.”

McDonald’s USA defines diverse-owned businesses as those owned by women and/or Black, Latinx, Asian, indigenous, veteran, LGBTQ+, and disabled persons. Company officials indicated that McDonald’s was unable to provide specific, updated data on its Black-owned suppliers at this time.

Company officials further stated in a release that the initiative is tied to McDonald’s global ambition on DEI it developed last year “to advance a series of new actions including setting corporate employee DEI representation goals and aligning leadership accountability for meeting these targets, implementing actions to dismantle barriers and increasing the allocation of marketing spend to diverse-owned media, content and production partners.”

Diversifying and Expanding Partnerships

In recent months, McDonald’s has announced recent moves to increase spending with a more diverse group of media companies after contending with legal action and protests critical of its treatment of Black franchisees and employees.

Its VP and Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Reginald Miller maintained such actions have been endorsed at the top of the organization and that the recently installed policies hold CEO Chris Kempczinski and corporate executive vice presidents directly responsible to champion core values, create cultures of inclusion, and improve representation in leadership roles, in part,  by linking 15% of bonuses to execution.  “Our strategy was focusing on three pillars,” Miller says in an exclusive interview with Black Enterprise. “One, we represent the communities that we serve. Two, that we build a culture of inclusion and belonging, and three, we actively engage in dismantling barriers of economic opportunity. We see this mutual commitment to DEI as an opportunity for us to really leverage the McDonald’s system to, in some ways, go after all three. We see an opportunity for a ripple effect that showcases McDonald’s as a convener that pulls the business community together to really advance work in the DEI space.”

Among its largest suppliers to adopt the pledge—those included on its North America Supplier Advisory Council—including poultry, pork, and beef processor Tyson Foods; multinational food services company Cargill; and global consulting firm Accenture. According to the agreement, these companies will be held accountable through the following guideline:

  • Implementing an overall DEI strategy, including annual training for employees to develop as better practitioners and leaders in the space.
  • Increasing overall representation of underrepresented talent in leadership and staffing of McDonald’s business as well as accelerating their use of diverse suppliers.
  • Investing in innovation with new partnerships and programs designed to make a measurable difference in talent pipelines, succession planning, and in communities where McDonald’s suppliers operate.
  • Creating a process for accountability to track progress, share regular updates and best practices on effective programs and measurement.

“We are proud to be a part of McDonald’s Mutual Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We are committed to furthering equality within our business with every team member—every shift, every day—and in the communities where we live and work,” said John R. Tyson, Chief Sustainability Officer at Tyson Foods, in a released statement. “We are pleased to partner with McDonald’s to help the many people connected to our business feel more included and valued.”

Moreover, Miller expects that the MCDEI will help expand more businesses in size and scale to tackle larger corporate contracts in the same fashion as some of the BE 100s companies that can be found among McDonald’s Black-owned suppliers. In fact, one of its largest Black-owned vendors was BE Company of the Year Fair Oaks Farm, whose CEO Michael Thompson heads its supplier diversity council.

“We’re taking somewhat of a methodical approach to this because supplier development should be part of any good B2B supplier diversity program as well,” Miller asserts. “So, our intention is to build businesses that can grow with us over time. A heavy component of how we look at this is both supplier development and supplier diversity, and I would say a third would be supplier engagement. We have a long-standing history with this.”

To support the implementation of the MCDEI, McDonald’s is working with Supply Hive, a Chicago-based technology firm and certified minority-owned business, to provide resources and shared learnings to suppliers. The firm will also help track suppliers’ annual progress toward MCDEI objectives.

 

 

Olympic Swimmer Simone Manuel Brings Attention to Black Women and ‘Burnout’ Epidemic
by Andrea Blackstone

July 22, 2021

Olympic Swimmer Simone Manuel Brings Attention to Black Women and ‘Burnout’ Epidemic

Olympic swimmer Simone Manuel is set to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. However, her revelation that she suffered from “a burnout diagnosis after a loss at the U.S. Olympic trials last month” brought up the sensitive topic as it pertains to Black women bearing the burden of experiencing severe fatigue and having to fight through it on a world stage.

“Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress,” according to Psychology Today.

Experiencing life as a Black woman in America can be heavy for women who are not headed to the Olympics, too.

Naomi Osaka, who opted out of competing in the French Open, is also headed to the Olympics and the Haitian/Japanese tennis star has already been open and transparent about her mental health struggles. Now on a global stage, her mental health will be pushed to the limits.

“It’s such a huge problem and issue,” Dr. Blake Banner, a Washington, D.C.-based physical therapist, said in Good Morning America’s article. “[Manuel] speaking out shows us, just regular people in our day-to-day lives, that maybe we’re experiencing this.”

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Simone Manuel (@swimone)

 

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Simone Manuel (@swimone)

Other Black women headed to the Olympics are carrying heavy burdens to Tokyo, too.

U.S. hammer thrower Gwen Berry has faced harsh criticism ahead of the Olympics after she turned to the side as the “The Star-Spangled Banner” played. She had a T-shirt with the words “activist athlete” Sen. Ted Cruz, Rep. Dan Crenshaw and others went after Berry and all the attacks surely took a toll on her mental health.

British swimmer Alice Dearing took on a world of heat, fighting to bring attention to Soul Caps, which was  banned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) which refused to approve its use for swimmers with “thick, curly, and voluminous hair.”

While many workers juggle “long hours and stress,” Black women may also deal with microaggressions,  health disparities, lack of opportunities, and the weight of being “the only,” according to Good Morning America.

Black women may experience more consequences than many realize as a result of carrying heavy emotional loads.

“Analyzing data from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), we estimate that at ages 49–55, black women are 7.5 years biologically “older” than white women,” the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health reported, per a published article.

Taking action to indulge in self-care, post-COVID-19, is a strategy Black women can utilize to improve their mental health, according to PsychCentral.

“This has been a difficult time for various reasons and ensuring that you have healthy coping strategies and tools on hand is important. This includes thinking about aspects of self-care strategies, such as exercise, good sleep hygiene, journaling, spiritual and mindfulness practices, for managing stress and anxiety, resources for coping with grief, and most importantly, using and maintaining your social support circles,” Danice L. Brown, Ph.D., licensed psychologist in Maryland and associate professor of counseling psychology at Towson University, said in PsychCentral‘s report.

 

Jackson State Head Coach Deion Sanders Wants Respect Put On His Name
by Derek Major

July 22, 2021

Jackson State Head Coach Deion Sanders Wants Respect Put On His Name

During Deion Sanders Hall of Fame football career he has been known by many names, including Neon Deion, D-Money and Prime Time. Now he just wants to be called “Coach.”

The Jackson State University head football coach made that clear during Tuesday’s Southwestern Athletic Conference media day event after a reporter addressed him as “Deion” twice.

“You don’t call [Alabama head coach] Nick Saban, ‘Nick.’ Don’t call me Deion,” Sanders told a reporter from the Clarion-Ledger, referencing the seven-time national champion head coach.

The incident occurred toward the end of media availability when cameras were turned off. Clarion-Ledger reporter Nick Suss who called Sanders by his first name, said he calls all coaches by their first name.

“When I interview people, I call them by their first name,” Suss said. “Whether it’s someone I’ve been working with for years or someone I’m talking to for the first time. This is true of the coaches and players on the Ole Miss beat, the coaches and players at Mississippi State and Southern Miss when I help out covering their teams and, as recently as January, even Sanders, too.”

The eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback is in his second year as the head coach of the Mississippi HBCU. Last year Sanders coached the Tigers to a 4-3 record in a season that had to be played in the spring and was shortened due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tigers are scheduled to play a full fall season this year beginning with their season opener against Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in the Orange Blossom Classic on ESPN.

In May, Sanders spoke out on Instagram after none of the 259 players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft came from an HBCU school.

“And we have the Audacity to Hate on one another while our kids are being NEGLECTED & REJECTED,” Sanders said. “I witnessed a multitude of kids that we played against that were more than qualified to be drafted. My prayers are that This won’t EVER happen again.”

President Biden’s Infrastructure Bill Faces Stiff Test On Senate Floor
by Derek Major

July 22, 2021

President Biden’s Infrastructure Bill Faces Stiff Test On Senate Floor

Reuters – President Joe Biden’s goal of passing a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill faces a test on Wednesday as Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer presses ahead with a planned procedural vote despite Republican appeals for delay.

Weeks after senators from both parties reached agreement on the outline of a bill to rebuild roads, bridges, ports and other infrastructure, Schumer sought to start floor debate on the measure with a vote on a motion to proceed. The vote is scheduled for mid-afternoon, and he said on Wednesday it would go ahead.

“We are now in the fourth week of negotiations since the bipartisan group of senators reached an agreement with the White House on an infrastructure framework,” Schumer told the Senate. “Senators should feel comfortable voting to move forward today.”

But Republicans who helped negotiate the bill said it was not ready, lacking a complete text, cost estimates and details on how to pay for it, which some Democrats say is a delaying tactic. Republicans have warned that if the vote takes place, they will vote “no” even if they support the broad infrastructure framework.

With the Senate split 50-50 on party lines, the bipartisan measure needs the support of at least 10 Republicans to garner the 60 votes required to advance under Senate rules.

A Democratic member of the bipartisan group, Senator Jon Tester, said negotiations continued Wednesday and could produce results by the afternoon.

Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican member of the bipartisan group, said he believed 10 or 12 Republicans would vote for starting debate next week if all the outstanding issues are resolved.

“(There’s) a couple of areas that are going to be worked on today and tomorrow, but I presume it’ll all be done by early next week, and we will have another vote I hope next week, and we’ll be able to proceed to the bill. We have enough Republicans that, you know 10 or 12 or more Republicans, that are supportive of going on the bill,” Romney told reporters.

It is unclear what would happen if debate on the plan is blocked by Wednesday’s vote, although Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has said that alone would not torpedo the effort, because the Senate could later reconsider.

McConnell mocked Schumer’s effort on Wednesday: “This stunt is set to fail.”

Some progressive Democrats are worried that Republicans are deliberately trying to drag out negotiations on a measure they ultimately will not support.

“They’ve been killing time for months and at this point, I believe that it’s starting to get to a point where this bipartisan effort is seeming to serve less on investing in our infrastructure and serving more the end of just delaying action,” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a leading Democratic progressive, told reporters.

Biden has deemed the bipartisan infrastructure bill essential. But he also wants Congress to pass a separate $3.5 trillion budget initiative that includes climate change and social spending provisions that are anathema to most Republicans.

Democrats want to push the larger measure through Congress along party lines as soon as the bipartisan bill is finished.

Congress is also bracing for word on Wednesday of when the U.S. government is expected to run out of money to pay its bills, which will spark a new partisan fight over the debt limit.

Schumer said his bid to launch debate on an unfinished bill was nothing unusual. Other Democrats said Schumer was simply trying to get control of the schedule after the bipartisan group spent weeks quibbling over details.

(Additional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone, Peter Cooney and Sonya Hepinstall)

The Internet Goes Off Over Interracial Couple’s Slavery-Themed Pre-Wedding Photoshoot
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

July 22, 2021

The Internet Goes Off Over Interracial Couple’s Slavery-Themed Pre-Wedding Photoshoot

An interracial couple is making headlines for their unique pre-wedding photos, and it’s not because the pictures stand out for their beauty or ambiance of where the photos were taken.

In fact, the internet is having a field day slamming an engaged couple for the absurd idea to dress the Black man as a slave and his white fiancée as a plantation damsel in distress/slave owner who seemingly has saved the big ole’ negro from a life of bondage.

And the man’s got shackles on to spice up the mood acting in the pictures!

Well, Black Twitter had time, and the memes say it all. Everyone has been stunned and taking a collective sigh trying to figure out who in the antebellum thought it was a good idea to take a slavery photoshoot, ripe with a Black man and white woman dead in the middle of a sugar cane plantation playing light on a dark, horrific part of history for the ancestors of many African Americans.

The photoshoot even had a senseless storyline: “1842. Days passed and everything changed, our love got stronger and stronger, he was no longer a slave, he was part of the family,” the caption reads.

Slavery photoshoot
(Twitter)

 

Comedian KevOnStage, dared to try to come to grips with the “why” of why anyone would think this was a good idea by any stretch.

One TikTok user @cdntheplayers went viral for posting a reaction video and looks just as dumbfounded as the rest of us.

@cdntheplayers##greenscreen ##Slavery ##Racism ##White ##WhitePeople ##fyp ##BlackTikTok ##BLM ##BlackLivesMatter♬ I was Born by The River – Jabez

“There is just…so much to unpack here,” one user said on Twitter.


“There were three people there, counting the photographer, and not one thought, ‘should we [not do this]’?” questioned @RandiKinman. “And over 1400 people hit the like button? And it’s part 2, like there’s more? I so want to be at the wedding when the minister asks if anybody objects.”

The memes took flight all night.

 

The memes just keep coming.

Say Goodbye To Procrastination With This 12-Course Bundle
by Black Enterprise Shop

July 22, 2021

Say Goodbye To Procrastination With This 12-Course Bundle

Staying productive is one of the major keys to success, but it can be pretty hard to keep up with all your responsibilities at times. In fact, there are a lot of distractions to keep you from being productive, especially now when we’re still trying to get back to our regular, pre-lockdown schedules. But nothing beats the feeling of accomplishment after a productive day, and it’s a feeling worth chasing.

So, if you’ve been having trouble staying focused and completing your daily tasks, you can discover new ways to stay on top of your game with the 2021 Productivity Master Class Bundle. With 289 lessons in 12 courses, this life-hack guide will show you ways to beat procrastination, build new habits, improve your reading speed, take up meditation and build a more productive life. The best part? It’s on sale now for just $39.99.

There are no complicated tricks to staying productive — adopting simple self-training principles can help you go a long way. This bundle includes a four-step framework that you can implement immediately to work smarter and meet your goals. Other courses in the Master Class cover topics like overcoming self-sabotage, upgrading your thinking and beliefs, learning the art of influencing people and finding your life’s purpose. These are practical guides, so you can expect to go beyond the regular self-help tips we’ve all heard before.

Each lesson in the bundle is taught by Insider School founder, Brandon Hakim, and with his 4.4/5-star instructor rating, you can look forward to reaching the peak of your productivity game by the time you complete your lessons.

For a limited time, you can get The 2021 Productivity Master Class Bundle for $39.99, or less than $4 for each course.

Prices subject to change.

Morgan State University Sees Boost In Ph.D. Enrollment Fueled By Exclusive Partnership With Nigeria’s TETFund
by Derek Major

July 21, 2021

Morgan State University Sees Boost In Ph.D. Enrollment Fueled By Exclusive Partnership With Nigeria’s TETFund

A first-of-its-kind partnership between Morgan State University (MSU) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TET Fund) will bring more than 100 Nigerian medical students to the HBCU this fall.

The TET Fund is a fiduciary and funding agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The fund will bring 70 Nigerian doctoral students and more than 15 Nigerian postdoctoral students to MSU for scholarship and research during the Fall 2021 semester.

MSU officials and TET Fund administrators did not expect to send so many students to the HBCU, but the program received more applications than anyone expected.

“The leadership team of Morgan State University extends its thanks to the Federal Government of Nigeria, Executive Secretary Suleiman Bogoro and the TETFund for this unique and historic opportunity to achieve our common goals in social advancement, economic development and most important the academic exchange and advanced degree attainment within the African continent,” MSU President David Wilson said in a release.

Morgan State U
Morgan State University President David K. Wilson and TETFund Executive Secretary Suleiman Bogoro shake hands upon executing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) cementing the partnership shared between Morgan and Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

TET Fund administrators visited the campus virtually and in-person last month to discuss the proposed and ongoing research of the Ph.D. students. Fund officials also visited to learn more about the research and development capabilities of MSU, the largest HBCU in the state of Maryland.

Yacob Astatke, D.Eng., assistant vice president for Morgan’s Division of International Affairs, reported more than 600 students applied for the program.

Astatke said in a release that he’s anticipating multiple benefits on both sides from the program.

“Morgan has had great success over the past three years, raising our number of graduating Ph.D. students from 40 to 50 per year to close to 70, and sustaining that number. With the TETFund partnership, we will add close to 70 more doctoral graduates each year for the next five years,” Astatke said. “It is easy to envision MSU rising from the pack to become the nation’s leader in conferring Ph.Ds. to Black students. This will be a significant boost toward our strategic goal of moving Morgan from our current classification as an R2 (‘high research’) institution to an R1 (‘very high research’) institution.”

Wilson added the coronavirus pandemic slowed the implementation of this partnership. Hpowever, it also provided the motivation to move forward with the program, by reminding them just how interconnected the world is today.

The partnership between MSU and the TET Fund is a five-year agreement designed to create a pathway for students to pursue PhDs. and postdoctoral research in disciplines relevant to the developmental needs of Nigeria. The partnership also moves MSU towards fulfillment of its global aspirations.

The agreement provides the doctoral students with scholarships and other grants to fully fund their tuition, fees and living expenses for at least three years. The program also calls for TET Fund’s establishment of Centers of Excellence in Nigeria, institutions designed to increase the research capacity of Nigerian higher education institutions through collaborative research with Morgan.

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