JSU to host lecture series on black males in post-secondary instititions

 Jackson, Mississippi- The Medgar Evers/ Ella Baker Civil Rights Lecture Series in cooperation with The Fannie Lou Hamer National Institute on Citizenship and Democracy, The Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, and The Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University continues social discussions.
The sixth lecture of the 2010-2011 Medgar Evers/ Ella Baker Civil Rights Lecture Series—“A Growing Decline of Black Males in Post-Secondary Institutions: An Educational Conundrum””—will be held Thursday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center located at 528 Bloom Street, Jackson, Mississippi 39202.
The enrollment of black males in higher education has not improved, despite many efforts to recruit and retain them. Although black female enrollment increased by 126 percent between 1976 and 2002, black male enrollment increased by only 51 percent.
In Mississippi, Black males made up only 11.7 % of students enrolled in Mississippi’s public university system in 2008, compared with 24.4 % Black females. Approximately one in four African-American males between the ages of 20 and 29 are incarcerated, on probation, or on parole; only one in five is enrolled in a two or four-year college program.
What steps can we take to reclaim the African American male in the education pipeline? How can social institutions develop a system to attract more black men to higher education and to help them succeed? The panelists— Dr. Alfred Rankins, Jr., Assistant Commissioner for Academic and Student Affairs, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning; Dr. Marcus Chanay, Associate Vice President for Division of Student Life, Jackson State University; Mr. Albert Sykes, Coordinator with Young Peoples Project, Jackson, Mississippi, and Dr. Nikisha G. Ware, Executive Director, Mississippi Learning Institute; will explore this subject during the session on Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 6:30pm at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center.
For details, call The Hamer Institute at (601) 979-1562, 601-979-1563 or email: hamer.institute@jsums.edu.

Congresswoman Maxine Walters to speak at Hamer humanitarian awards luncheon - April 17

(JACKSON, Miss.) – U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters will be the guest speaker for the third annual Fannie Lou Hamer Humanitarian Awards Luncheon to be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 17, at the Student Center on Jackson State University’s main campus, 1400 John R. Lynch Street in Jackson, Miss.
The luncheon honors individuals and organizations that have made major contributions to the areas of service and leadership in the pursuit of social, economic, political, and environmental justice and equality. Consideration is given to Mississippians whose community involvement has benefited the public, particularly people and organizations that have not received appropriate recognition for their many contributions.
The Fannie Lou Hamer Humanitarian Awards are also designed to honor individuals from various age groups.
Tickets are $50 per person and $400 for a table of eight.
For more information or to purchase tickets and souvenir booklet ads, visit www.jsums.edu/~hamer.institute or call the Hamer Institute at 601-979-1562.

Jackson State brings new life to historic COFO building - March 21

 (JACKSON, Miss.) – During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the Council of Federated Organizations building in Jackson was a hub of activity. It housed the city’s first black radio station and was home base for organizations like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the NAACP.
With funds from the U.S. Small Business Administration, Jackson State University is moving forward with plans to renovate the COFO building complex that includes 1011, 1013 and 1017 John R. Lynch St.
The university will hold a restoration ceremony at noon Saturday, March 21, at 1017 John R. Lynch St.
Plans include staging one of the buildings with artifacts so that it appears as it did in the 1960, and using the other buildings for meeting space and to house student run businesses through Jackson State’s College of Business. Student entrepreneurs will be responsible for developing business plans, marketing analyses, and other tasks necessary to ensure the success of their ventures.
The restoration of the COFO complex is part of Jackson State University’s initiative to redevelop the eastern portion of John R. Lynch Street.  The Lynch Street Initiative is led by Jackson State University’s Center for University-Based Development and seeks to preserve the historic aspects of this corridor while improving the surrounding communities.