Monthly Archives: January, 2023

The American Sociological Association recently issued a statement on the importance of teaching and learning about race and racism in the nation's public schools as well as on college and university campuses. The association strongly rejects efforts by many states to curtail the teaching of courses dealing with race.

In 1980, Black doctoral earners received about 40 percent of the doctorates they would have received if the percentage of doctorates equaled the Black percentage of the population. There has been significant improvement in the share of doctorates awarded to Black people, now at about four-fifths of what racial parity would call for. But more wok needs to be done.

In a response to an edict from Gobernor ROn DeSantis, the 12 state-operated universities in Florida have reported that $34.5 million in their combined budgets are related to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Nearly $21 million of this total is from state funds with the remainder coming from the federal government, nonprofits, or private sources.

More than six-in-ten Black adults (63 percent) say voting is an extremely or very effective strategy for Black progress. However, only 42 percent of African Americans say protesting is a potent strategy for Black progress. A majority of African Americans say that supporting Black businesses can help achieve racial equality.

Marlon M. Bailey, a professor of African and African American studies at Washington University in St. Louis, was granted tenure. Salome Brooks has been appointed clinical professor and program director of the department of physical therapy at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, and Arnetta Villela-Smith was named co-chair of the ethnic studies department at Skyline Community College in San Bruno, California.

The funds will be used for capital improvement projects for six structures on campus. Many of the campus structures have gone without improvements for decades. The funds will provide for building renovations and upgrades to electrical and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF), which supports 37 private historically Black colleges and universities, has received its largest philanthropic corporate gift in its 78-year history from Boston-based financial services leader Fidelity Investments. Fidelity is donating $190 million to UNCF over the next five years to create the Fidelity Scholars Program.

The progress of the Ivy League schools over the past decade in admitting Black students has been impressive. In 2006, Columbia University had the highest percentage of Black first-year students at 9.6 percent. This year, all eight Ivy League schools have entering classes that are 12 percent Black or higher.

Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.