HBCU

Florida A&M University and the Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative announce Recipients of Medical Marijuana Research Grants

THE WESTSIDE GAZETTE — Florida A&M University (FAMU) today awarded 14 grants totaling $98,000 to more than 20 faculty members to conduct research on marijuana as it impacts diverse minority communities. This research is a component of the University’s Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI), which was launched in response to the Florida Legislature’s funding allocation to educate “minorities about marijuana for medical use and the impact of the unlawful use of marijuana on minority communities.”

Published

6 years ago

May 5, 2019

Oakland Post

By Carma Henry

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – Florida A&M University (FAMU) today awarded 14 grants totaling $98,000 to more than 20 faculty members to conduct research on marijuana as it impacts diverse minority communities. This research is a component of the University’s Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI), which was launched in response to the Florida Legislature’s funding allocation to educate “minorities about marijuana for medical use and the impact of the unlawful use of marijuana on minority communities.” As part of the 2017 legislation, FAMU receives $10 for every $75 identification card purchased by individuals approved to buy medical marijuana.

MMERI Director Peter Harris, JD. says, “when it comes to Florida’s diverse minority communities, this is a critical initiative. FAMU is unique in this space and our research will guide policy in Florida. We are fortunate that the Florida Legislature understands the vital role FAMU can play.”

MMERI Research Chair and Dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences, Cynthia Hughes-Harris, Ph.D. says, “As the use of both prescribed and illegal marijuana becomes more prevalent in our society, many questions have arisen as to how marijuana can and should be used. These questions are particularly important to marijuana use in minority communities. The primary approach to answering these questions is through formal research processes conducted by experienced researchers. FAMU is particularly qualified to address these issues due to the talents and skills of FAMU faculty, as researchers and as educators, combined with our understanding of the target communities throughout the state of Florida.”

This first round of research funding will enable FAMU to build a repository of information for medical marijuana education and research. Among the objectives of the repository are to establish the University as a touchstone center for marijuana information, fill in the gaps in medical marijuana research particularly as it relates to diverse communities and to inform public policy, in Florida and beyond, about the impact and issues presented by the developing marijuana industry.

Faculty members from such disciplines as agriculture, allied health, architecture, law, pharmacy, business, and social sciences will conduct funded research. The grantees were selected by an impartial panel of experienced FAMU researchers and content experts who rated each application on objective criteria appropriate to the goals of the grant. Each grant award is $7,000. The research projects are expected to be completed by June 30, 2020.

The research focus and the awardees are:

Knowledge and Perception of Pediatric Cancer Patients and Caregivers on Medical Marijuana, Aksal Ali, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy.
Assessing Disparate Impacts: The Legalization of Medical Marijuana in Florida and the Legal Implications for Florida’s African American Communities, Jeffrey Brown, J.D., Associate Professor, College of Law.
Marijuana, Mental Health, and FAMU, DeAnna Burney, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Huijin Li, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Assistant Director, Center for Ethnic Psychological Research and Application, Department of Psychology.

Medical Marijuana Dispensary Locations and Neighborhood Crime, Andrew Chin, Interim Dean, School of Architecture and Engineering Technology.
Exploring Black Entrepreneurs’ Access to Opportunities in the Medical Marijuana Industry, Jennifer Collins, Ph.D., Assistant Dean and Associate Professor, School of Business and Industry and LaTanya White, MBA, Instructor, School of Business and Industry.
The Effects of Medical Marijuana Use by Multiple Sclerosis Patients on Select Measures of Muscular Strength and Endurance, Dr. Brian Hickey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Physical Education.
Assessing the Knowledge and Perceptions of Community Members Specific to the Compassionate Use of Marijuana, Marisa Lewis, Pharm.D., MPH, Associate Professor, School of Allied Health Sciences and Lon’Tejuana Cooper, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Allied Health Sciences.
Mixed Methods Study of Medical Marijuana Use Among Minority Patients, John Luque, Ph.D., MPH, Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Arinzechukwu Okere, PharmD, MS, MBA, BPCS, Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Assessing African Americans Preference and Willingness to Pay Values for Medical Marijuana as a Treatment for Cancer…a Minority Perspective, Carmen Lyttle-Nguessa, Ph.D., College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Gilbert Queely, Ph.D., Research Associate, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences and Cassel Gardner, Ph.D., Professor, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences.
Increasing Minority Access to Medical Marijuana (MM): Simplifying the Process Through Research, Outreach, and Education, Gilbert Queely, Ph.D., Research Associate, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences
An Investigation on Marijuana Consumption in the Construction Industry in Florida, Behnam Shadravan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Architecture and Engineering Technology
To What Extent Do Mental Health and Psychosocial Factors Predict Risk for Misuse and Neuropsychological Impairment in African American Marijuana Users, Gwendolyn Singleton, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology.
Marijuana Wellness Intervention for Community, Coping, Substance-Awareness, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Regulation Enhancement via Education, Novell Tani, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Arie Christon, Department of Psychology.
Investigating Levels of Awareness of Medical Marijuana and the Correlation to Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms Within the Criminal Justice System, Gari Tookes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work.

This article originally appeared in The Westside Gazette.

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Dr. Kimberly Mayfield Working to Bring a ‘Black-Affirming University’ (HBCU) to Oakland

The goal, according to Mayfield, is to “create a Black-serving institution in Oakland, which means that 50% or more of the student body would be African American.” The Oakland program could either be an HBCU, which is preferable, or a Black-serving institution unaffiliated with other HBCUs. The program itself could become a stand-alone institution or an assemblage of different programs on a single campus.

Published

4 months ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Dr. Kimberly Mayfield. Official photo.

By Ken Epstein

Dr. Kimberly Mayfield, who, until recently served as deputy mayor of Oakland, has been working for several years with educators and community groups to create a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) or other Black-serving institution of higher education in Oakland — potentially on the fully operational campus of Holy Names University in East Oakland, which went out of business in 2023.

The goal, according to Mayfield, is to “create a Black-serving institution in Oakland, which means that 50% or more of the student body would be African American.”

The Oakland program could either be an HBCU, which is preferable, or a Black-serving institution unaffiliated with other HBCUs. The program itself could become a stand-alone institution or an assemblage of different programs on a single campus.

“It could be a consortium model where programs from existing HBCUs locate in Oakland,” similar to the Atlanta Union Center in Georgia, which offers courses from Morehouse, Spelman, Morris Brown, and Clark Atlanta HBCUs, she said.

“There are four different institutions at Atlanta Union, and students can take classes from the different schools. They’re all based in the same place, but the programs are run by different institutions,” said Mayfield.

Key to the program would be the culture of the school, which would be “Black affirming,” offering students a supportive environment that recognizes them as individuals, she said. The program would be campus-based and include online course offerings.

Courses could be offered in downtown Oakland in office buildings in the Black Business and Arts District as well as at the Holy Names site, which was sold to developers for $64 million and is presently for sale.

Holy Names was a private Roman Catholic university in Oakland founded in 1868 by the Canada-based Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary with whom the university remained affiliated until it closed after facing several years of budget shortfalls.

Before serving as Deputy Mayor, Dr. Mayfield began her career as an educator in the Oakland Unified School District and served as dean of the School of Education and Liberal Arts and the vice president for external relations and strategic partnerships at Holy Names.

She said she has already found a lot of interest from various sources for donating funds to start the school, she said. “We have reached out to the East Bay Community Foundation, to set up the necessary structures to receive money to help with strategic planning,” and all other aspects investors want to see, including an internet presence.

The team working on the initiative has 16 members and is led by Mayfield, Councilmember Carroll Fife, and retired attorney Kim Thompson. They recently attended a conference of HBCU leaders held by the United Negro College Fund, where the Oakland proposal was greeted with enthusiasm.

Mayfield emphasized that the goal of bringing an HBCU is something that has broad support in Oakland and has been a subject of growing interest for several decades.

“This is a community-driven initiative. While former Mayor Sheng Thao’s support was important and allowed us to get organized in a certain way, it doesn’t end with her leadership” she said, adding that outgoing Congresswoman Barbara Lee and other mayoral candidates have expressed support for this initiative.

Mayfield said she and her team have been in conversations with leaders of some HBCUs, which are interested in expanding to the West Coast but face financial constraints.

“It’s the racial wealth gap, which affects HBCUs,” the same as the rest of Black America, she said. “They just don’t have the same financial resources that predominantly white institutions have. It’s hard for them to think about a completely separate, sustained campus, when they have to deal with preserving the infrastructure on their main campus.”

She said Holy Names University had 1,400 students at its largest enrollment, with no online component. “We could easily have 1,000 students matriculating on campus, and another online population of students, virtually.”

“We’d like all the virtual students to be close enough to come to campus and participate in the campus culture,” because that’s the difference an HBCU makes, Mayfield said. “It cares for students, sees you as a person, not a number, in touch with wraparound services, calling you if you’re not in class.”

“We want to have an institution that knows who the students are,” she said. “You know their brilliance when they walk in, and you’re doing everything possible academically for them to succeed and thrive.”

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Salesian Coach Knew Angel Jackson Could Play in WNBA

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson. “If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said. That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Published

12 months ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Angel Jackson. Photo courtesy of Jackston State.

The Richmond Standard

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson.

“If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said.

That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Jackson’s success came as little surprise to Pezzola, who last year led the Pride to their 8th North Coast Section championship since he took over the program in 2008-2009. In 2019, Pezzola commended Jackson as “a very coachable kid” from the time she arrived at Salesian.

Tomekia Reed, her coach at Jackson State, shared similar sentiments, noting Jackson worked “very hard” to reach this moment.

“She came into our program doing great things and never looked back,” Reed told the Clarion Ledger. “She has trusted our leadership as we were able to develop her into an amazing player. I have watched her improve tremendously over the years.”

The 6’-6” Jackson played three seasons at the University of Southern California before transferring to Jackson State. She was ranked 10th in the NCAA in blocked shots and averaged 10 points per game in her final college season.

She finished her collegiate career with 1,047 points and was twice named Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

As the 36th pick, Jackson was the final pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In a television interview, Jackson said she didn’t expect to be picked, and called the moment “surreal.”

“It made me feel so appreciative that HBCU is getting back on the map again,” she said.

All she could do in that moment was cry.

“I called my mom immediately, and she started crying,” Jackson said. “It was the best moment you can feel as a young lady.”

There’s no stopping Jackson now. “The sky is the limit,” she said.

Her high school coach agrees.

“I knew that Angel could do it,” Coach Pezzola told the Richmond Standard this week. “We are so proud of Angel and what she has accomplished. It was an honor and joy to coach Angel at Salesian.”

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Laphonza Butler Becomes California’s Newest U.S. Senator

Two days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that Laphonza Butler would fill the U.S. Senate seat of the late Dianne Feinstein, the new senator was sworn in on Capitol Hill by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

Published

2 years ago

October 10, 2023

Oakland Post

Laphonza Bulter was the president of Emily’s List. Wikimedia Commons photo.

Replacing the Late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Butler Becomes the 3^rd Black Woman to Serve in Upper Chamber

By Lauren Victoria Burke,

NNPA Newswire contributor

Flanked by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and California Sen. Alex Padilla as she took the oath, Butler than received a round of applause by senators of both parties.

After the swearing-in, President Joe Biden called Butler to congratulate her, the White House said.

“I am honored to accept Gov. Newsom’s nomination to be a U.S. Senator for a state I have long called home,” Butler said in a statement Monday. “I am humbled by the Governor’s trust. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s leadership and legacy are immeasurable. I will do my best to honor her by devoting my time and energy to serving the people of California and the people of this great nation.”

She will be the third Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, preceded by Illinois’s Carol Mosely Braun, and current V.P. Kamala Harris. Butler is also the first openly lesbian Black U.S. senator: Her wife, Neneki Lee, held the Bible during Butler’s swearing-in.

Since 2021, Butler has been serving as the president of EMILY’s List. The fundraising platform supports and funds women candidates and amplifies issues that disproportionately impact women.

Before that she was involved in labor organizing, elected president of California’s largest union, Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

“As the president of SEIU 2015, Laphonza Butler led the fight for fair wages and respect for home care workers,” said Mary Kay Henry, current SEIU president, in a statement Monday. “As president of SEIU California, she was a driving force in winning the first statewide $15 an hour minimum wage in the nation. She has been a strong ally electing pro-women candidates as president of Emily’s List.”

Fellow California Sen. Alex Padilla also expressed strong support for Butler. “Throughout her career, Laphonza Butler has been a strong voice for working families, LGBTQ rights, and a champion for increasing women’s representation in politics. I’m honored to welcome her to the United States Senate,” Padilla wrote in a statement. “Governor Newsom’s swift action ensures that Californians maintain full representation in the Senate as we navigate a narrow Democratic majority. I look forward to working together to deliver for the people of California.”

Newsom’s decision was not on the political radar screen of most prognosticators.

With the selection of Butler, the decision by California’s Governor did not include any of the currently announced candidates for U.S. Senate in 2024 in California. Those current candidates include veteran members of Congress Barbara Lee and Adam Schiff and relative newcomer Katie Porter.

“As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault. Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington, D.C.,” wrote Gov. Newsom in a statement released on the evening of October 1 announcing Butler’s appointment.

Butler will be the only Black woman in the Senate. But Delaware Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester is expected to win the Senate seat vacated by Senator Tom Carper. Carper announced he would not run for re-election in 2024 and Rochester announced shortly afterwards that she would run for Carper’s seat.

Butler formally became another addition to the Congressional Black Caucus when she was welcomed with a swearing in by those members later on Tuesday.

Butler grew up in Magnolia, Miss., one of four siblings raised by a single mother. Her father, who suffered from heart disease, passed away when Butler was 16. She attended Jackson State University, an HBCU, graduating in 2001.