Kamala Harris, a graduate of Howard University, sent a special message to North Carolina Central University (NCCU) graduates.

The vice chairman surprised attendees at the May 4 commencement ceremony in a pre-recorded video. In her speech, she spoke to NCCU graduates about how the nation needs leadership now greater than ever.

“As vice president of the United States, I tell you – no matter what path you take from here – our nation needs you,” Harris said. reported by HBCU game day. “We need your ambition. We need your aspirations (and) your voice and we need your leadership.”

Harris also emphasized the value of an HBCU education, leading her back to similar halls she walked during her own matriculation.

“As a proud HBCU graduate, I know firsthand the value of attending an institution like yours,” Harris said. “You leave here having learned that you can do anything and be anyone. And that you have an obligation to be perfect. Work to improve the condition of all people. And fight to protect our most basic rights and freedoms.”

She added: “So you are starting the next chapter of your life. Remember that there is no obstacle you cannot overcome. There is no barrier that cannot be broken. And there is no limit to your capacity for greatness.”

Harris also visited multiple college campuses as she and President Joe Biden sought re-election this yr. In September, she visited HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions as a part of her Fight For Our Freedoms tour to advocate for reproductive rights.

The Biden-Harris ticket has also struggled to energise the black electorate, which is taken into account crucial to victory over Trump. In light of this, Harris has quite a few meetings ahead of November to interact with Black voters.

One of the most important donations to a historically black college or university is now being withheld after scrutiny by some HBCU alumni and supporters due to the donor’s confidential background.

Investor Gregory Gerami is behind the historic nine-figure donation to Florida A&M University. His $237.75 million gift is one of the most important awards ever received by an HBCU from a single donor, according to the anonymous donor. FAMU edition from May 4.

But the gift raised concerns amongst some alumni and university board members who were unfamiliar with the Gerami name and company. That, combined along with his connection to a botched $1 million donation to one other university, raised more suspicion, a lot in order that a university official called a news conference on Sunday to dispel that skepticism.

In response to the growing confusion, a gathering was held on Thursday throughout the FAMU Foundation Management Board meeting, attended by, amongst others, according to WCTV. The meeting was broadcast via the Zoom platform. FAMU President Larry Robinson confirmed that officials will “pause” the donation “pending additional information as I become aware of it.”

Adding: “It is in our best interest to put this case on hold.”

Gerami, 30, heads Batterson Farms Corp, a hydroponic farming and hemp plastics company that produces bioplastics and fresh organic products. He founded the corporate in 2021.

Although he didn’t share his fortune, he stated that the majority of his wealth was inherited from his adopted family. According to The Sun News, before the CCU deal fell through, school administrators said his 2020 net value was about $600 million and his money assets were nearly $260 million.

Unlike many millionaire entrepreneurs, Gerami has no online presence, so his dealings are shrouded in secrecy. But he said the skepticism and scrutiny he has faced since news of his donation to FAMU became public explains why he doesn’t share much online.

“This is a prime example of why I don’t have an online presence and don’t care about having one” – Gerami said the Tallahassee Democrat. “People take things out of context. They are running away, harming and hurting people with information that is incorrect and simply inappropriate.”

The need to protect his family also motivates him to determine to stay behind the scenes. “I have a family, younger children and I come from a large family,” Gerami told an area portal. “I was born one of eight children and have nine siblings, even in my adopted family. As a parent and a family person, I have to protect my family and their safety is the most important thing.”

FAMU’s gift was funded by the Isaac Batterson Family seventh Trust, which contributed 14 million shares value not less than $239 million and can contribute a further $61 million over 10 years, according to a set schedule.

According to FAMU’s Sunday announcement, these shares were sent a month ago.

“Mr. The $237,750,000 transfer of Gerami shares was received in the same manner as we accepted all other shares donated to the University through FAMU Foundation Inc.” FAMU wrote. “As with any non-monetary gift received, such as cryptocurrency, real estate and stocks, it will be converted to cash and recorded accordingly.”

While Ivy League colleges across the country, such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton, receive massive gifts running into the billions annually, gifts to historically black colleges and universities pale as compared.

In 2019, foundations gave $5.5 billion to Ivy League schools, while 99 HBCUs contributed a complete of about $45 million. Typically, schools like Spelman, Morehouse, Hampton and Howard capture a bigger share of donations to HBCUs annually.

According to a report by ABC 27, the donation is meant for scholarships and programmatic enhancements to the college’s Disability Access and Resource Center, FAMU’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences and the School of Nursing.

It also features a general fund to support student success initiatives and special needs of the university on the president’s discretion, according to the local outlet.

As for why Gerami selected FAMU, he said the college’s focus and research opportunities in hemp production align along with his company’s goals.

While the colleges’ statements suggest the validity of the agreement, questions remain about its transparency, that are compounded by the consequence of its latest commitment to one other university.

According to The Sun News.in 2020. Gerami was an anonymous donor who made a $95 million donation to Coastal Carolina University that fell apart inside 4 months of the announcement. Like FAMU, Gerami has no affiliation with CCU, but was reportedly dating someone from the university on the time of the donation.

The CCU award was announced in July 2020. In the next months, Gerami and the college were at odds after university officials expressed uncertainty about whether Gerami had the resources to finance the donation.

Gerami also claimed that a CCU official made racist and offensive statements towards him before his relationship with the college completely disintegrated. During negotiations with CCU, Gerami also considered making donations to other HBCUs, including FAMU.

Board vice president and FAMU alumnus Deveron Gibbons told the Tallahassee Democrats he was unaware of the donation to a Florida HBCU until the college announced it publicly throughout the commencement ceremony, where Gerami spoke.

“As Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, I have a responsibility to protect the integrity of the university I value, but I have deep concerns that this process is moving too quickly to accept a gift without appropriate oversight.”—Gibbons he said in a press release to Democrats.

Gibbons called for extraordinary board meeting which can happen on May 15.

“We are fully aware of the skepticism that sometimes accompanies such a large gift,” FAMU said in its statement on Sunday. “As expected, some people in the public are and will continue to conduct research into Mr. Gerami. We would like to inform you that FAMU has exercised due diligence in this matter. Additionally, Mr. Gerami has conducted and continues to conduct due diligence on matters that have occurred and are occurring at FAMU.”

Another HBCU alum wrote a viral article with a provocative headline questioning the validity of the donation. Jerell Blakeley, a graduate of Howard University, published a column in: Education News Flash’s HBCU Digest on May 6 under the title “For the love of money, was FAMU deceived?”

Blakeley couldn’t come to terms with the low status of the Gerami, which seems to be at odds with the more famous donors.

“It’s not like Mackenzie Scott and the hundreds of thousands she gave to a number of HBCUs. People know who she is, where her wealth comes from, and the way HBCUs have grow to be a focus for her donations. Robert Smith is the richest black man in America, and since of one gift, Gerami, as a virtual unknown company he founded three years ago, outweighs Smith’s donations?

Blakeley called on all university management to resign “if this turns out to be a fraud”.

Gerami, nonetheless, stays confused by the entire ordeal.

“The stock has been held by the university for over a month now, so I don’t know where there would be any confusion or skepticism since the company is already in the university’s financial account,” Gerami told the Tallahassee Democrat.

A controversial remark about black children in New York has put New York Governor Kathy Hochul in a difficult position.

Discussing the necessity to bring AI technology jobs to Black and Brown communities at Monday’s Milken Institute Global Conference, Hochul said, “Right now there are little Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word is.” “computer” is.”

The governor’s comments were quickly condemned by New York lawmakers, including Assembly members Karines Reyes and John Zaccaro, who represent the Bronx within the state legislature.

She added: “But I want to be careful and be fair here… go back and hear exactly what she said.”

Markus Batchelor, national political director of the progressive advocacy group People For the American Way, called Gov. Hochul’s remark “unhelpful and thoughtless rhetoric” that confirmed “the assumption in voters’ minds that our leaders are too disconnected from the experiences of those they represent — especially in the event that they are black and poor.

Blake, a former vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said that if Hochul, as governor, “thinks you don’t know what a computer is in 2024,” then “you have to wonder, what does she think of you as a human being?”

The founder and CEO of the KAIROS Democratic Project said that as Democratic leader, Hochul also showed that “racism, ignorance and privilege are not limited to just one party.”

“We definitely have better policies, but we still fall victim to our leaders clinging to problematic beliefs,” he explained. “So there is definitely more work to be done.” However, he explained that in comparison with the choice Republican Party, “I’d rather be on our side than on their side.”

Instead of constructing controversial comments about inner-city black children, Blake said leaders should as a substitute support organizations like The Knowledge House, a Bronx-based entity that goals to shut educational gaps in low-income neighborhoods; and the National GEM Consortium, which focuses on improving STEM degree rates amongst Black people and other underrepresented groups.

“We should be talking about them,” Blake said, “and when comments like this come up, we feel hurt and distracted, not empowered and uplifted.”

Hochul, who tried to publicize Empire’s $400 million statewide AI initiative, finally apologized for it staTmenttelling the New York Post that “she has spoken.”

“Obviously black kids in the Bronx know what computers are,” the New York governor said. “The problem is that too often they lack access to the technology needed to find well-paying jobs in emerging industries like artificial intelligence. That is why, from day one of my term, I have focused on expanding economic opportunity.”

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