Meet Harvard Law School’s First Nigerian Professor

Diversity in academia has been an issue for decades across most of the country’s elite universities. While diversity among the student body is rising, academia is still lagging behind. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2017, 76% of postsecondary faculty members at accredited institutions were white whereas only 24% identified as nonwhite. It is critical for minority students to have faculty members that look like that they do and one professor is making history at Harvard University, challenging people on their perceptions of what an Ivy League school professor looks like.

In 2015, Dehlia Umunna made history as Harvard’s first Nigerian law professor and currently serves as the deputy director and clinical instructor at Harvard Law School’s Criminal Justice Institute (CJI). She received a master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Public Administration, and holds a B.A. in communications from California State University, San Bernardino, in addition to a law degree from George Washington University Law Center.

Before she started at the country’s most elite university, Umunna served on the District of Columbia Law Students in Court Clinic board and worked as an Adjunct Professor of Law and Practitioner in Residence at American University and Washington College of Law. In addition to her work in academics, she also spent several years as a public defender and worked as a trial attorney. Umunna served as faculty training attorneys under the District of Columbia Criminal Justice Act.

“I relish this extraordinary opportunity to continue work that I am truly passionate about, and I am grateful for the deep interest and commitment of the school to issues of criminal justice, mass incarceration, indigent defense, and social justice,” Umunna told Harvard Law Today when she first took the role.

Her duties include governing third-year law students as they represent clients in criminal and juvenile proceedings before Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court and Appeals court.

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Meet Harvard Law School’s First Nigerian Professor

Diversity in academia has been an issue for decades across most of the country’s elite universities. While diversity among the student body is rising, academia is still lagging behind. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2017, 76% of postsecondary faculty members at accredited institutions were white whereas only 24% identified as nonwhite. It is critical for minority students to have faculty members that look like that they do and one professor is making history at Harvard University, challenging people on their perceptions of what an Ivy League school professor looks like.

In 2015, Dehlia Umunna made history as Harvard’s first Nigerian law professor and currently serves as the deputy director and clinical instructor at Harvard Law School’s Criminal Justice Institute (CJI). She received a master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Public Administration, and holds a B.A. in communications from California State University, San Bernardino, in addition to a law degree from George Washington University Law Center.

Before she started at the country’s most elite university, Umunna served on the District of Columbia Law Students in Court Clinic board and worked as an Adjunct Professor of Law and Practitioner in Residence at American University and Washington College of Law. In addition to her work in academics, she also spent several years as a public defender and worked as a trial attorney. Umunna served as faculty training attorneys under the District of Columbia Criminal Justice Act.

“I relish this extraordinary opportunity to continue work that I am truly passionate about, and I am grateful for the deep interest and commitment of the school to issues of criminal justice, mass incarceration, indigent defense, and social justice,” Umunna told Harvard Law Today when she first took the role.

Her duties include governing third-year law students as they represent clients in criminal and juvenile proceedings before Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court and Appeals court.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/3bohazX

The National Black Child Development Institute Goes Digital for National Black Child Development Week Amid COVID-19

May 11 – 15 is National Black Child Development Week in the United States. This year, amid COVID-19, The National Black Child Development Institute Inc. (NBCDI) decided to make the most out of the week by going digital and focusing on homeschooling, mental health, and food insecurity. In addition, NBCDI will be raising funds to deliver groceries to those in need.

For the past 50 years, NBCDI has been at the forefront of engaging leaders, policymakers, professionals, and parents around critical and timely issues that directly impact black children and their families. They are a trusted partner in delivering culturally relevant resources that respond to the unique strengths and needs of black children around issues including early childhood education, health, child welfare, literacy, and family engagement.

As more than 55 million students are sheltered-in-place during the pandemic, numerous organizations have responded to the needs of black children who are doubly disadvantaged. Prior to the crisis, countless black children faced a number of insecurities and disparities. In response, The National Black Child Development Institute has gone digital for National Black Child Development week during its 50^th Anniversary celebration and will host a variety of Zoom-powered workshops and seminars, and Instagram Live conversations.

“Nothing will stop us from supporting black children,” said Tobeka G. Green, president and CEO of NBCDI in a release. “We have reallocated and customized our resources and support to foster uninterrupted learning gains and optimal well-being.”

The free one-hour live sessions will provide critical insight, tools, and resources on subjects including homeschooling, the black economy, mental health, and the 2020 census. Each day kicks-off at noon and ends at 4:30 p.m. with a daily ‘Homeschooling Happy Half-Hour’ for children and families to enjoy together.

The featured speakers for the series of events include Marley Dias, teen activist and founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks; David Clunie, executive director, Black Economic Alliance; Angela F. Williams, president and chief executive officer, Easter Seals; Kennith ‘Kenny Clutch, The Dancing Dad’ Thomas, professional choreographer, overcoming adversity influencer and author of When We Change the Mind, We Change the Game; Eunique Jones Gibson, award-winning photographer, activist and author of Because of Them, We Can; and Jonathan Hines, Pre-K teacher, Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology and first African American male named Teacher of the Year in Georgia.

To sign up for the free workshops and sessions, click here.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/3ctQEXb

The National Black Child Development Institute Goes Digital for National Black Child Development Week Amid COVID-19

May 11 – 15 is National Black Child Development Week in the United States. This year, amid COVID-19, The National Black Child Development Institute Inc. (NBCDI) decided to make the most out of the week by going digital and focusing on homeschooling, mental health, and food insecurity. In addition, NBCDI will be raising funds to deliver groceries to those in need.

For the past 50 years, NBCDI has been at the forefront of engaging leaders, policymakers, professionals, and parents around critical and timely issues that directly impact black children and their families. They are a trusted partner in delivering culturally relevant resources that respond to the unique strengths and needs of black children around issues including early childhood education, health, child welfare, literacy, and family engagement.

As more than 55 million students are sheltered-in-place during the pandemic, numerous organizations have responded to the needs of black children who are doubly disadvantaged. Prior to the crisis, countless black children faced a number of insecurities and disparities. In response, The National Black Child Development Institute has gone digital for National Black Child Development week during its 50^th Anniversary celebration and will host a variety of Zoom-powered workshops and seminars, and Instagram Live conversations.

“Nothing will stop us from supporting black children,” said Tobeka G. Green, president and CEO of NBCDI in a release. “We have reallocated and customized our resources and support to foster uninterrupted learning gains and optimal well-being.”

The free one-hour live sessions will provide critical insight, tools, and resources on subjects including homeschooling, the black economy, mental health, and the 2020 census. Each day kicks-off at noon and ends at 4:30 p.m. with a daily ‘Homeschooling Happy Half-Hour’ for children and families to enjoy together.

The featured speakers for the series of events include Marley Dias, teen activist and founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks; David Clunie, executive director, Black Economic Alliance; Angela F. Williams, president and chief executive officer, Easter Seals; Kennith ‘Kenny Clutch, The Dancing Dad’ Thomas, professional choreographer, overcoming adversity influencer and author of When We Change the Mind, We Change the Game; Eunique Jones Gibson, award-winning photographer, activist and author of Because of Them, We Can; and Jonathan Hines, Pre-K teacher, Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology and first African American male named Teacher of the Year in Georgia.

To sign up for the free workshops and sessions, click here.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/3ctQEXb

AARP Teamed Up With NNPA To Provide Older African Americans With Resources On How To Combat COVID-19

African Americans have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, crisis mostly due to underlying health conditions and existing racial inequities within the healthcare system. This has left older African Americans over the ages of 50 as some of the most vulnerable to the virus with many lacking proper access to technology to keep up with the news cycle and are more likely to have less access to support resources to protect themselves against the pandemic.

Since the start of the pandemic, AARP has been closely monitoring news on the virus and delivering useful information and resources to older Americans, specifically those from marginalized communities. “The data is clear and has been clear for decades: African Americans, Latinos, and other minority groups live sicker and die younger,” says Stephen Thomas, a professor of health policy and management and director of the Maryland Center for Health Equity at the University of Maryland School of Public Health to AARP. “We cannot close our eyes or put up blinders to the disproportionate impact of this disease on racial and ethnic minority communities.”

To combat the outbreak among the community, AARP has collaborated with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) to host a virtual information session and first African American press briefing to provide information and additional resources for African Americans over the age of 50 regarding COVID-19. The topics ranged from ways to prevent transmission to consoling loved ones who have lost someone to the virus.

Speakers at the virtual event included Dr. Ben Chavis, president and CEO of the NNPA, Shani Hosten, AARP Multicultural Leadership AA/B Strategy Lead, Reginald Nance, AARP New York, Associate State Director Multicultural Outreach, Dr. James Hildreth, President of Meharry Medical College, Rita Choula, AARP Public Policy Institute Director of Caregiving, and Cristina Martin Firvida, AARP, VP Financial Security & Consumer Affairs.

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