
Black college students, historically black colleges, and black academic achievement are the focal point of this blog. If you are black and want to learn, then this is the place for you.
by Antoine Scroggins, Your Black World
Another promising young man’s life ended too soon over a senseless act of violence.
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By JasmineHughes
Selected for their potential to succeed or for their potential to become indebted? Many are now questioning the targeted recruiting practices of for-profit colleges.

Your Black World reports
Russlyn Ali is no stranger to the huge disparity in the educational achievement gaps among blacks and whites. In fact, most of her professional career had been tirelessly spent on improving educational opportunities for low-income and minority students.
Your Black World, ThyBlackMan.com
A third-generation black male teacher writes about the importance of black men in education.
by Erin Harper, YourBlackWorld.com
I did not graduate from Morehouse College or Howard University. Neither did Sean Combs or many of this week’s readers of the “Howard v. Morehouse: Nation’s Football Classic Trash Talk” group page on Facebook. However, while at Spelman, I DID take one psychology class at Morehouse, served on the Miss Maroon & White court, and strolled in front of Kilgore Hall to Juvenile’s “400 Degreez” album enough to earn me at least 36 credit hours in Drama and Dance. Thus, I attended Morehouse College and I have granted myself with the right and the privilege to defend the institution whenever there is a need.
Ayvaunn Penn from Your Black Poets presents “The Power of Silence” by E. D. Arrington out of Wilson, North Carolina.

Outstanding spoken word artist Ayvaunn Penn introduces Your Black Poets. Check it out by clicking here.

MIAMI GARDENS, FL [May 12, 2011] – According to the Schott Foundation, only half of black male students graduate from high school. In an effort to reverse this crisis, Florida Memorial University (FMU) President Henry Lewis III, along with other university officials will launch the first 2011 High School Black Male Baccalaureate Service on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 5:00 pm. The event strives to honor extraordinary Black male students who will graduate from high school. It will take place at the Lou Rawls Center for the Performing Arts on FMU’s campus.

In this video, Tupac lets it all hang out – talking about life, love, and being a black man in America.

Two white female students claim that black athletes raped them. But the way the story is presented is racially-disturbing.
click to read
by: PatriceJohnson, Your Black World
Joseph “JoJo” Simmons Jr.
People always say that your environment is what inspires you to make the decisions that you make. Whether it be good or bad. Some people believe that if you are brought up in a stable home with a mother and father, for females, they are less likely to end up pregnant, more likely to go to college and less likely to end up on welfare. As for males, they are less likely to end up as dead beat dads, more likely to go to college and less likely to end up in prison.
by: PatriceJohnson, Your Black World
Josh Drummonds (left) and the mother of his son, Nikkole Paulun (right)
Just this week Josh Drummonds was arrested after his mother called the police on him for stealing five checks from her check book and writing the checks out to himself. Josh is a member of the newest 16 & Pregnant cast and the father of Nikkole Paulun’s beautiful baby boy.
click to read

MRS. OBAMA: Well, goodness. Thank you. (Applause.) Let me tell you it is a pleasure and an honor -- yes, Chicago -- (laughter and applause) -- to be with all of you today.
And I want to thank President Tatum for her leadership and for that very kind and generous introduction. She is such an inspiration to all of the women who are part of the
Spelman family, so let’s give her our thanks and round of applause. (Applause.)

President Obama is rewarding a Memphis high school that has really turned itself around.

Should our kids go to school year round? This guy thinks it’s mandatory in order for the US to be able to compete.
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University, YourBlackWorld.com
As a college professor for the past 16 years, I’ve noticed two things about college: It can be a place to make your dreams come true, and it can also be a breeding ground for your worst nightmares. So, I thought I would compile a list of things that I’ve seen college students do to ruin their lives over the years. Hopefully, you and your child can learn from what I am about to share.
1) Sex, drugs, alcohol and gambling
College is a great place to pick up a lot of really bad habits. The worst part is that people tell you that these things are ok. It’s not that all of these are bad things to do, but at the very least, they should be done in moderation. It doesn’t matter if you are in college: If you have sex with too many people, you are going to catch a disease or get pregnant. If you use drugs, you are going to become a drug addict. If you drink too much, you will become an alcoholic. Gambling can also ruin your life as much as drugs or alcohol. I have several dozen friends with really messed up lives to this day, all of whom started their downward spiral on a college campus. You should not think that because you are in college, you are immune to these problems. If something doesn’t feel right, then you shouldn’t do it. Be mature enough to make smart decisions.
2) Falling for the credit card scams and ruining your credit
There are no serious credit card scams in college, only the little people who stand out in front of the bookstore trying to get you to take their "free money". Credit cards are very tempting when you are in school, especially since you are broke. If you decide to take one, make sure that you are very careful with how much you buy with the card, and that you have a careful plan to pay it all back. Putting yourself in over your head can easily destroy your credit. That is not a good cycle to get into. Not taking care of your student loan obligations can ruin your credit as well. You should manage your debt as best you can, because if you don’t, it can take decades to fix the problems that are created.

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
The Bakersfield Police Department has confirmed that four men were arrested in a hazing incident involving students at California State University. As of Saturday, police were investigating an alleged felonious assault involving members of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
The report was initiated after a 25-year old man was admitted to the hospital as a result of the incident. The investigation found that between March 28 and April 25, four students were assaulted on multiple occasions. The assaults included beatings and being shot at close range with a BB gun.
The members of the fraternity involved in the alleged incident are not officially sanctioned by the university. They do, however, recruit students from the CSUB campus through a club they’ve established.
BOSTON — The suicide of the former Chicago Bears star Dave Duerson became more alarming Monday morning, when Boston University researchers announced that Duerson’s brain had developed the same trauma-induced disease recently found in more than 20 deceased players.

by Professor Peniel Joseph, Tufts University
On Wednesday, April 27, 2011 the world witnessed a spectacle at once historic and humiliating: a sitting American president forced to preside over a press conference where he reasserted his citizenship. President Barack Obama’s release of his “long-form” birth certificate in the wake of withering criticism from conspiracy theorists, Tea Party activists, and Donald Trump cast a strobe light on the nation’s persistent and tortured racial history.

by Dr. Julianne Malveaux
I am glad that President Barack Obama has a sense of humor about the birthers. I don't, and I am disgusted that Donald Trump, lacking in both sense and scruples, was able to push the President to releasing his "long form" birth certificate. Now that the birth certificate has been released, perhaps, we can get back to some of the business of government, except for the fact that those who want to embrace their racism and believe that President Obama was not born here, did not star at Harvard (despite his position on the competitive Law Review), did not "deserve" his election (which did not depend on hanging chads"), will continue to promulgate their nonsense.
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by Dr. Boyce Watkins, YourBlackWorld.com – Scholarship in Action
Roman Caple is a senior at St. Augustine’s College. He was set to graduate this weekend until he was informed by the school that he wouldn’t be allowed to walk with his classmates. Caple says that his punishment was due to a Facebook post that allegedly "jeopardized the integrity of the college."
Caple argues that the reaction of school administrators came as a result of his posts following a tornado that hit Raleigh, NC two weeks ago. But he says that most of his comments were meant to be uplifting. One of his posts said the following:
"We all need to set our differences aside and help one another. Falcons we will continue to fly high because that's what we do. Help your neighbor, if need be, Falcons are one."
Watch as YBW’s Eshe White interviews a former football star about the realities of playing in the NFL

BOSTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's father was forced to leave Harvard University before completing his Ph.D. in economics because the school was concerned about his personal life and finances, according to newly public immigration records.
Harvard had asked the Immigration and Naturalization Service to delay a request by Barack Hussein Obama Sr. to extend his stay in the U.S., "until they decided what action they could take in order to get rid of him," immigration official M.F. McKeon wrote in a June 1964 memo.
“The President invited the living participants in the Memphis Sanitation Strike to honor their courage, and their fight on behalf of all workers for safe conditions, respect in the workplace and a better life for themselves and their families. As workers across the country continue to face challenges to their rights, the issues for which these men fought continue to be relevant and the President remains committed to the causes for which they marched.” – from the White House

Watch the video below to understand the nature of Fox News Racism. There’s a historical context to all of this, whether we’re talking about the Birther Movement, the Tea Party or any of the other activity coming from the Right Wing. Check it out below or click here to watch.

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
Auburn University’s Cam Newton capped off his stunning win of the Heisman Trophy by being the #1 draft pick by the Carolina Panthers in this year’s NFL draft.
I’d like to make some quick recommendations for Cam as he begins his life of fame and fortune:
1) Save your money: Most of your fellow NFL players were sweating out the lockout because they weren’t able to make payments on all the cars and houses that they can’t afford. Get a good financial manager you can trust, learn to start your own business, and make sure you’re educated enough to understand what other people are doing with your money. If you lose everything, no one is going to care.
To have Dr. Boyce Watkins commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
By JESSICA GRESKO
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Redskins defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth allegedly slid his credit card into the bra of a waitress and then touched her breast, according to court papers filed Wednesday offering Haynesworth a plea deal in the sexual abuse case.
Haynesworth's lawyer, however, said the deal was not one he'd take and that his client would fight the charge. Prosecutors filed paperwork in Superior Court in Washington saying that if Haynesworth agrees to plead guilty to simple assault they would drop the misdemeanor sexual abuse charge. Both charges carry the same maximum penalty, however, up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
Please watch this PSA that shows the devastating impact of fatherless homes on the African American community. The video is incredibly powerful.