Tuesday, February 5, 2019
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Volume 72, Issue 2
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Saved by the Belles this day in history
February 5th • In 1934 on this day, Henry Louis Hank Aaron was born. • In 1950 on this day, singer Natalie Cole was born. • In 1962 on this day, a suit seeking to bar Englewood, N.J., from maintaining “racial segregated” elementary schools was filed in U.S. District Court. • In 1990 on this day, Barack Obama became the first black man named president of the Harvard Law Review. • In 1972, Bob Douglas becomes the first African American elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
February 6th • In 1945, Bob Marley, Jamacian reggae singer/songwriter is born in Nine Miles, Jamaica. • In 1950, Grammy Award singer Natalie Cole born
February 7th • In 1926, Carter G. Woodson create Negro History Week, In 1976, it became Black History Month. • In 1872, Alcorn A&M College opened
February 8th • In 1986, Oprah Winfrey becomes the first African American woman to a nationally sydicated talk show.
Bennett College surpasses $5 million needed to save the school James Eaglin, Jr.
The Southern Digest
On Monday, February 4, officials, students, faculty, alumni, and supporters of the #StandWithBennett campaign gathered inside the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel on the campus of Bennett College in Greensboro, NC for a press conference to celebrate the accomplishments of the recent awareness and fundraising campaign. During the conference, President Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins announced that the school raised $8.2 million, with some donations still yet to be counted. Over 11,000 donors from across the United States have contributed to date. “I can not tell you how many text messages, emails, and phone calls I received over the weekend, asking whether Bennett was successful in reaching their goal,” said Dawkins, “I am so appreciative,” Bennett College, a Methodist, private liberal arts college for women, has been actively combating a loss of membership from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Since the announcement was made last December, the university set a goal, included in its Case for Support available on the university’s website, to “raise a minimum of $5 million by February 1, 2019 to increase cash reserves and reduce debt in order to demonstrate financial stability to the SACSCOC committee during the appeal process.”
Gabrielle Hutchinson
DIGEST ART
The #StandWithBennett social media campaign was launched alongside the fundraising efforts to help spread awareness about the college’s situation. It immediately went viral, with several organizations and influencers showing their support, including Jake and Jussie Smollett. MSNBC, NPR, and CNN were among several national news and media outlets that covered the campaign. On January 24, the Papa John’s Foundation made a notable $500,000 donation to Bennett College, in addition to pledging an ongoing See SAVED page 3
Dante Davis
The Southern Digest
See EXTENDED CARE page 3
This Month in the Digest: Being Black History The Southern Digest
Extended Care: SU School of Nursing aids water crisis in Tensas Parish The College of Nursing is attempting to raise awareness within the greater Baton Rouge area regarding the poor water quality throughout Tensas Parish. Tensas Parish is suffering from the same problem that Flint, Michigan and several other cities around the country suffer from: poor infrastructure, namely piping, contaminating the water supply. By donating water, Associate Professor of Nursing, Cheryl Taylor, hopes to address the short term problem of families not
Editorial
Members of the Baton Rouge Alumni chapter and the Alpha Tau chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and volunteets unloading a truck with water at Southern University’s Nursing building in support of efforts to provide more clean water to Tensas parish. (Donte Davis/DIGEST)
www.southerndigest.com THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
Every year it feels like we ring in the new year and the month of January lasts about one week. Well we’ve made it to February and you know that on a historically black campus, we at the Digest won’t let you all forget about Black History Month. This month is the time to reflect on our past and recognize leaders who paved the way for us to stand where we are today. You’ve probably taken Intro to African American Literature and learned about the journeys Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois took to establish institutions where Blacks could receive education. It was because of them and many after them that we are here at Southern receiving a style of education and support that we likely couldn’t get elsewhere. The Digest will continue to acknowledge and celebrate Black history. Readers can look forward to a celebration of notable trailblazers, artists, writers, and educators. In addition to the victories, however, take time to reflect on the lows. Examine yourselves and ask what you can do to avoid going through the struggles that are all too familiar to our people. History is studied so that it won’t be repeated, so it is our duty to provide content that will uplift and inspire our readers. You can also look forward to topics such as selfimprovement, academics, health, and in this week’s issue, financial literacy. We encourage you all to recall the African American plight and, as many put it, “how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go.” As we move through See BEING BLACK page 3