4 The HBCU Advocate Editorial


What Does Crispus Attucks Have in Common With Virginia's Governor?


Volume 2 Number 6


Tuskegee Inauguration A community-wide reception will


FROM PAGE 1 immediately new era for follow the in the campus’


Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. While her inauguration marks a


university, McNair


— who has served as Tuskegee’s president since July 1 — is mindful of the tradition of leadership she continues and that dates back to the appointment in 1881 of Booker T. Washington as its founding president. She noted her daily passing of The Oaks — Washington’s campus home now maintained by the National Park Service —allows her to reflect on her place in that history.


“I think about Booker T.


Washington a great deal. The more I learn about him, the more I appreciate his vision — not just for the university and its future, but for societal matters like education and health of all people,” she said. “Dr. Washington set a bar that I strive each day to uphold, as I challenge myself to make this historic and revered university even greater and grander than he ever conceived.”


Boston, Mass., Boston Massacre Monument. which bears the name of Crispus Attucks [between 1890 and 1906]. Detroit Publishing Company. Prints & Photographs Division


BY ANGELA JONES


I do not usually get involved in politics but who can ignore the current state of Virginia politics. As the Attucks Theatre in Norfolk prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary and the nation is being called on to recognize "The arrival of Africans in the first permanent English Colony in North America," this is not the best time to be a Virginia politician in a "blackface" scandal.


Although I know I am not the first


to point out all of the great accomplish- ment's of Virginia's current governor, I still think it is important to recognize them. I do not believe Virginia would have been able to pass Medicaid Expansion without the support of the governor. The inexcusable issue with the whole 'blackface" scandal has not been addressed. After many of his current and previous supporters implored him to step down and explained to him the torturous pain that was and is still inflicted on Americans by those images, the governor has not been moved. He fails to realize that this is not about his legacy. He will be remembered for his good deeds after he leaves office. This is not about what he did in the past. What is hurting the state is what seems like a lack of empathy


for his constituents. They are saying that they have been hurt by the images of someone in blackface and another person in Ku Klux Klan gear


rewritten.


On Saturday, March 16, McNair will preside over an Inaugural Symposia, also to be held in the Kellogg


Hotel that


appeared on the pages of his yearbook, regardless of who the people are. History is constantly


being There are people who


are currently trying to disprove that Crispus Attucks was the first person to die in the Boston Massacre. The detractors are saying that he was struck by a bullet after it first struck someone else and that person was the first to die. We may never know if the


governor was trying to rewrite history when he seemed to imply that it could not have been him in "blackface" in the yearbook because he knew better than to use that much shoe polish. He knew it was difficult to remove shoe polish from one's face.


What we do know is that many


Virginians have been negatively impacted by images like the ones seen on the governor's yearbook pages. I am sure that when the dust settles, he will realize that the people he swore to serve will have a difficult time erasing those images from their memories no matter how much good he continues to do. Furthermore, the good that he has done is just as indelible.


The HBCU Advocate


Angela Jones, Publisher Chris Parks, Editor


Rae Willis, Graphic Designer Ida Davis, Contributing Writer Sales and information info@thehbcuadvocate.com Copyright pertaining to contents of this edition. All rights reserved.


TheHBCUAdvocate.com and Conference


Center. The event, beginning at 9 a.m. central time, will further explore her theme of leadership and excellence by highlighting the


contributions faith. Panels featuring of


women through three separate panels focusing on higher education, business and


African-


American female leaders — several of whom have been McNair’s mentors and colleagues throughout her career — will discuss factors


associated with their


professional success, as well as insights into how to better strengthen and foster future opportunities for women.


McNair’s inauguration occurs just one week after International Women’s Day on March 8. As with that day, Tuskegee’s Inaugural Symposia and related events seek to underscore the impact female leaders have in higher education and other sectors. According to the American Council of Education’s 2017


American College President


Survey, only 30 percent of the nation’s college presidencies at the time were held by women, and women of color represented only 5 percent of sitting presidents.


Inaugural week events will conclude Saturday evening with a ticketed, black-tie fundraising gala at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa in Montgomery, Alabama. The gala will begin at 7:15 p.m. central time, and be preceded by a VIP-ticketholder reception beginning at 6 p.m. The event will be emceed by WSFA-TV news anchor Tonya Terry, and will feature a musical performance by R&B singer/ songwriter Will Downing.


“Our planning committee has sought to create a comprehensive celebration that also pays respect to Tuskegee’s cherished traditions,” said John E. Page, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees. “These events will certainly


further elevate


McNair’s goals for increased student success, customer


President service,


fiscal strength and community partnerships.”


Prior to formal events on March


15 and 16, a pair of student-led events will kick off the university’s inaugural activities.


During the the afternoon


of Sunday, March 10, through the leadership of its Student Government Association,


university by eliminating will


partner with locally based nonprofit Let’s Rebuild Tuskegee. The organization seeks to revitalize the community


blight


and rehabilitating old and dilapidated homes throughout the city.


This day of service will focus on helping renovate at least two area homes — with the goal of engaging the


broader campus and


local communities the effort. Teams of students and other university and community volunteers will assist with home-improvement needs that vary from basic projects like painting and sanding to intermediate projects like demolition and drywall placement.


From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. central time


on Wednesday, March 13, students will celebrate “A Night with the Star” during a semi-formal student gala in the university’s Logan Hall. The free event will feature a speed-dating-style opportunity for students to visit with McNair in small-group settings in addition to celebrating her upcoming inauguration with her.


To advance McNair’s vision, the university has launched a $1 million “Campaign Excellence”


“Ushering in a new era of


leadership and excellence begins with ensuring every student who desires a quality education has access to one,” McNair noted. “We hope our alumni, friends and others who value the transformational power of education will invest in current and future generations of Tuskegee students — and tomorrow’s leaders.”


university’s inaugural-week


Information about each of the events


— as well as event sponsorships and how to contribute to the “Campaign for Leadership and Excellence” — is online at www.tuskegee.edu/ inauguration.


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for Leadership and fundraising campaign


that — along with proceeds from the inaugural gala and sponsorships — will support student scholarships.


Winter 2019


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