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Husband, Stepdaughter Of Baltimore Woman Believed To Have Been Killed By Panhandler Arrested In Connection To Her Murder
Morehouse College Professor Holds Student's Baby During Lecture So He Can Take Better Notes
Obtaining an education while parenting can be quite the feat, and one HBCU edu- cator understood the struggle all too well.
A Morehouse College pro- fessor helped his student focus in his class by holding his daughter during a lecture. The moment was captured via Facebook in a now-viral post shared by a classmate.
Nick Vaughn, who recorded the video, explained his surprise when his peer, Wayne Hayer, joined the class with his young daugh- ter. Hayer told their profes- sor he was not able to find a babysitter.
"My professor Nathan Alexander (Morehouse Col- lege) said, 'No problem, in fact I will even hold her so you can take better notes in class.' And he did, in fact not only did he teach the entire lecture with the child in his arms but also stayed after class helping those with ques- tions about today’s lecture with the child still in his arms as seen in the pictures," Vaughn wrote.
Vaughn continued his post by outlining the contri- butions of professors at
Professor Nathan Alexander holding the child of one of his stu- dents so he could take better notes in lecture.
HBCUs both in and outside of the classroom.
"It was this encounter that truly showed me the power and impact HBCUs can have for the Black community, for this professor to understand that life happens and some- times there are just no ways around it," his caption con- tinued.
According to Yahoo Lifestyle, the instructor is the James King Jr. Institute Vis- iting Professor of Mathemat- ics Teaching at the Atlanta-based college.
Alexander teaches math-
ematics education, statistical and mathematical modeling, social networks and graphs. At the beginning of the se- mester, he told his students to let him know if they need anything from him. Hayes did just that, sharing with his teacher in a previous conver- sation about his inability to attend study sessions and of- fice hours due to his daugh- ter.
“And Friday, he walks into the class and he says, ‘Hey, you said if I need anything to let you know. Here she is'," Alexander shared.
Keith Smith and his daughter, Valeria Smith have been ar- rested for the murder of Jacquelyn Smith.
Several months following reports a Maryland woman was reportedly stabbed to death after giving a panhan- dler some money garnered national coverage, police ar- rested her husband and step- daughter in connection to her murder on Sunday.
In December, Blavity re- ported that Jacquelyn Smith was killed after she and her husband were re- turning from a family func- tion. Smith spotted a woman allegedly carrying a sign that read "Please help feed my baby."
After Smith rolled down her window to give the woman money, a man ap- proached her and attempted to steal her pocketbook. After a brief struggle, the man supposedly murdered Smith.
News of Smith's death rocked the country, with celebrities like Oprah mak- ing public declarations say- ing she would "think twice"
before donating to beggars. Investigations into Smith's death over the last several months came up short, and The Baltimore Sun writes that police were unable to identify the sus- pects behind her death. Now, it appears the man who was operating the vehicle that night will be charged with
first-degree murder.
Keith Smith and his
daughter, Valeria, were de- tained in Texas near the United States-Mexico border Sunday night. Per The Balti- more Sun, the two were at- tempting to flee the country before being identified for Smith's murder.
"The information and evi- dence points it wasn't a pan- handler," Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said in a news conference. "People take ad- vantage of Baltimore. We want to make sure the truth comes out and justice is done."
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Donates $100,000 To Chicago State University
The nation’s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, closed out Black History Month with a bang, announcing its intentions to donate $10 million to 96 ac- credited institutions over the next four years through their AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund.
“As someone who went to an HBCU, I know the per- sonal challenges these uni- versities undergo. As a college president myself, I very much know that an en- dowment like this is needed for sustainability of an insti- tution,” AKA President Dr. Glenda Glover who is also the president of Tennessee State University told the Chicago Sun-Times. “This is our way of closing out Black History Month.”
And the money isn’t just going to traditional HBCUs, Chicago State, a public uni- versity, has already secured
AKA
some $100,000 as part of the initiative. That being said, it’s still a bet on Black move as the university has predomi- nantly Black enrollment.
According to the Sun- Times, the donation defi- nitely came at the right time, as the university has been re- cently struggling with low en- rollment and layoffs and is currently dealing a budget battle over funding for Illi- nois state colleges and uni-
versities.
“The financial support
needed to encourage and support college completion for Black scholars cannot be underestimated,” Chicago State President Zaldway- naka “Z” Scott noted in a statement. “As all universities continue to face federal and state funding reductions, we need to remember the enor- mous value of historically and predominately Black higher learning institutions and ensure they receive equi- table funding.”
“The Alpha Kappa Alpha- HBCU Endowment repre- sents a generous and important financial gift and investment in our learning community. The majority of our scholars have financial needs that are not fully met by Federal and State financial grants. These funds provide us with an opportunity to close the gap,” Scott added.
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