FACT CHECK: Would Virginia State University Be The First HBCU To Host A Presidential Debate?
Trump made the claim via a May 17 post shared on his TRUTH Social account
White HBCU president placed on leave, accused of 'bullying' black former administrator who committed suicide
The president of a historically black public university in Missouri has been placed on paid leave after a former administrator committed suicide earlier this month — allegedly because of the "mistreatment" she received from the president.
On January 8, the former vice president of student affairs at Lincoln University, Dr. Antoinette "Bonnie" Candia-Bailey, took her own life. Just 49 years old, Candia-Bailey issued a disturbing email shortly before her death, claiming that President John Moseley had targeted her for taking time off for mental-health treatment before ultimately firing her.
"You had no intention of retaining me as the (vice president of student affairs)," the email said in part, according to USA Today. "It went downhill after the FMLA and ADA documents were submitted due to my severe depression and anxiety. I requested to be removed under your leadership and from (the president’s advisory council) as this was causing significant attacks. This is all documented and emails sent."
The email also noted the devastating performance evaluation Candia-Bailey received last November. She scored just 36 out of a possible 100. Her termination letter, dated January 3, claimed she was fired for her "continued failure to appropriately supervise [her] staff and continued failure to properly supervise the area of student affairs at Lincoln University."
"Lincoln is where it started for me and where it ended," Candia-Bailey wrote in the apparent suicide note.
Moseley, who is white, spent years as the head basketball coach at Lincoln U. before becoming athletic director in 2015. He was promoted to school president in 2022. Last May, he hired Candia-Bailey, an alumna of the school, to great fanfare.
"We are excited for Dr. Candia-Bailey to join our team. She brings a wealth of experience to move student affairs and our entire University forward," Moseley said at the time. "That division is vital to our students’ collegiate experience beyond the classroom, and I feel certain she is the right leader to guide those efforts."
However, their professional relationship quickly turned sour, and sources told HBCU Buzz that Moseley regularly engaged in "bullying and severe mistreatment" of Candia-Bailey and ignored her "cries for help." After her death, students, alumni, and others began to call for Moseley's immediate firing, using the hashtag #FireMoseley to get the message trending on social media.
"Let our collective voice be heard—use #FireMoseley," wrote an alumnus known only as Coach Wilmore, who also spoke to USA Today about Candia-Bailey's death. "Together, we can spark a movement for a safer and more compassionate world. #JusticeForBonnie #BreakTheSilence #LincolnUniversityofMissouri #HBCU @hbcubuzz @hbcupridenation @hbcu_uaf @hbcugrad @HbcuPass."
"How can this man work in the best interest of young people who are Black like me when he does not reflect them racially or culturally," alumna Frances E. Curtis wrote in a letter directed to the university’s board of curators.
In a statement, the board claimed that Moseley had volunteered to be placed on paid administrative leave while a "third party" investigates "potential personnel issues and concerns recently raised regarding compliance with the University’s established policies and procedures."
As a Board, we are committed to make certain the mental health of Lincoln University employees is a priority and that every employee is always treated with dignity and respect. The Board has confidence in the leadership team we have at Lincoln, but as we all work together to serve students and the Lincoln University community, this review will fully examine important questions, concerns and gather facts. Dr. Moseley agrees those issues should be examined and has volunteered to go on leave during the review so that it can move forward in a fully independent way.
Candia-Bailey, who earned a Ph.D. in leadership studies and a master's in rehabilitation counseling-disability studies, spent decades cultivating a career in academic administration and promoting DEI. In her last stop before Lincoln, she served as chief diversity officer and Title IX coordinator at Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts.
"I believe diversity work is like a puzzle. I strive to help individuals find their pieces in the puzzle," said Candia-Bailey, described as "passionate" about helping black women develop their identities and examine their self-esteem.
According to federal data cited by USA Today, 44% of HBCU students identify as black, while 40% identify as white.
Neither Moseley nor the university responded to USA Today's requests for comment.
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President Biden warns Howard University graduates: 'The most dangerous terrorist threat to our homeland is white supremacy'
President Joe Biden gave a commencement speech at Howard University on Saturday, when he warned graduates of the dangerous threats the country faces from white supremacy.
Biden told the graduates of the historically black university, "The most dangerous terrorist threat to our homeland is white supremacy."
He proudly added, "And I’m not saying this because I’m at a Black HBCU, I say it wherever I go."
\u201cBiden at Howard Univ.: \u201cThe most dangerous threat to our homeland is white supremacy \u2026 and I\u2019m not just saying this because I\u2019m at a black HBCU.\u201d\u201d— Tom Elliott (@Tom Elliott) 1683995950
Biden claimed that he hoped hatred would disappear after Barack Obama was elected as president of the United States, but alleged that hatred "never goes away" and only "hides under rocks."
"A vivid demonstration when it comes to race in America, hope doesn’t travel alone. It’s shadowed by fear, by violence and by hate," he asserted.
"There are those who demonize, and pit people against one another," President Biden added during his address, likely hinting at former President Donald Trump. "There are those who would do anything, everything, no matter how desperate or immoral, to hold on to power."
Biden continued, "That's never going to be an easy battle. But I know this: The oldest most sinister forces, they believe they'll determine America's future. But they are wrong. We will determine America's future. You will determine America's future."
Biden rehashed the Capitol riot from Jan. 6, 2021.
"January 2021 – I stood in the U.S. Capitol to be inaugurated as president of the United States," he said at the commencement ceremony. "Just days before, on that very spot, a violent insurrection took place. A dagger at the throat of democracy."
"For the first time in our history, an attempt to stop a peaceful transfer of power in this country. They failed. Our democracy held. Again hope prevailed," Biden said.
Biden then mentioned Vice President Kamala Harris, "And this time I was standing with a black woman, about to take a two-mile procession down Pennsylvania Avenue as president and vice president of the United States of America."
Biden mentioned the Howard University marching band performing at Biden's inauguration.
Biden bragged, "I was able to fulfill my commitment to put the first black woman on the Supreme Court of the United States of America."
Biden touted Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as "brighter than the rest" of the Supreme Court justices. He added, "She is one bright woman."
\u201cBiden on Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson: \u201cBy the way, she\u2019s brighter than the rest\u201d of the Supreme Court. \u201cShe is one bright woman.\u201d\u201d— Mark Joseph Stern (@Mark Joseph Stern) 1683994219
Biden attacked the Republican Party for opposing his student debt relief plan. He then conflated student loans with the Paycheck Protection Program launched during the pandemic that offered potentially forgivable government loans to small businesses.
“This new Republican Party is dead set against it, suing my administration to stop you from getting student debt relief," Biden argued. "The same opposition who received relief loans, I might add, to keep their businesses afloat during the pandemic.”
Biden was awarded an honorary "Doctor of Letters" degree from Howard University during the ceremony.
Biden's speech at the historically black university arrived in the same week that a new poll showed that he is losing support from the black community.
The latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows Biden has a 58% current approval rating among black adults. The AP noted, "Roughly 9 in 10 black adults approved of Biden over his first months in office."
Only 41% of black adults want Biden to run in the 2024 presidential election, and just 55% said they would be likely to support him in a general election.
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Deion Sanders expects his college football players to act like student-athletes, demands they dress appropriately and 'sit in the front of the classroom'
Former NFL sensation and current college football head coach Deion Sanders has always been ready for "prime time." Now, he expects his players to be ready for "prime time" too.
Earlier this week, Sanders, 55, the head coach of the Jackson State University Tigers football team, stood before his players and gave them explicit instructions about how they should dress and prepare for class. Sanders told them that they must:
- Wear shoes that cover their feet
- Wear shirts that cover their underarms
- Sit in the front of the class
- Act like "the perfect gentleman"
\u201cCoach Deion Sanders Message to his players as Classes Start\n* No Slides, No armpits exposed\n* No wife beaters \n* Sit in front of the Classroom\n* Be the Perfect Gentleman\nhttps://t.co/6ZiQhpUiCv\u201d— HBCU Premier Sports (@HBCU Premier Sports) 1661886451
Players may not wear "slider" flip-flop shoes, wife beater tank tops, or other shirts that expose their armpits; neglect their personal hygiene; or conduct themselves in any way unbefitting a member of the JSU football team.
"Now, make sure you shower before you go to class," Sanders warned them. "I don’t want to get a report that you was in some bull-junk in our apparel, representing us. 'Kids in the back of class making noise, he’s free-styling to the whole class while I was trying to teach it' with a Jackson State football shirt on. Not going to happen."
Proper student-athlete behavior is necessary, Sanders insisted because "if you need help from that professor," Sanders told his players, "they gonna recall your character."
Sanders made the speech while standing in front of a presentation slide which discusses the importance of consistency. Sanders verbally reiterated the importance of consistency during his speech as well.
Last year under Sanders' leadership, the Tigers certainly demonstrated consistency on the field. They finished 11-1 and a perfect 8-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. In the COVID 2020 season, Sanders' first year as head coach, the team went 4-3.
Since his arrival at JSU, Sanders has also made waves in the college football recruiting world. He famously convinced a Georgia commit to flip to JSU back in 2020, and then in December, he officially brought in the highest-ranked college football prospect in the nation, Travis Hunter, who had previously committed to Florida State, where Sanders played college ball in the mid 1980s.
All twelve members of the SWAC are either public or private historically black universities. Jackson State is scheduled to kick off the 2022 season on September 4 against Florida A&M.
Historically Black Colleges Should Not Be Exempt From Market Forces
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