by Kandiss Edwards

July 7, 2025

ATL’s Big Boi And Jermaine Dupri Welcome The MLB All-Star Celebrity Game To The City

Atlanta’s own hip-hop legends Big Boi and Jermaine Dupri are stepping onto the baseball diamond for the 2025 MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game.

The event is scheduled to take place at Truist Park on Saturday, July 12. Major League Baseball’s celebrity event is a part of the All-Star Week festivities.

Big Boi, a Grammy-winning artist, and Jermaine Dupri, a Grammy-winning producer, are among a long list of celebrities lending their talents to the game. Dupri will also step into a managerial role, guiding one of the celebrity teams.

Joining the hometown heroes is a mix of entertainment, sports and social media figures. The lineup includes social media personality Funny Marco and songwriter Kandi Burruss. Additionally, Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens and New Edition member Ronnie DeVoe will batter up. A host of other celebrities are also slated to play. Be ready for a show of athleticism, or lack thereof, from a variety of beloved public figures.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1940506450213925293

The Celebrity Softball Game, a five-inning contest, is the center activity of All-Star July 12. The following day, July 13, the All-Star Futures Game will showcase baseball’s top minor league prospects. Ticket holders for All-Star Saturday gain access to both events, making for a full day of baseball and starwatching at Truist Park.

This year’s All-Star Week in Atlanta marks a significant return for the Midsummer Classic, bringing a week of baseball celebrations back to the Atlanta area. Beyond the Celebrity Game, the schedule boasts the HBCU Swingman Classic, the Capital One All-Star Village fan festival, the MLB Draft, and the electrifying T-Mobile Home Run Derby. The main event, the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, will cap off the week’s festivities on Tuesday, July 15.

The inclusion of Atlanta’s musical royalty, such as Big Boi and Jermaine Dupri, ensures that visitors from all over the U.S. get a taste of the city’s unique culture.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 7, 2025

Black Student Enrollment Shrinks At NYC’s Top High Schools

The stark numbers speak to the overarching issue of education inequality across the nation.

As the number of Black students admitted into New York City’s most selective high school continues to dwindle, outrage about this lack of diversity mounts.

This year, the upcoming freshman class at Stuyvesant High school may only include seven Black students. This abysmal number is also a decrease from last year’s admitted cohort, which only amounted to 10.

This number is especially jarring considering the high school grants admission to 895 students for the freshman class. Now, city officials face backlash as promises to boost diversity have not yielded the desired results.

The decreased numbers not only speaks to the integration issue at NYC public high schools. It also extends to the academic potential and futures of all the cit’y’s students. Often, entry into programs at Stuyvesant and the additionally selective Bronx High School of Science can propel graduates into the Ivy League or other elite colleges.

New York City public schools are unique as they require entrance exams for admission to its top-ranked high schools. However, polarizing efforts to eliminate admission barriers, spearheaded by former Mayor Bill de Blasio, have left Black and other students of colors in the margins. According to The New York Times, Black and Hispanic students account for nearly 70% of the city’s public school system.

The former mayor opted to scrap the entrance exam, but pushback from alumni organizations and Asian-American groups led to the proposal never getting off the ground. Currently, Asian students make up 74% of the population at Stuyvesant.

Other options included free test prep, but nothing seems to lessen the gap between other students of color and their acceptance into these institutions. As the numbers get smaller, de Blasio is calling for another “dramatic reform” to fix the seemingly broken system.

“These numbers are even more proof that dramatic reform is necessary to open the doors of opportunity at specialized high schools,” de Blasio said.

Another idea of de Blasio’s also includes taking top performers from high schools across the city as guaranteed acceptances. However, this policy would not replace the entrance exam, a policy-protected by New York Law, at high-ranked schools.

However, the divisive issue has major players in city politics remaining coy, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The U.S. rep did not state her stance on the issue, instead emphasizing that all public schools should offer the same quality of education as these top-ranked high schools.

Other say they must find a solution that integrates New York City schools without limiting the Asian-American students that have historically benefited from the entrance exam.

“The numbers are abysmal, we knew that,” added Jumaane Williams, the city’s Public Advocate and a Black graduate of Brooklyn Tech. “The question is what do we do about it, how do we do it without needlessly pitting communities against each other?”

In the meantime, the expansion of the state’s Discovery Program, which prepares students who missed the cutoff score for admission into these specialized high schools, aims to help address this looming issue of integration.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 7, 2025

‘Sinners’ Debuts As First Film To Stream With Black American Sign Language

The movie continues to make history

Sinners has finally made its streaming debut for everyone at home to watch Ryan Coogler’s highly acclaimed film.

The movie continues to make history with its July 4 release on Max, becoming the first film on the platform to include a version interpreting Black American Sign Language (BASL). Sinners follows Michael B. Jordan as twins Smoke and Stack, as the troubled duo try to open up a juke joint in their Mississippi hometown during the 1930s.

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Sinners seamlessly blends classic horror elements in its tale of vampires while still showcasing the plight of Black people during the Jim Crow era. As an original story by Coogler, the unique film and its showcase of Black history through music delighted moviegoers. The film went on to gross over $364 million globally, becoming one of the most profitable original films ever.

Now, fans wanting another watch or those who missed its theatrical run can now catch Sinners two ways on Max. Notably, one version will incorporate BASL, a dialect of American Sign Language created in Black communities. The language derived from Black deaf children placed in separate schools during segregation, leading to the Black deaf community creating a language that includes distinct movements and hand placements to signal certain words.

According to Boston University’s Wheelock Magazine, the study of BASL remains relatively under-supported. However, a deaf studies lecturer, Franklin Jones Jr. , hopes to further unearth its unique history within deaf American history, as well as Black culture.

While not a direct no-hearing replacement for another Black dialect, African American Vernacular English, BASL is its own entity that deserves preservation, upliftment, and validation. Jones does not want BASL swept entirely under the AAVE umbrella either, given that it is not a word-for-word equivalent. While still connected, BASL carries an interpretation and display of words and phrases used within Black deaf communities.

“Very often, we have these conversations where people say, ‘Black ASL and AAVE are the same.’ But in actuality, they are two separate things, and we need to think about them in two separate silos,” explained Jones, who is deaf himself. “We don’t want to automatically pigeonhole Black ASL to be the same as AAVE, because it’s not.”

Jones added,” If we think of ASL as an umbrella, then underneath it we can have Black ASL, Martha’s Vineyard ASL, Indigenous [sign language]. Are those all separate languages? That gives me pause. We just need so much more research in this field to fully understand it.”

Black deaf and hard-of-hearing advocates like Jones promote the continuation and existence of BASL. Its historic roots and persisted use in vulnerable communities makes its exclusive version in Sinners, one of the most popular movies of the year, even more prominent.

by Daniel Johnson

July 7, 2025

New Report Reveals Alarming Rise In Black Women’s Unemployment

An expert said Black women often serve as an early warning sign for the wider workforce.

The general unemployment rate has been steady during the past year for every group of workers — every group of workers that is, except for Black women, which some economic experts warn is a sign of bad things for the overall economy after the latest jobs report was released on July 3.

According to The 19th News, over the last three months, the unemployment rate for Black women has been somewhere around six percent — that figure is twice the unemployment rate of white workers — and this points to potential problems for the overall economic outlook.

Jessica Fulton, a senior fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a think tank focused on Black Americans, indicated to the outlet that due to the presence of systemic racism and inequity in the labor market, Black workers are always the first ones affected by any underlying issues with the labor market.

“Black workers, and particularly Black women, show up as a canary in the coal mine, giving a picture of what may happen to everyone else later,” Fulton said.

To her point, the overall Black unemployment rate rose to 6.8% in June, after posting a 6% rate in May, a sharp increase that was driven by the increase in Black women’s unemployment, as the unemployment rate of Black men has been consistently above 6% since February, but the overall rate of Black unemployment was somewhat tempered by Black women’s lower unemployment rate.

Black women, in general, are the group of women who participate the most in the labor market, and are often employed in sectors like healthcare, education, and the federal government, which has been hit hard by the job cuts instituted by the federal government’s budget cuts.

Jasmine Tucker, the vice president for research at the National Women’s Law Center, indicated to the outlet that the rising rate of unemployment for Black women is also concerning because, compared to other workers, Black women tend to stay unemployed longer.

Additionally, although Black women are overrepresented within the federal government, in particular within the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, the loss of federal jobs doesn’t completely explain the rise in unemployment for Black women, and there are larger structural issues at play as Kate Bahn, chief economist and senior vice president of research at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, told the outlet.

“Black women are overrepresented among those jobs,” Bahn said. “But somehow, that’s still not enough to overcome the bigger structural barriers.”

Tucker added that the state of Black women’s unemployment numbers indicates that there is a serious cause for concern, “Are we heading into a recession? Is some action the current administration is going to take going to keep moving us in that direction? Prices remain high, people can’t afford child care — there are a whole host of things people are really nervous about. For me, Black women’s unemployment going up — this is the backbone of our economy, of our labor force. We have cause to be concerned.”

AI, artificial intelligence, trends, A.I., journey, technology, DryMerge, AI, job interview

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 7, 2025

More Hiring Managers Are Using AI To Select Candidates, Here’s Why Job Seekers Should Too

Striking a balanced use of AI can help one stand out best in the evolving job market.

As employers shift toward AI in their hiring processes, job seekers should take heed of the changes.

According to a study conducted by recruiting agency Kelly Services, the majority of hiring managers are implementing AI to screen candidates. The study found that 66% of employers are using the technology to fill new roles.

“They want to use AI to get things faster, look at resumes faster, interview faster, but I still want to make the decision,” explained Mark Saltrelli, the vice president of engineering and recruiting at Kelly Services.

With automated screenings becoming the norm, job seekers are finding it harder to stand out from the crowd. However, the use of AI can work both ways, with candidates also using the tool to overcome this barrier.

Understanding how AI weeds out candidates is the first step. Implementing key phrases that the software will pick up on remains a key, and tailoring one’s resume to suit this process can aid in getting the interview. For some, the job search has become its own game of cat and mouse. However, knowing how to play can make all the difference.

“It was how I was formatting it, and the terminology I was using,” explained one job seeker, Chelsea Jordan, about her resume tweaks to WXYZ. It looks good in general, but for this specific job, if it’s going to get through to a person, it has to say specific words. I guess it just opened my eyes up to, for lack of a better term, the job search can be a game that you have to play, and I think that AI has helped me do that.”

However, making it to the human side of the hiring process is just one part. Once there, job seekers must make sure they can actually speak to their expertise.

“To really differentiate yourself, you still need that people aspect,” added Saltrelli. “You still need to validate that you’ve done the job well, and others can refer you into it.”

On the other hand, too much reliance on AI can become detrimental to job seekers. Tech recruiter Tova Angsuwat explained to LinkedIn News that employers can see through the artificial cover letters.

“The biggest mistake that I’ll often see from candidates is they use AI to write their cover letter,” explained Angsuwat. “They’re so generic and jargony and may or may not even relate to the company or the role. And immediately, I think you didn’t really care enough to put your voice into this cover letter.”

Despite this, she encourages job seekers to use AI to ensure that a submitted resume matches the job description. She also encourages job applicants to practice their interview skills by getting AI to feed them possible questions. Overall, striking a balance with AI usage can lead to more interviews and potential offers in this evolving job market.

by Daniel Johnson

July 6, 2025

NHL Draft Signals Diversity Shift As More Players Of Color Join League

The National Hockey League's draft highlighted increasing diversity within the sport as a record number of players of color were drafted.

The National Hockey League’s recent draft highlighted increasing diversity within the sport, marking a notable shift in a league where, just three years ago, 84% of players, coaches, and front office staff were white.

In 2023, the NHL launched its version of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity campaign, the Hockey Diversity Alliance, a group whose seeds were planted in the wake of the 2020 murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The initial chairs of the group were former NHL players P.K. Subban and Anson Carter, both of whom are Black. The aim of the group is to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment so that one of the NHL’s slogans, “Hockey is for Everyone,” is more than an advertising campaign.

On draft night, the work that the diversity alliance has put in over the last two years bore fruit, as more than 20 future NHL players from diverse backgrounds were selected in the NHL Draft.

The 2025 NHL Draft class highlights hockey's growth and reach @HockeyEquality @BlackGirlHockey @KevinWeekes @DavidAmber @SniderHockey @HKYIndigenous @NHLPA @NHLNetwork @HockeyinHarlem https://t.co/ixAE8XMJja
— TheColorOfHockey (@ColorOfHockey) June 30, 2025

Videos like this matter; more people are going to fall in love with hockey when they see guys like Bill Zonnon, Kashawn Aitcheson, Malcolm Spence, Aidan Park, and Ryker Lee get drafted. Diversity in hockey matters, and do not let anyone tell you it doesn't. https://t.co/EzBmiH1rK8
— Avry's Sports Show (@Avry) June 29, 2025

Kashawn Aitcheson was selected number 17 overall by the New York Islanders and by virtue of his position as a top 20 pick, is seen by the organization as a player they can build around; and although his big bodychecks are sure to garner highlights, he is seen as a valuable piece of the team’s potential offensive production, per Islanders General Manager Mathieu Darche.

“Kashawn, (you) notice all his hits online, fine, but look at him, he’s almost a point-a-game guy in juniors,” Darche told NHL.com.

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Bill Zonnon, a 6’2″, 185-pound winger who also has flashed the positional flexibility to play center, was chosen with pick 22 by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Zonnon is the son of Canadian immigrants who hail from Togo, and Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas is excited by the prospect’s ability to quickly thrive when he was inserted into the lineup at center. Zonnon still has some development to do, so he will play at Blainville-Boisbriand while he develops towards cracking the NHL roster.

“I think the thing that was most exciting to us was that he really thrived when he moved to center,” Dubas told NHL.com. “He was excellent at center. Plays in all situations. Plays against the other team’s best players. And as the year went on, it was just his competitiveness, especially in the playoffs for them, was really a driver for his team.”

Carter Amico is the newest member of the Philadelphia Flyers! pic.twitter.com/sRRaduhQr6
— Elite Prospects (@eliteprospects) June 28, 2025

Carter Amico, a 6’5 225 pound two-way defenseman who has the physical presence associated with his position, was selected in the second round by the Philadelphia Flyers. The 18-year-old Amico has signed a letter of intent to play for Boston University during the 2026-2027 season, and envisions himself in the mold of Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic.

“Seth Jones is a two-way defenseman like me, but I thought this year I was leaning more on the defensive side,” Amico told NHL.com. “But overall, you can play both sides of the puck, you can defend, you can kill, big, tall right-handed as well. Vlasic, you know, really good defensive presence, shutdown plays, good entry into the house.”

RELATED CONTENT: Black Women Gaining Interest In College Hockey

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 6, 2025

Essence Festival Defends Target Sponsorship Amid DEI Backlash

The festival had to address some attendee frustrations as well as the Target sponsorship.

Amid reports of low ticket sales and disgruntled attendees, Essence Festival of Culture organizers explained why they had to keep their partnership with Target despite boycotts against the retailer.

The organizers addressed concerns over its ongoing sponsorship by Target while responding to another controversy surrounding its experiences. Attendees initially expressed their disappointment with the reintroduced Super Lounges that only allowed those with premium “VVIP” tickets inside.

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After admitting that they “missed the mark” on the exclusivity of the lounges, the post’s comment section aired out other frustrations as well. Fans had more to say about the Target sponsorship in particular. Many in the Black community have boycotted the retailer after its cutback on DEI programs and initiatives.

“Now that that’s settled…let’s talk about Target,” commented one Instagram user.

Essence Festival did answer the comments, but kept things brief given their contractual obligations with the company. However, they did acknowledge “how it looks” to still hold a relationship with Target given the controversy.

The account responded, “let’s discuss for sure. We are on a multi-year sponsorship with Target. So we fully understand how it looks. Just wanting to speak to the contractual agreement.”

Target’s CEO, Brian Cornell, also released an statement on the platform’s website to affirm their company’s commitment to cultural upliftment, particularly through the festival.

“We at Target are grateful for our continued partnership with ESSENCE and extend our thanks to the team that brings this moment to life year after year,” wrote the CEO.

Cornell subtly addressed the boycotts plaguing the retailer with lower customer traffic and quarterly earnings. However, he thanked the Essence Festival and its overarching community for the honesty while asserting that Target is still amplifying Black owned-businesses.

“Over the past few months, you may feel like you’ve heard more about Target than you’ve heard from Target. And that’s fair,” explained Cornell. “I’ve been listening to our team, our partners, our guests and our communities; thank you for your honesty, your feedback and your patience. Let me be clear: our commitment to opportunity for all and inclusion is unwavering. These values are foundational to how we serve our guests, support our team and grow our business.”

Cornell then signaled their plans to complete their $2 billion investment toward Black-owned business as well as their Accelarator program for diverse entrepreneurs. The company aims to complete its $100-million pledge to Black led-organizations, in addition to tuition assistance and HBCU student supports.

However, Cornell did not discuss how Target will, if at all, continue to build upon these initiatives to further equity and inclusion, especially as the DEI cuts remain in place. As for Essence, the festival did not disclose if they will continue their partnership past this year.

by Daniel Johnson

July 6, 2025

Trump Orders National Parks To Charge Foreign Tourists More — While Gutting Diversity Protections And Slashing Staff

The executive order also rescinds a Barack Obama-era executive order promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion at America's national parks.

On the heels of reports that the Trump administration’s budget cuts are having a disastrous effect on the National Park Service system, a new executive order from Donald Trump, which seems designed to force the now-beleaguered agency to generate money, was issued on July 3.

According to the executive order, titled “Making America Beautiful Again By Improving Our National Parks,” the National Parks and Federal Recreations Lands Pass or other multi-site passes will now be sold to foreign visitors at an increased rate, while on the other hand, charging the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture with improving services and affordability for United States residents visiting the parks. It should be noted that most national parks across the country do not charge an entry fee, and the ones that do are already priced affordably.

The executive order also rescinds a Barack Obama-era executive order promoting diversity, equity and inclusion at America’s national parks, in line with Trump’s obsession with eliminating diversity and inclusion from the federal government since retaking the White House.

As The New York Times reported, the National Park Service is in the midst of its busiest time of the year, and Theresa Pierno, the leader of the National Parks Conservation Association, warned that the parks cannot function correctly due to the staff reductions and the voluntary exits created by the federal government’s approach to both staffing levels and the budget for the parks themselves, both of which have been greatly reduced.

“National parks cannot properly function at the staffing levels this administration has reduced them to,” Pierno told the outlet in a statement. “And it’s only getting worse.”

Rep. Jared Huffman, (D-CA) the top Democrat on the House Committee on Natural Resources, also criticized the federal government’s contradictory and haphazard approach to the budget cuts that have resulted in the loss of park rangers and custodial crews as well as other key employees.

“Keep in mind, these are the rangers who rescue stranded or injured hikers, the crews who fix busted water systems and the law enforcement officers who keep families safe,” Rep. Huffman said. “Lives could be put in danger because of this administration’s incompetence and carelessness.”

According to CNN, the park rangers who are being asked to pick up the slack created by the federal government’s irresponsible budget and job cuts, could be dealing with increased burnout as the summer wears on. Meanwhile, visitors to the parks have not been shy about expressing the emptiness they feel during their time at the parks due to a lack of appropriate staffing.

“By mid-August, you’re going to have staff that is so burned out,” Kym Hall, a former NPS regional director and park superintendent, told CNN. “Somebody is going to make a mistake, somebody is going to get hurt. Or you’re going to see visitors engaging with wildlife in a way that they shouldn’t, because there aren’t enough people out in the parks to say, ‘do not get that close to a grizzly bear that’s on the side of the road; that’s a terrible idea.’”

She continued, “Even if the parks had permission, and even if they had some funding, it takes months and months to get a crew of seasonal (workers) recruited, vetted, hired, boarded into their duty stations, trained and ready to serve the public by Memorial Day. What you’ve lost with all this attrition – you’ve lost all this knowledge that’s going to take years to build back up.”

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 6, 2025

‘Diversity Is Our Strength’: North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein Vetoes DEI Bans

Stein condemned any plans to 'whitewash history' in the state's public schools.

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has vetoed multiple bills led by Republicans that would have resulted in DEI bans throughout the state government and school systems.

The North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) initially passed the three bills, as the state house and state senate both have a Republican majority. According to The News and Observer, the axed bills sought to eliminate DEI programs and initiatives within the state’s agencies and crack down on “divisive concepts” taught in its public schools.

As he vetoed one of the bills, Stein emphasized the importance of diversity while condemning any plans to “whitewash history.”

“Our diversity is our strength. We should not whitewash history, police dorm room conversations, or ban books,” stated Stein in his message. “Rather than fearing different viewpoints and cracking down on free speech, we should ensure our students learn from diverse perspectives and form their own opinions.”

Approved by N.C. Republicans in late June, the anti-DEI bills directly targeted inclusive messaging and practices. House Bill 171, specifically, would have banned state agencies from using DEI concepts in their hiring decisions, also stripping funding for DEI-focused programming.

Senate Bill 227 and Senate Bill 558 would have essentially done the same within public grade schools and universities, marking the restriction of teaching “divisive concepts.” These “concepts” included notions that a person’s race or sex makes them to blame “for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex,” or that they are “inherently superior” or “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive” to others.

However, all the bans faced an incisive rejection upon being sent to Gov. Stein’s desk.

The Democratic governor continued his slew of vetoes. He exercised his right again, striking down a bill that would only acknowledge two biological sexes in North Carolina.

After vetoing all the bills, Gov. Stein condemned the measures and the state Republicans. He called the proposed bans a move to “distract” residents from more pressing issues.

“At a time when teachers, law enforcement, and state employees need pay raises and people need shorter lines at the DMV, the legislature failed to pass a budget and, instead, wants to distract us by stoking culture wars that further divide us,” expressed Stein. “These mean-spirited bills would marginalize vulnerable people and also undermine the quality of public services and public education.”

Despite this, the House Republicans could still get the bills passed, needing one more vote to get a veto-proof supermajority. However, they would need the unlikely break of persuading a Democrat to vote with them.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 6, 2025

Tuskegee Marks 114 Years With July 4th Celebration — A Milestone Of Pride In Black America

The university celebrates 114 years at the second oldest HBCU in Alabama.

The fourth of July holds another special meaning in American history besides Independence Day. The day is also the 114th anniversary of Tuskegee University, the second oldest HBCU in Alabama.

Founded on July 4, 1881, the establishment held the name of the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers. The initial vision of Lewis Adams, famously spearheaded by Booker T. Washington, resulted in Washington leading the school within a church.

Now, it has grown into a top-ranked HBCU that also holds status as a designated National Historic Site. With over 60 degrees offered, the institution specializes in its engineering programs. It also serves as a leading producer of African American graduates in chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering.

To mark the occasion, the school’s president and CEO, Dr. Mark A. Brown, joined a wreath-laying ceremony with the Tuskegee Historic Preservation Commission to honor these founders at their grave sites.

In this monumental anniversary year, the HBCU highlighted its connection to another historically Black institution. The founder of Hampton Institute (now University), Samuel C. Armstrong, recommended Washington take on the task of reshaping Tuskegee as a traditional college.

The HBCUs’ shared connection remains strong. Hampton’s president, Darrell K. Williams, previously spoke at the Founders’ Day celebration in Tuskegee last March. There, Williams highlighted the similarities between the two storied institutions.

Beyond the relationship between Armstrong and Washington, the university president emphasized the shared names of many of their buildings, and how their leaders graced both schools. However, he expressed that their bond goes “much deeper” than the surface, proclaiming that their mission to educate Black people remains undeterred.

“I contend that the bond is much, much deeper,” he said, as reported by HBCU Gameday. “We share the same values…We share the same ideals. We share the same commitment to excellence and the knowledge that education remains the door to opportunity, economic empowerment, and the continued advancement of a people.”

Williams’ speech also ended a historic weekend for Tuskegee, in which alumni raised over $1.3 million for their alma mater. While Tuskegee celebrates its continued support to educate the masses, its unofficial “sister school” honors its dedication to academic excellence.

“The names Hampton and Tuskegee will forever be spoken together in history,” added Williams. “They have always been inseparable in their singular and collective brilliance, and our destinies forever shall be intertwined. Hampton and Tuskegee; Crimson and Old Gold, Reflex Blue and White, Tuskegee and Hampton. May God bless our communities, and may God continue to richly bless America.”

RELATED CONTENT: Tuskegee University Awarded Arts Grant