Virginia Union University (VUU) students can become certified doulas on campus, making it the first historically Black university in the state to offer such a class. On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, the private, Richmond, VA-based HBCU announced a partnership with the birth center Birth In Color and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to launch a six-month doula training certification program, according to WRIC Channel 8. VUU’s announcement came just ahead of World Doula Week, which runs from March 22 to March 28, 2025. In an interview with AFROTECH™ , Mama Glow Foundation founder Latham Thomas described a doula as a birth “producer” who provides emotional and physical support, education, and advocacy tools during childbirth. While some people view doulas as less educated or non-compliant, Thomas noted that they are just as important as other healthcare professionals, especially in a society where women, particularly Black women, are expected to advocate for themselves. “Black women...

Virginia Tech Athletics is taking more action to help student-athletes. According to a press release, Virginia Tech Athletics has adopted additional measures to help its college athletes monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The follows after Virginia Tech Athletics’ newly established partnership with INFLCR to ensure NIL deals would be more accessible to student-athletes through the Hokies Exchange platform back in March. The company website states once a business, collective, or individual has registered and been approved for Hokies Exchange, it will be placed in a database. Here athletes and the entity will have opportunities to connect and work towards a NIL deal. Businesses can sort through an index of student-athletes to refine their search using various indicators. In addition, director of athletics Whit Babcock has announced Commonwealth NIL, Hot Route Marketing, and Triumph NIL will be supporting Virginia Tech student-athletes, businesses and donors through their...

Jay-Anne Johnson is making history. According to WHSV-TV, Johnson will soon graduate from James Madison University (JMU) with a degree in biophysical chemistry. She will be the first Black woman in Virginia history to achieve such an accomplishment. While Johnson said that she was pleased she was able to achieve such a feat, the accomplishment didn’t come easy. She told WHSV-TV that, oftentimes, she would be the only Black student in her classes. “It wasn’t until really like the first couple of weeks of class. You’re looking around and you kind of notice you’re the only student in the class that looks like you,” she told the outlet. While Jay-Anne Johnson is the first Black woman to get a biophysical chemistry degree from the university, Ben Ashamole was the first Black person, ever, to get a biophysical chemistry degree from the university. These accomplishments, while great on their own, also highlight the lack of diversity in STEM courses — not just at JMU, but in universities...

After more than 150 years since its founding, West Virginia University just elected its first Black woman as student government president, according to My Buckhannon. Amaya Jernigan, who hails from Waldorf, Maryland, will take over the post for the first time in WVU’s history. She will lead the university’s student body for the 2021-2022 academic year alongside Hunter Moore, who will serve as vice president. “I would like to thank every Mountaineer who has made it possible for me to hold this position. I am beyond grateful and will be forever thankful that you all were brave enough to pave the way for me,” Jernigan said in a statement. “Hunter and I, as well as everyone else elected today, have been asked to bring change to campus. We won’t let you down. We have to be the change we seek, and the ‘ACTION’ starts today.” Jernigan is a junior biology major and she served as a senator-at-large for WVU’s Student Government Association (SGA) prior to landing the presidential role....

Amid the Virginia Military Institute’s (VMI) fierce probe of racism in its ranks, last week VMI officials announced the interim appointment of Retired Army Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, the first Black leader to serve in its 181-year history, The Washington Post reports . Maj. Gen. Wins — the 57-year-old two-star general — will serve as interim superintendent until the board can appoint a permanent chief to run the nation’s oldest state-funded military college in Lexington City, Virginia, BET shares . Gov. Ralph Northam ordered an independent investigation on the Virginia Military Institute after several Black cadets stepped down over racial bias for what Northam and other officials describe as “the clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism,” according to The Washington Post . Amid the investigation, Maj. Gen. Wins is expected to take over for the school’s longtime superintendent, retired Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III, who resigned from his position following those reports...

Amazon revealed today that Arlington, Virginia and New York City will be the new locations of their East Coast headquarters. This comes after the retail giant’s year-long journey to zero in on a city to open its second outpost. The Washington Post reported the company’s plans on splitting its new headquarters between two cities to drive enough recruitment for tech talent that will aid in Amazon’s growth. The tech giant also sites proximity to airports with direct flights to its main headquarters in Seattle as having influenced their final decision, according to Quartz. Offices will be located in Long Island City across the river from Manhattan and Crystal City just outside of Washington, D.C. The two cities beat out 238 other contestants, according to the Wall Street Journal. The e-commerce company is reportedly splitting a total of 50,000 full-time employees between the two new offices. Amazon announced they would begin the search for their second home last September after...

Despite his circumstances, high schooler Max Jones never gave up. Jones was brought up in a challenging environment where money was scarce and having a roof over his head was not guaranteed, WDTV 5 reports. He was raised by a single mother and lived with his half-siblings. “She did work a lot when we were growing up, an extreme amount,” Jones told the outlet. When times got their toughest he made the decision to leave his home state of North Carolina and move to Richmond, VA. While attending George Wythe High School in Richmond, and wearing the same clothes in rotation, Jones at one point was living out of his car, which he purchased with his earnings from working at a restaurant. “I went through a lot,” he said to WDTV 5. “I was homeless for a long period of time.” Jones did receive support at times, sleeping in different homes and occasionally receiving food and a complimentary hotel stay, thanks to the generosity of mentors and teachers. “It wasn’t every single day but every...

After spending significant dollars in DEI efforts, the University of Michigan has closed two offices tied to equity and inclusion. The Detroit Free Press reports that the public research university has spent nearly $250 million on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in recent years. However, the university has now decided to dismantle its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) and the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion (OHEI).” “Student-facing services in ODEI will shift to other offices focused on student access and opportunity,” the school said in a statement on its website, according to the outlet. The statement also read: “The DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan, the umbrella strategy for schools, colleges and units, will be discontinued, along with DEI 2.0 unit plans, related programming, progress reporting, training and funding.  Individual leads, who have supported DEI efforts in schools, colleges and units, will refocus their full effort on their core...