5 Black poets for students to study and know
This post was originally published on Word In Black. BY Alvin Buyinza It’s often called the voice of the human soul. It was a means of rebellion for Phyllis Wheatley, Langston Hughes, and Nikki Giovanni. And it’s the bedrock of rap music, often called “the CNN of the street.” Poetry, the art form in question, is embedded in the Black experience, a form of resistance and truth as well as beauty and resilience. Yet people often see poetry as inaccessible — reserved for eggheads, elites and reluctant K-12
Empowering Future Generations Through Racial Justice Leadership
By Sherri Kolade Photo by P. A. Greene Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead’s upbringing in two worlds—Washington, DC’s chocolate city and South Carolina’s quiet dirt roads—shaped her story of race and identity. Summers spent on her grandparents’ farm in Lexington, South Carolina revealed the racial dynamics of the South, while WDC nurtured her intellectual growth and pride in her Black heritage. After earning a history degree from HBCU Lincoln University, Whitehead studied at the University of Notre Dame, focusing on peace studies, social justice, and human rights. She returned to
More Than Words: How Alison Bibb-Carson Built a Career That Connects
BY RHONDA CROWDER, PHOTO BY L EWI S B U R R E L L Raised by a renowned TV journalist father and a mother who made her career as a reading specialist and educator, it’s only natural Alison Bibb-Carson would develop a knack for communication arts, particularly writing and speaking well. And although many expected her to follow in her dad’s TV news footsteps, she set out to chart her own course. “Writing has always been my bread and butter, probably since high school when I realized [that]
Dr. Demarus Crawford White | From Burden to Breakthrough
Dr. Demarus Crawford White is guided by a simple conviction: opportunity should never be determined by circumstance. When she joined Npower Ohio, she found not just a leadership role but a mission to expand access to education and career pathways for people often overlooked in the technology sector. As executive director of the technology training nonprofit, she has emerged as one of Ohio’s most vocal champions for equity, workforce readiness, and the belief that success is attainable when people are given the tools to pursue it. “Npower is a
Morehouse School of Medicine names Gerald L. Hector EVP and CFO
Gerald L. Hector, CPA has been appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer for the highly esteemed Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Hector also held similar positions in higher education at Cornell University, Ithaca College, Johnson C. Smith University, and Central Florida in Orlando. FL. His experiences span all aspects of higher education management that include treasurer, debt management, controller’s office, information technology, post award management, policy office, student accounts/bursar, facilities, grounds, business operations, auxiliary services, risk management, purchasing and procurement, legal, financial aid, campus safety, compliance,
Detroit Artist Jamea Richmond-Edwards Brings Her Largest Exhibition to Wellin Museum of Art
Detroit artist Jamea Richmond-Edwards is the subject of the largest exhibition of her career at the Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College, where Another World and Yet the Same remains on view through June 14, 2026. The exhibition features a new body of large-scale work alongside collage-based paintings from the last seven years. Together, the pieces explore race, class, identity, family, style, memory, and the political and emotional weight of imagining a different world while standing inside this one. For Richmond-Edwards, that vision began taking shape after a return home. “I
Leon Ford, founder of The Hear Foundation to partner with Pittsburgh Public Schools
LEON FORD is co-founder of The Hear Foundation. His organization is partnering with Pittsburgh Public Schools’ CTE Division. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.) The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Emergency Response Technology program, one of the programs offered under the district’s Career and Technical Education Division umbrella, has a new partner. A very well-known partner. A partner that has overcome his own set of challenges. Leon Ford is in full support of the high schoolers in the EMT program. He wants them to learn, be their
After 25 Years of Telling Detroit’s Story to the World, Rochelle Riley is Heading to South Carolina
For a quarter-century, Rochelle Riley has built an address book of contacts across Michigan that, if compiled in print, would probably rival that of the old Yellow Pages that used to drop on our doorsteps annually. Through these connections, Riley has been able to find the right person for the right job at every level, be it for correcting a bank error at her preferred financial institution or assembling a mass tribute to victims of the COVID-19 epidemic on Belle Isle. In the days leading up to
Homegrown Headlines: Tiffany Tarpley’s Mission to Inform, Inspire, and Uplift Cleveland
Witten by: Tyisha Blade Tiffany Tarpley is a seasoned journalist with more than 20 years of broadcast experience, currently anchoring Good Morning Cleveland on News 5. A proud Lorain native, Tarpley returned to the Cleveland area in 2024 after several years in Toledo, driven by her desire to be closer to family and continue growing her career in the city she always hoped to thrive in. “Cleveland has always been where I wanted to really thrive in my career,” she says. “I am grateful to have the opportunity
Rickell Howard Smith | A Voice for Justice
By: Kristopher Jackson Photo by Game Day Communications Rickell Howard Smith has spent her career standing at the intersection of justice, dignity and opportunity. As president and chief executive officer of YWCA Greater Cincinnati, she leads one of the region’s most respected organizations with a steady focus on eliminating racism, empowering women and building systems that allow families to thrive. Her path to leadership was shaped by both purpose and preparation. A Cincinnati native and graduate of Walnut Hills High School, Howard Smith left home to study international business