Honors & Awards

Princeton’s Patricia Smith Wins the 2025 National Book Award for Poetry

Professor Smith was honored for her newest poetry collection, The Intentions of Thunder. She currently teaches creating writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University.

Joycelyn Elders Honored by the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation

An expert in pediatric endocrinology, Dr. Elders was the second woman and the first African American to serve as U.S. Surgeon General. She currently serves as a professor emeritus at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

The 2025 Recipients of Harvard’s W. E. B. Du Bois Medal

The W. E. B. Du Bois Medal is presented annually by Harvard University's Hutchins Center for African & African American Research in recognition of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to African and African American culture.

FAMU’s Areto Imoukhuede Receives National Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Education Law

Professor Imoukhuede was recently honored by the Education Law Association for his article, “The Walk Away from Racial Equality,” which examines how recent Supreme Court decisions have shifted away from Brown v. Board of Education's vision of racial equality.

Yale’s Elijah Anderson Receives National Award for Ethnographic Research on Urban Crime

Dr. Anderson has studied inequality, structural racism, and crime and violence for nearly five decades. The author of five books, he currently serves as the the Sterling Professor of Sociology and of Black studies at Yale University.

Dartmouth to Construct First Campus Building Named for a Black Alum

“Dartmouth wasn’t made in my image, but it is possible to remake it to include my image. There has been a continual making and remaking of who Dartmouth is for and who belongs here,” said alumna and television mogul Shonda Rhimes, who has donated $15 million to construct the Shonda Rhimes Hall - the first Dartmouth building named for a woman or a Black alum.

Julian Thayer Honored for Lifetime Achievement in Behavioral Medicine

Currently teaching as a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine, Dr. Thayer is known for his research on how stress and emotion impact the heart-brain connection.

Two Black Scholars at Universities in the United States Named MacArthur Fellows

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recently announced the 22 latest recipients in its fellowship program, commonly referred to as “genius grants.” Of this year’s 22 winners, two are African American scholars with current ties to the academic world in the United States.

Rutgers University’s Roxane Gay Receives Lifetime Achievement Award From the National Book Foundation

Dr. Gay, an endowed professor at Rutgers University, has authored dozens of works of fiction and nonfiction throughout her career. In addition to her own work, she empowers other writers to publish their stories through her imprint, Roxane Gay Books.

University of Maryland Professor Sacoby Wilson Wins the 2025 Heinz Award in Environment

Dr. Wilson's research confronts how industrial practices, pollution, and climate change disproportionately affect the health of people of color and residents of low-income neighborhoods.

Three Black Scholars in Academia Have Won the American Book Award

This year, 15 works of fiction authored or edited by 19 writers and poets were awarded an American Book Award. Of these winners, three are Black scholars currently holding faculty appointments at American-based institutions.

Phyllis Sharps Named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing

Considered the organization's highest honor, the "Living Legend" designation is granted to individuals who exemplify the resolve and ingenuity of the nursing professions and have made significant impacts on health systems and health policy.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers Honors Prairie View A&M University’s Paul Biney

Dr. Paul Biney of Prairie View A&M University in Texas was recently honored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for his outstanding work in advancing mechanical engineering education. He recently retired from the HBCU after four decades of service.

Florida Atlantic University’s Wesley Wright Recognized by the Society for Professional Journalists

Currently serving as assistant director of student media at Florida Atlantic University, Wright is the founder of the ReNews Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restarting dormant student newspapers at historically Black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions.

Brown University’s Katherine Tate Honored for Distinguished Career in Racial Politics Research

Katherine Tate, professor of political science at Brown University, is a leading scholar on African American politics, race and gender in political science, American public opinion, government, and urban politics.

Jualynne Dodson Receives National Recognition for Outstanding Social Justice Scholarship

Currently serving as a professor emerita at Michigan State University, Dr. Dodson has led the African Atlantic Research team for three decades. In this role, she has helped more than 75 students from underrepresented backgrounds pursue doctoral degrees.

Wellesley College President Paula Johnson Wins Lifetime Achievement Award Named for Cato T. Laurencin

Presented by Dr. Laurencin himself, the award recognizes Dr. Johnson's career-long contributions to medical research, women's health, health equity, and leadership in science and education.

Tyffani Monford Honored for Contributions to Preventing Sexual Violence

Tyffani Monford, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, has been recognized by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Violence for her outstanding research and clinical contributions to the treatment and prevention of sexual harm.

Kenya Beard Receives National Award for Advancing Diversity in Nursing and Healthcare

Currently serving as the inaugural dean of the School of Nursing at Mercy University in Dobbs Ferry, New York, Dr. Beard is a nationally recognized leader in health equity, policy, and nursing education.

Jason Moore is Paul Quinn College’s First Fulbright Scholar

“Being named Paul Quinn’s first Fulbright Scholar is an incredible honor that reflects not just a personal milestone but the power and promise of a supportive Paul Quinn community,” said Dr. Moore, who will spend the upcoming academic year teaching business development and entrepreneurship to students at Bethlehem Moravian College in Jamaica.
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Southern University President Dismissed After Two Years of Service

Breaking News
Dennis Shields, president of the Southern University System and chancellor of Southern University and A&M College, has been dismissed from his post. He will join the HBCU's law school faculty after a sabbatical.

Princeton’s Patricia Smith Wins the 2025 National Book Award for Poetry

Honors & Awards
Professor Smith was honored for her newest poetry collection, The Intentions of Thunder. She currently teaches creating writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University.

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