Dear Southernites and Friends:
Happy Homecoming, Jaguars! It has been a great homecoming week so far here on the Bluff. Felise Thompson-Doyle, our 87
th
Miss Southern University, along with the other campus queens, looked absolutely beautiful at Miss Southern’s coronation Wednesday night.
Yesterday was such a real treat. I began the day as the guest speaker at the
1880 Society
meeting. The success of the
1880 Society
and the Foundation continues to grow along with the
1880 Society
membership. I then stopped by the Alumni House where alums were gearing up to work on our L’Universite’ Du Southern Reste Belle, i.e., our “Keep Southern University Beautiful” project. Special thanks to Houston Chapter President Pamela LeBrane and D.C. Chapter Treasurer Verna Brown for shepherding this wonderful collaboration with our students and alumni.
From there, I walked over to the Cotillion Ballroom for a sneak preview of the HBCU documentary,
Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities
. I cannot thank Los Angeles Alumni Chapter President, Camille Mayo, enough for presenting this opportunity to the Alumni Federation and to the University. The documentary was an in-depth look at the history of HBCUs from their founding to the present. It was a powerful production by Firelight Media. Firelight is beginning a 10-campus tour showcasing the documentary, which will air on television in February. Thanks to Camille, Southern is the first HBCU to get a sneak preview of the documentary. Following the movie, I had the great pleasure of serving on a panel with the movie director, Stanley Nelson, along with Dean Frank Ransburg, former National Alumni President Jerry Cole, activist and former Southern University student Fred Prejean, Dean Cynthia Bryant, and SULC Chancellor John Pierre...
